The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.

They called themselves Mexica. The capital of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, built on raised island in Lake Texcoco. Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish colonization of the Americas reached the mainland during the reign of Moctezuma II. In 1521 Hernan Cortes and an allied army of American Indians that far outnumbered the defending Aztecs, conquered the Aztecs.

A Z T E C

History
The Aztecs are said to hail from the land of Aztlan, somewhere north of Mexico Valley. Most of their culture were barbarian and were influenced by the Toltec culture. They were hated for their practices and were constantly driven from place to place. Led by the chief Tenoch, they settled in a marshy and almost uninhabitable land in Mexico Valley, after having the vision of an eagle perched on a cactus perched on a cactus plant growing out of a rock. This land was name TENOCHTITLAN. They elected a chief who was a direct descendant of a Toltec Emperor. With his influence, they allied with neighbouring TEXCOCO and TACUBA. This was called the triple alliance and they came to be known as the Aztecs. They went on to to defeat the most powerful rulers at that time, to become the mightiest of the Americas.

Building the City of Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan, now the site of modern-day Mexico City was built on a series of islets in Lake Texcoco. The city plan was based on a symmetrical layout that was divided into four city sections called campans. The city was interlaced with canals which were useful for transportation. Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan rose 50 m above the city. Around this houses were made of wood and loam, roofs were made of reed, although pyramids, temples and palaces were generally made of stone.

Chinampa beds were used to grow foodstuffs as well as, over time, to increase the size of the island. They were a very efficient agricultural system and could provide up to seven crops a year.
The center of Tenochtitlan was made up of many temples, the most important one being the Main Temple, palaces, pyramids, and a great plaza. The center was roughly five-hundred and fifty square yards. The Main Temple was dedicated to rain god Tlaloc and sun god Huitzilopochtli, whom the Aztecs considered their protector. Special temples were dedicated to warriors. Another feature was the ball court which has philosophical and recreational values. The Aztec Great Pyramid was the place of sacrifice. It had hundreds of steps leading to a small temple at the top. In front of this temple was a table were humans were sacrificed. The Aztecs also engineered an excellent road system which connected the cities. They had couriers standing at regular intervals, to keep the kings informed.

Society and Culture

Aztec society like any other Mesoamerican society was heavily structured. The Aztec Nobles held the highest position in the society, followed by the priests, warriors, the commoners and slaves. The common people were poor farmers and isolated tribes. They had no ownership of the land and were just workers. The commoner if accumulated with debt, could become a slave. Slaves were very badly treated and usually became human sacrifice. On certain conditions the slave could be freed or he is passed on to succeding generations. The Aztec warriors were highly respected and were even called to conduct sacrifices. The warriors were skilled archers and clubmen. The Eagle warrior and the Jaguar Warrior were eliti units good at hand to hand combat and psychological warfare, Their attire would intimidate the enemy. The culture was closely related to the Toltec and Mayan Civilizations. They were pagans and blood sacrifice was very common. Art in the Americas saw a great deal of development under the Aztecs. The Aztecs had their own way of writing and wrote poems and prose in praise of their gods. Aztec stone sculpting was also highly advanced. Th Aztecs hunted boars, rabbits, deer and geese. The Aztecs are also credited with the discovery of chocolate made from cocoa beans. They made a drink which was served only to the warriors and kings. Later after Spanish conquest, it spread to Europe. Cocoa beans were also a form of currency. Even complex number systems were depicted by cocoa beans. The most striking thing about Aztec culture is human sacrifice. It was brought to an unprecedented level by them.

Spanish Conquest of the Americas

With succesful overthrow of Moorish rule in Granada, the Reconquista was completed. Shipyards were established in Portugal and Spain and a new age of exploration began. With the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, the Spanish sought for new territories and this paved way for the Spanish Conquest of the Americas.

The first conquest was of Mexico by Hernan Cortes. The other famed conquistador was Facisco Pizzaro. Pizzro went on to conquer Peru which was under Inca rule.

Spanish Conquest and Fall

The empire reached its height during Ahuitzotl's reign in 1486-1502. His successor, Motehcuzoma Xocoyotzin (better known as Moctezuma II or Montezuma), had been Hueyi Tlatoani for 17 years when the Spaniards, led by Hernan Cortes, landed on the Gulf Coast in the spring of 1519. Despite some early battles between the two, Cortes allied himself with the Aztecs' long-time enemy, the Confederacy of Tlaxcala, and arrived at the gates of Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519.

The Spaniards and their Tlaxcallan allies became increasingly dangerous and unwelcome guests in the capital city. In June, 1520, hostilities broke out, culminating in the massacre in the Main Temple and the death of Moctezuma II. The Spaniards fled the town on July 1. They and their native allies returned in the spring of 1521 to lay siege to Tenochtitlan, a battle that ended on August 13 with the destruction of the city. During this period the now crumbling empire went through a rapid line of ruler succession. After the death of Moctezuma II, the empire fell into the hands of severely weakened emperors, such as Cuitlahuac, before eventually being ruled by puppet rulers, such as Andres de Tapia Motelchiuh, installed by the Spanish.
Other important reasons which severly fractured the Aztec society was the spread of Small Pox brought in by the Spaniards. Cortes also created blockades by cutting out food and water supply which killed most of the Aztec population.