The Aztecs
By Audrey Schulz
The beginning...
The Aztecs lived in Tenochtitlán, which is now Mexico City. The Aztec civilization began in the early 13th century
Making it work...
The Aztecs became the dominant force in central Mexico. They developed a detailed social, political, religious and commercial organization.
Their empire...
By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had taken over up to 500 small states, and 5 to 6 million people. Tenochtitlán at its peak, had more than 140,000 people, and was the most densely populated city ever to exist in Mesoamerica.
Hernándo Cortéz
He overthrew the Aztec empire, and he fought the emissaries that the governor of Cuba sent to arrest Cortéz and he won by using the extra troops as backup. After he overthrew the Aztec empire he was awarded the title Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca.
After the Aztecs...
After the Aztec empire fell, Cortez built Mexico City on its ruins. It quickly became the premier European center in the New World.