Long ago, many people lived in Mexico.
They built big cities. They grew food like corn. They made beautiful art.
We can still see their things today. Do you want to learn more?
Long ago, many people lived in Mexico.
They spoke a way of talking called Nahuatl.
Some groups joined together to make an empire. This group of cities was called the Aztec Empire.
They built a big city on a lake. This city was named Tenochtitlan. They grew food like corn in the fields.
They also made very pretty art. They made bowls and stone tools.
We can still see their things today. It is fun to learn about them!
The Aztecs lived in central Mexico a long time ago.
Most of these people spoke a language called Nahuatl. They lived in many different groups. Some of these groups joined to form a big empire. This was called the Aztec Empire. It began in 1427. Three cities joined together to make it. These cities were Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan. Tenochtitlan was the capital city.
It was built on small islands in Lake Texcoco.
Aztec life was very organized. They grew food like maize, which is corn. They had different social classes. Some people were nobles. Other people were commoners. They also used a special calendar.
They made beautiful art with clay. They also made stone carvings.
In 1519, Spanish explorers arrived. They were led by Hernán Cortés. The Spanish joined with other local groups. They fought against the Aztec Empire. In 1521, the city of Tenochtitlan fell. The Spanish then built Mexico City on its ruins. We learn about the Aztecs today from old books and ruins.
The Aztecs were a group of people in central Mexico. They lived there from 1300 to 1521. Many different ethnic groups belonged to this civilization. Most of these people spoke a language called Nahuatl. They lived in organized groups called city-states. Some of these city-states joined together to form an empire.
This empire was a large group of connected lands. It was a very important part of history in Mesoamerica.
The Aztec Empire worked as a group of three cities. This group was called the Triple Alliance. It started in 1427. The three cities were Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan. Tenochtitlan was the most powerful city in the group.
The empire grew by trading and by using its military. They did not always rule by keeping soldiers in every land. Instead, they put friendly rulers in charge of other places. They also made marriage ties between different ruling families. This helped the empire stay strong and connected.
Life in the empire had many clear rules and traditions. People grew crops like maize, which is a type of corn. There were different social classes in their society. Some people were called nobility, or pipiltin. Other people were commoners, known as macehualtin.
They also used a special system to track time with calendars. The Mexica people in Tenochtitlan had a special god named Huitzilopochtli. They built large twin pyramids to honor their traditions.
The empire reached its biggest size in 1519. This was just before Spanish explorers arrived. These explorers were led by a man named Hernán Cortés. The Spanish made allies with groups that did not like the Aztecs. One of these groups was the Tlaxcalteca.
In 1521, the city of Tenochtitlan fell to the Spanish. The last emperor was named Cuauhtémoc. After the fall, the Spanish built Mexico City on the ruins. They used the old city-states to help them rule.
We know about the Aztecs because of many clues left behind. Archaeologists find old ruins like temple pyramids in the ground.
We also have old books called codices. Some were made of pictures and symbols. Others were written in the Nahuatl language. A famous book is the Florentine Codex. It was made by a friar named Bernardino de Sahagún. He worked with Aztec people to write it down. These stories help us understand their amazing culture today.
The Aztecs were a powerful Mesoamerican civilization. They flourished in central Mexico from 1300 to 1521. The term "Aztec" is often used to describe the Mexica people. They lived in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. This city was built on islets in Lake Texcoco. Today, this location is where Mexico City stands. The Aztecs were part of a larger group of Nahuatl-speaking peoples. These groups shared many cultural traits across central Mexico.
Aztec political life was organized into city-states called altepetl. Some of these city-states joined to form a massive empire. In 1427, a group called the Triple Alliance was established. This alliance included the city-states of Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan. They formed this group to defeat the Tepanec empire. Originally, the Tepanec state of Azcapotzalco held the most power. After the alliance formed, Tenochtitlan became the dominant leader.
The empire grew through trade and military conquest. It was not a territorial empire with large military garrisons. Instead, the Aztecs used clever political strategies to rule. They installed friendly rulers in conquered territories. They also created marriage alliances between different ruling dynasties. This helped spread an imperial ideology to client city-states. These client states paid taxes to the emperor, the Huey Tlatoani. This system made outlying areas dependent on the imperial center.
Society in the empire was organized into clear social classes. The nobility were known as the pipiltin. The commoners were called the macehualtin. Most people in central Mexico practiced maize cultivation. They also shared a complex pantheon of many gods. The Mexica of Tenochtitlan specifically worshiped Huitzilopochtli. They were famous for building large twin pyramids.
They also used a sophisticated calendric system to track time.
The empire reached its maximum extent in 1519. Its reach spanned from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans. It even extended far south into Chiapas and Guatemala. This expansion happened just before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. The Spanish leader was named Hernán Cortés. Cortés made alliances with groups that opposed the Mexica. The Tlaxcalteca were one such important group.
These alliances helped the Spanish challenge the empire's power.
In 1521, the city of Tenochtitlan fell to the Spanish. The last Aztec emperor was named Cuauhtémoc. Following this, the Spanish founded Mexico City on the ruins. They incorporated the Mesoamerican peoples into the Spanish Empire. The Spanish used existing city-states to help them rule. Local nobles acted as intermediaries for the new overlords. These nobles helped collect taxes and mobilize labor. This process helped establish long-term Spanish colonial rule.
We learn about the Aztecs through many different sources. Archaeologists study ruins like the Templo Mayor. They also examine ancient pictorial codices. These manuscripts used glyphs and symbols to tell stories. Some were written in the Latin script after the conquest. The Florentine Codex is a very famous twelve-volume work. A Franciscan friar named Bernardino de Sahagún created it. He worked with Indigenous informants to record their history.
These records provide deep insight into Aztec life.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (47)
+ 35 more
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.