Altepetl

The altepetl (Classical Nahuatl:āltepētl[aːɬ.ˈté.peːtɬ]) – in pre-Columbian and Spanish conquest-era Aztec society – was the local, ethnically based political entity. It is usually translated into English as "city-state". The word is a combination of the Nahuatl words ā-tl (meaning "water") and tepē-tl (meaning "mountain").