The Aztec Empire: The Last Great NativeCivilization in Mesoamerica

An Aztec dancer poses for a photo during a ceremony celebrating the birth of Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, in

Ixcateopan, Mexico, February 23, 2009. Cuauhtemoc was tortured and executed by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes in

1525. AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo

The Aztecs probably began as a tribe that moved from place to place in northern Mexico.

Around A.D. 1200 they arrived in Mesoamerica, the area between central Mexico and northern

Costa Rica. The Aztecs controlled many city-states in the area. They built a powerful empire.

Spanish invaders led by Hernan Cortes defeated the Aztecs in 1521.

Mexico City locale was site of Aztec capital

Many believe the Aztecs were a northern tribe of hunter-gatherers that came from Aztlan or

"White Land." As the Aztecs moved south into Mesoamerica, the Toltec people living there lost

power.

The Aztecs were also known as the Tenochca or Mexica. In 1325, their first magnificent

capital, Tenochtitlan, was named for them. It would become Mexico City in 1521.

By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.20.17

Word Count 665

Level 790L

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When the Aztecs saw an eagle perched on a cactus on the marshy land near Lake Texcoco,

they took it as a sign to build their city there. Draining the swampy land, they built islands.

They planted gardens and built their capital city, Tenochtitlán. Their very successful irrigation

and farming created crops of corn, beans, squashes, potatoes, tomatoes and avocados. They

also supported themselves through fishing and hunting. A strong military force also helped the

Aztecs build their empire.

An empire of riches

In 1428, the Aztec leader was Itzcoatl. He joined his forces with the Texcocans and the

Tacubans. Together they defeated the Tepanec. When Itzcoatl died in 1440, Montezuma

I (also spelled Moctezuma), the great warrior, took power. By the early 1500s, the Aztecs

ruled over 500 small states with 5 to 6 million people. Tenochtitlán had more than 140,000

inhabitants. It was the largest city in Mesoamerica.

Some 50,000 people visited Tenochtitlan to shop on days when markets were held. This

helped the Aztecs become wealthy. Nobles were at the top of their society. Serfs, who worked

on farms, and servants and slaves were at the bottom. The Aztec religion was like others in

Mesoamerica. There were human sacrifices, like during the Maya empire. The Aztecs prayed

to Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent god of the Toltecs. The Aztecs built great temples,

palaces and statues to their gods. The Aztec calendar was based on the movement of the sun

and had 365 days.

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Cortes destroys Aztec empire

The first European to visit the Aztec places was Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. He arrived

from Cuba with three ships and about 100 men, known as conquistadors, in 1517. Two years

later, the Spanish governor in Cuba, Diego Velasquez, sent more men under the command of

Hernan Cortes. Montezuma II was now the ruler of the Aztec empire.

Cortes trained his Spanish fighters. It became a strong fighting force. Cortes and 400 soldiers

then marched on the city. A native woman, Malinche, knew how to speak Spanish and the

Aztec language. She helped Cortes speak to other native people living in that part of Mexico.

He found out they did not like the Aztecs. So Cortes along with these other tribes made a plan

to defeat Montezuma II.

In November 1519, Cortes and his men arrived in Tenochtitlan. Montezuma and his people

greeted them as honored guests. They thought Cortes looked like the light-skinned

Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god that legends said would some day return to Mexico. Though the

Aztecs had greater numbers, their weapons could not match the guns and cannons of the

Spanish.

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Cortes quickly defeated them and took control of Montezuma and his nobles. The Spanish

then murdered thousands of Aztec nobles, and Montezuma died while he was under arrest.

Cuauhtemoc, his young nephew, took over as the leader of the Aztecs and drove the Spanish

from Tenochtitlan. Cortes fought back and defeated Cuauhtemoc in 1521. More than 240,000

people were killed in the battles.

This ended Aztec control of Mesoamerica. After his victory, Cortes burned Tenochtitlan and

built Mexico City on its ruins. It quickly became the most important European center in the

Americas.

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Quiz

1 According to the section "Mexico City locale was site of Aztec capital," how did the Aztecs build a

strong civilization?

(A) They established the city Tenochtitlan, which would become Mexico City.

(B) They built islands after draining swampy land.

(C) They had access to corn, beans, squashes, potatoes, tomatoes and avocados.

(D) They had steady sources of food and a powerful military.

2 What effect did the Spanish have on the Aztecs?

(A) The Spanish ended Aztec civilization.

(B) The Spanish formed alliances with the Aztecs.

(C) The Spanish spread European culture to the Aztecs.

(D) The Spanish spread their language to the Aztecs.

3 Read the introduction [paragraph 1] and the final section, "Cortes destroys Aztec empire."

What is the connection between these two sections?

(A) The introduction emphasizes the power of the Aztecs, which is central to the

final section.

(B) The introduction mentions Mesoamerica, which is key to understanding the final

section.

(C) The introduction mentions the end of the Aztecs, which is detailed in the final

section.

(D) The introduction duplicates most of the information in the final section.

4 What is the structure of this article?

(A) chronology

(B) compare and contrast

(C) cause and effect

(D) problem and solution

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