Azteks

Aztecs, also known as the Mexica, were a Mesoamerican civilization that dominated central Mexico from the 14th to the early 16th century. They established their capital at Tenochtitlan, on an island in Lake Texcoco, and built a dynamic empire through military conquest, alliance, and tribute.

Their political structure centered on the Triple Alliance formed in 1428 by Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan; this allowed rapid expansion across much of central Mexico. They organized subject city-states under tribute obligations, while maintaining autonomous local governance within calpullis. The economy combined a vibrant market system with chinampas—agricultural beds built on lakes—to sustain a growing population. Trade networks linked agrarian districts and distant regions via pochteca sellers.

Religion and culture: The Mexica pursued a complex belief system with major deities including Huitzilopochtli (sun and war) and Tlaloc (rain). Human sacrifice, ritual warfare, and calendar ceremonies were integrated into state policy. They developed a logos script with pictographic codices and used Nahuatl as a lingua franca; their calendar combined 260-day ritual cycles and a 365-day solar cycle.

Spanish contact and conquest: In 1519, Hernán Cortés allied with indigenous enemies such as the Tlaxcalans, and by 1521 Tenochtitlan fell to the Spanish conquistadors, aided by disease and military technology. The Aztec state and many of its practices were transformed during the colonial era, though Nahuatl language and many customs survived in the region.