The Aztec Civilization
The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican culture that existed in central Mexico from 1300 to 1521 during the post-classic period. The Aztecs were various ethnic groups from central Mexico, primarily those who spoke the Nahuatl language and ruled over significant sections of Mesoamerica from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The Aztec civilization was divided into city-states, some of which formed alliances, political confederations, or empires. Tenochtitlan, the city-state of the Mexica or Tenochca; Texcoco; and Tlacopan, once part of the Tepanec kingdom, whose dominating power was Azcapotzalco, became the Aztec Empire in 1427.
The Aztec civilization, with its capital city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), is the most well-documented Mesoamerican culture, with sources such as archaeology, native books (codices), and lengthy and detailed accounts from their Spanish conquerors - both military men and Christian clergy. Aztec culture and history are primarily known through archaeological evidence discovered in excavations such as the renowned Templo Mayor in Mexico City; indigenous writings; eyewitness accounts by Spanish conquistadors such as Cortés and Bernal Díaz del Castillo; and, most notably, descriptions of Aztec culture and history written in the Spanish or Nahuatl language by Spanish clergymen and literate Aztecs in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Aztec civilization had rich and sophisticated intellectual, mythological, and theological traditions at its peak, as well as impressive architectural and aesthetic achievements. According to Mark Cartwright (a professional scholar, researcher, historian, and editor for World History Encylopedia), the Aztec civilization was the last of the great Mesoamerican cultures before Europeans came. They erected spectacular temple pyramids, used complex agricultural techniques, their eagle warriors formed a large empire, and they sacrificed humans to their gods.
Period: 1345 AD-1521 AD
Original location: Pre-Columbian Mexico's southcentral region
Current location: Mexico
Major highlights: the last of the great Mesoamerican cultures
