The Aztecs

The Aztecs dominated central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. From their arrival in Mexico at end of the twelfth century until the founding of their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1325, the Aztecs were a poor, nomadic tribe absorbing and adopting neighboring tribal cultures. However, during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, they became powerful politically and developed their own distinct culture. They excelled in engineering, architecture, art, mathematics, and astronomy. Their art revealed innovations in sculpture, weaving, metalwork, ornamentation, music, and picture writing for historical records. When the Spaniards, under Hernan Cortes, arrived in 1519, the Aztec civilization was at its height. Many neighboring tribes who had suffered under Aztec conquests and so rebelled against Aztec rule aided the Spanish takeover of their lands. Cortes captured Montezuma II, the last of the independent Aztec rulers, and attempted to rule through him. After the Aztecs revolted in...