Aztec Empire

The **Aztec Empire** was a large empire in Mesoamerica.  It existed between about 1345 AD and 1521 AD.  When the Empire was largest, it spread across most of Mesoamerica. 

The Aztecs built a powerful empire that was one of the world's most  societies. Its warriors took over many nearby states and helped spread Aztec culture and religion across Mesoamerica.   

However, in 1519, Spanish conquistadors came to the Aztec Empire.  With help from the Aztecs' enemies, the Spanish fought the Aztecs for control of their empire.  On August 13, 1521, the Aztec Empire fell apart and the Spanish took over.  They made the area a Spanish colony and renamed it New Spain. 

## History
Before the Aztec Empire existed, the indigenous (native) people in central Mesoamerica lived in many separate city-states.  These were small cities with farmland around them.  Each state had its own ruler.  Around 1100 AD, these city-states started to fight each other for power and control of the area's land.

By about 1400, two city-states had grown into small empires.  In 1428, these two empires fought the Tepanec War for control of the area.  The Texcoco empire made an alliance with some other powerful city-states, including Tenochtitlan, and won the war.  These allies were supposed to share power equally as they started to gain control of more land.  However, by 1430, Tenochtitlan became the most powerful member of the alliance.  It became the capital city of the Aztec Empire, and its ruler became the 'high king' of the entire Empire.

## Growth
From 1430 onward, the Aztec Empire grew.  Its military took over most of what is now northern Mexico.  At this point, the Aztec Empire controlled 135,000 square kilometres (almost 84,000 square miles) of Mesoamerica.p.453

When the Aztecs took over a state, they would take prisoners for ritual human sacrifice in Tenochtitlan.  The state would also have to pay the Aztec Empire "tributes" (almost like taxes).  As the Aztecs took over more and more states, these tributes made them very rich.

Sometimes, when the Aztecs took over a state, they would bring that state and its people into the Aztec Empire.  However, if a state was on the edge of the Empire, the Aztecs might let it stay its own state.  They did this so they would have other states around the Empire, protecting them from an invasion by other powerful states.  People bought and sold many things there, including slaves (prisoners of war from states the Aztecs had taken over).  The city had a huge pyramid called the Templo Mayor (Great Temple).  The entire city was decorated with art, architecture, and stone sculptures.

The Aztecs had created canals all across the city.  By bringing water to Aztec crops, these canals made it possible for the Aztecs to grow much more food than they normally could have.  The Aztecs had also made levees to protect the city from flooding, and reservoirs for fresh water.  These people enjoyed a high social status.

The next social class was the commoners (common people).  These were the Empire's everyday workers.  Most of them farmed, ran stores, or traded.  Commoners were allowed to own land as a group or a family.  However, a single person was not allowed to own land.

Until they were 15, children were taught by their parents.  Once they turned 15, all children had to go to school.  For most boys, the most important part of going to school was to make them the best possible warriors for the Empire.

### Marriage
When a young person was ready to get married, their education would end.  This usually happened in their late teenage years or early twenties.  Especially with nobles, marriages were arranged.  This meant children's parents, or possibly other older people in the community, would choose who a person married.  Many marriages among noble youth were arranged as a power  (for example, to unite an Aztec with a family from a state that was recently taken over).

Aztec men were allowed to have other wives as well as concubines.  However, they were also expected to raise their sons, which was unusual for ancient societies (where women usually did all of the child-raising).

At this time, most battles were fought in big cities.  If an army took over one of a state's biggest cities, it was then allowed to take control over all the land around those cities.

For weapons, warriors had a few choices:  

In the Aztecs' religion, the sun was very important.  The Aztecs believed that the world went through five stages, and each had its own sun.  At the end of each stage, the gods would  the world and create a new one  but only four times.  They thought they were living in the fifth and last stage, and that the gods could decide to destroy the world at any minute.

### Keeping the gods happy
The Aztecs did many things to try to honor the gods and keep them happy.  For example, they threw festivals, had banquets, made statues, and buried  items, all as offerings to the gods.  They did penance, like cutting themselves and letting blood run out, to try to get the gods to forgive them for whatever they might have done wrong.  They did ritual sacrifice of animals (killing the animals as part of a religious ritual).

As Mesoamerican scholar Mark Cartwright explains:  They understood and taught things like mathematics and poetry.  They had a  view of religion, the universe, and many other things.

Originally, things between the Spanish and the Aztecs were friendly.

However, soon, while Cortés was away, Spanish soldiers attacked and killed many Aztecs during a festival.  The Aztecs fought back, and they killed two out of every three Spanish soldiers.  The conquistadors left Tenochtitlan.

Ten months later, Cortés came back to Tenochtitlan with more soldiers.  They started a siege of Tenochtitlan, so that no food or supplies could get in.  After 91 days, without any food, and with disease throughout the city, the new emperor Cuauhtemoc finally surrendered to the Spanish on August 13, 1521.  The Spanish destroyed Tenochtitlan.  The Aztec Empire had ended.

File:Cortez & La Malinche.jpg|Aztec drawing of Cortés's first meeting with Motecuhzoma II

File:Matanza templo2.jpg|Aztec drawing of the Spanish massacring them in the Great Temple

File:Antoni Gómez i Cros - Hernan Cortés lluita amb dos indis - 876.jpg|Spanish painting of Cortés killing Aztecs

File:ROHM D237 Conquistadors exhort their supporters.jpg|Conquistadors' metal armor, better weapons, and horses helped them beat the Aztecs

File:LastDaysofTenochtitlanB.jpg|"The Last Days of Tenochtitlan" (1899 painting) 

File:Tlaxcala - Palacio de Gobierno - Brennende Tempel.jpg|Painting of Aztec temples burning after the Spanish took over

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