when did the aztecs begin
Itzcoatlâs successor Montezuma (Moctezuma) I, who took power in 1440, was a great warrior who was remembered as the father of the Aztec empire. By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had come to rule over up to 500 small states, and some 5 to 6 million people, either by conquest or commerce. TenochtitlÃ¡n at its height had more than 140,000 inhabitants, and was the most densely populated city ever to exist in Mesoamerica.