Who were the Aztecs?
The Aztecs were a people who built a powerful empire in central Mexico from the 1300s to 1521. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, stood where Mexico City is today.
The Aztecs, who called themselves the Mexica, founded Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco around 1325. According to legend, they settled where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake, an image now on Mexico's flag. The city grew to perhaps 200,000 people, one of the largest in the world at the time.
Tenochtitlan had causeways, canals, temples and floating gardens called chinampas, used for farming. The Aztecs ruled a large empire through military conquest and collected tribute from other cities. Their religion included many gods, and they practiced human sacrifice in major ceremonies.
The fall of the empire
In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived with soldiers and allied with Indigenous groups who opposed Aztec rule. Smallpox, brought by the Europeans, killed huge numbers of people. Tenochtitlan fell in 1521, and the Spanish built Mexico City on its ruins.
Did You Know?
Chocolate, tomatoes and avocados were important foods in Aztec culture, and the word chocolate comes from the Aztec language, Nahuatl.