History-Elden

The Aztec Empire was peopled by a group that was once nomadic, the Mexicas. Their chroniclers told them that after their long journey from Aztlán, they found themselves to be outcasts, until they found the sign sent to them by their god Huitzilopochtli, and began to build their city. And so the Mexica peoples continued, and the Aztec Empire began. The Aztecs Indians were one of the most civilized and powerful groups of Ancient America. They were in the Valley of Mexico and surrounding areas from about 1200 A.D. until the Spanish under Hernando Cortes conquered them in the early 1500's. The Aztec probably moved into central Mexico from the north in about AD 1200.There they took on parts of the cultures of earlier peoples, including the Toltec, the Maya, and the Zapotec.Aztec legends reveal that the early Aztec were hunters and gatherers.They fought with other tribes in the Valley of Mexico and were sometimes forced to serve them.Finally, they took refuge on islands in Lake Texcoco.They founded Tenochtitlán in about 1325. About 50 years later the Aztec chose their first //tlatoani//, or king. His name was Acamapichtli, which means “Handful of Arrows.” For many years the Aztec were dominated by a neighboring state called Azcapotzalco. In the early 1400s the Aztec king at the time made an alliance with two other nearby states. They combined to defeat Azcapotzalco. After that the power of the Aztec steadily grew. During the reign of the eighth king, Ahuitzotl, the //tlatoani// became known as the //huey tlatoani//, which means “supreme king” or “emperor.” Ahuitzotl ruled until 1502. He expanded the empire to its largest size in history. Montezuma II maintained the mighty empire until 1519, when Spanish conquerors arrived in the Aztec lands.


 * [[image:http://www.aztec-history.com/images/aztec-history-warriors.gif align="center" caption="Aztec history warriors"]] ||
 * Aztec history warriors ||

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