Aztec Empire
Mexico, 1428–1521.
The Mexica built their capital, Tenochtitlan, on an island in Lake Texcoco. Through the Triple Alliance they collected tribute from much of central Mexico.
Seat of power: Tenochtitlan
Rulers
Itzcoatl
Tlatoani, 1427–1440
Formed the Triple Alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan and defeated Azcapotzalco, the former overlord. He is said to have had older codices burned to rewrite Mexica history.
Portrait of Itzcoatl: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Moctezuma II
Huey Tlatoani, 1502–1520
Ruled at the height of the empire with an elaborate court and strict ceremony, concentrating power in the nobility. He received Hernan Cortes in 1519, was held hostage and died in 1520.
Portrait of Moctezuma II: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- Chinampas, garden fields built in the lake, feed a city of perhaps 200,000 people.
- The Templo Mayor honours the war god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc.
- Nezahualcoyotl, king of Texcoco, is remembered as a poet.
Picture
Tenochtitlan as later artists imagined it, an island city linked to the shore by causeways.
Image: thomas kole, CC BY 4.0, file
