“Reconstruction of Tenochtitlan as it was in 1519” , by Ignacio Marquina, Mexico City, National Museum. Photo courtesy of Media for the Arts.
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Aztec Empire
A.D. 1428-A.D. 1521
he Aztecs came south to central Mexico from the northern deserts in 1325. They were a poor nomadic people who, through astute political alliances and warfare, quickly came to control a vast military empire. Their magnificent capital, Tenochtitlan, was built on a swampy island in the middle of a series of interconnecting lakes. Warfare was both a political and a religious instrument for the Aztecs. It served to increase territory and tribute, and at the same time provided victims needed for sacrifice. The Aztecs believed that the world would come to an end, as had previous creations, if the gods were not sustained by human blood.