In Mesoamerican mythology, coyotes are symbols of military might. It was believed that the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl originated from a pre-Aztec coyote deity. However, the Coyoacán was named by the Aztecs with the Nahuatl word for “place of coyotes” as coyotes used to roam in the area. The place served as the headquarters of Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and made it the first capital of New Spain from 1521 to 1523.