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The Aztecs were one of the last great Native American civilizations, ruling most of Mexico from the late 14th century until the early 16th century. The word "Aztec" means "someone who comes from Aztlán", an unknown location north of Mexico. The Aztec also referred to themselves as the Mehika or Meshika or Mexica, the origin of the name "Mexico".
They were the most powerful people of Central America during the 15th-16th-c. Their main city, Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City), near Lake Texcoco, became the most densely populated city of the region. They built up a great and powerful despotic state, with a strong military force, subjugating nearly all the people of C Mexico, and eventually ruling 400-500 small tribute-paying states (probably 5-6 million people), which provided them with raw materials and produce. People captured in wars were offered for human sacrifice to the Aztec gods.
The Aztecs were famous for their agriculture, cultivating all available land, introducing irrigation, draining swamps, and creating artificial islands in the lakes. Their best-known ruler was Montezuma II. They developed a form of hieroglyphic writing, a complex calendar system, and built famous pyramids and temples. The Aztec empire was finally destroyed by the Spanish under Cortés in 1521.
In the late 1300s, the Aztecs built their main city, Tenochtitlan. They formed an alliance with the nearby cities of Texcoco and Tacuba, which grew to dominate the Valley of Mexico and beyond. Eventually, the Aztecs became rulers of the empire. The most important official of the Tenochtitlan government is often called The Aztec Emperor, which translates as "Chief Speaker". This office gradually took on more power with the rise of Tenochtitlan. By the time of Auitzotl in 1486, the Emperor was truely the ruler.
Within Aztec socitey, the warriors were the top class, followed by the priests. The majority of the people were farmers, craftsmen, traders, and slaves. They created floating gardens, chinampas, in which they grew corn, vegetables, and cotton. They used cocoa beans to create a chocolate drink. Our words tomato and avocado come from the Aztec language.
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Religion played an important part in the lives of the Aztecs. According to legend, their god Huitzilopochtli led them to the Lago de Texcoco in Central Mexico. When they arrived at an island in the lake they saw an eagle eating a snake while perched on a nopal cactus, which was taken as a sign that they should found their new home on that spot. The Aztec built their city of Tenochtitlan on that site, which today is in the center of Mexico City. The legendary eagle is pictured on the Mexican flag.
Within the new city, the main religious building was the Great Temple, a stone pyramid with sacrificial altars. Here human sacrifices, often captives taken in battle, were offered to the gods. While the victim was still alive, his heart would be cut out and the blood used to bathe the statues of the gods.
One of their main gods was Quetzalcóatl, meaning plumed serpent. When Hernán Cortés and his men arrived in 1519, many Aztecs, including the emperor Montezuma, belived Cortés was the god Quetzalcóatl and welcomed the Spanish. Later they discovered their mistake. By 1521, the Spanish had destroyed Tenochtitlan and the Aztecs.
