Ms. W's ESL Blog

The Floating City The city of Tenochtitlan [te-nawch-tee-tlahn] was the capital city of the ancient Aztec Empire . Tenochtitlan was located in the center of Lake Texcoco in Mexico , what is modern -day Mexico City . The city was constructed on an island in the center of the lake with a series of canals connecting the land, which is why it is referred to as "the floating city".  The city had floating gardens where they grew corn, pepper, tobacco, cotton, and other crops . The Aztecs used canoes to travel the canals to get around the city and bridges to get from the city to the land outside the lake. About 300,000 habitants lived in the city, which at the time made it a larger city than Madrid , Spain and Lisbon , Portugal . The Aztecs were able to become one of the strongest empires because of where their city was located. They were able to move the bridges to the island when intruders tried to invade. The floating city is now buried under Mexico's capi

Tortilla or Tortilla?         One of my favorite foods is tortilla, but it is not the tortilla you might put meat and cheese in to make tacos! Spanish tortilla, or tortilla espa ñ ola , is a dish that originates from Spain. Tortilla espa ñ ola is staple tapa , or small dish, and is served at almost every restaurant in Spain. The ingredients needed to make tortilla are potatoes, eggs, onion, and a dash of salt and pepper. It is served in slices and usually with alioli , a garlic and olive oil sauce. I ate tortilla espa ñ ola so frequently when I studied in Seville, Spain, I am surprised I never got sick of it! I regretted not eating it more because it is hard to find in the United States. Tortillas from Mexico are round flatbreads made of corn or flour. These tortillas are meant to be eaten with other foods inside of them, for example, chicken or cheese. Unlike tortilla espa ñ ola, you can order something made with tortillas at many places.  Next time you see tortilla espa