Aztec Empire

The Aztec people founded one of the most powerful empires in history.

According to a legend the Aztec came from a place Aztlan northwest of Mexico. The Aztlan means ‘place of the herons’ in Nahuatl , the language of the Aztecs and other nearby people. It was a small tribe that made a living doing fishing and hunting.

In 1100, they left their desert-like home land in order to search for better settlements are at gods’ disposition.

They worked their way south for more than 200 years. At last in 1325, they definitely could stay on the place where according to a legend, they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus and holding a snack in its talons. 

The Aztec people of the island are brave, creative and intelligent. They began building the great city of Tenochtitlan.

They built temples and pyramids in the city center. These buildings rose high above the streets and canals of the island.

Aztecs formed the Triple Alliance and began to expand its territory in 1428. At its peak it included 450 separate altepetl city states in modern day Mexico and Guatemala and rules over a population of four to six million.

At the time of the Spanish conquest the Empire controlled by the Aztec cities sprawled across Mesoamerica from valleys of the Central Mexican highlands to the tropical lowland coats of Guatemala.

The Aztecs united different peoples under their rule. They created wealth for themselves by taking tribute from peoples they and their allies conquered.

The Aztecs controlled their empire for more than 100 years. Only the invasion of the Spanish beginning in 1519 ended their rule.
Aztec Empire