The Aztecs
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The Aztecs |
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| This is the story of a wandering tribe from Northern Mexico who through bravery, trickery, cruelty, genius became a great civilization. In the 1200s the Aztec people migrated into central "Mexico" and eventually settled near present-day Mexico City. The Aztecs called their capital Tenochtitlan which was built on an island in a lake and they controlled most of central and southern Mexico. They expanded their empire through military conquest, eventually ruling over five million people by the 1400s. Conquered people were forced to pay tribute in the form of food, clothing, and gold to the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs built pyramid like temples and are famous for the human sacrifices which were associated with their religion. They worshiped a rain god (farming) and a sun god (war). While they are thought of as a warlike society, the Aztec also devoted resources and technology for improving their agriculture such as irrigation systems and filling wetlands. In the early 1500s the Aztecs were defeated by the better equipped Spanish invaders under Cortez. |
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