Aztec

Aztec refers to the Mexica people and their empire, a major Mesoamerican civilization that dominated central Mexico in the postclassic period. The Mexica founded Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco, near what is now Mexico City, and developed a powerful urban center with extensive agriculture, markets, and infrastructure.

In the 15th century, the Mexica joined with Texcoco and Tlacopan to form the Triple Alliance, through which they established a tributary empire in central and southern Mexico. The empire was governed by a hierarchical system led by the Huey Tlatoani, or great speaker, and included a nobility (pipiltin), commoners, and slaves. Nahuatl was the dominant language, and the society combined political, military, and religious institutions to mobilize tribute and labor from conquered territories.

Economically, the Aztec state relied on tribute networks, markets, and an intensive agricultural system that included chinampas, or floating gardens, which increased crop yields. Religion played a central role in public life, with a pantheon headed by deities such as Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, and Tlaloc. Rituals, calendrical cycles, and temple ceremonies were closely integrated with governance and warfare.

The arrival of Spaniards under Hernán Cortés in 1519 led to alliances with some indigenous groups and the eventual siege of Tenochtitlan. The city fell in 1521, and the Aztec state was subsequently dismantled under colonial rule. The Aztec legacy persists in cultural practices, art, language (Nahuatl), and historical sources, including codices and late colonial chronicles.