History of the Aztecs facts for kids

The Aztecs were an ancient people who lived in central Mexico during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mēxihcah (pronounced "Meh-shee-kah").

Their main city and capital of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan. This amazing city was built on an island in Lake Texcoco. Today, Mexico City stands on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish arrived in the Americas when Moctezuma II was the Aztec ruler. In 1521, a Spanish leader named Hernán Cortés, with help from other Native American groups, conquered the Aztecs. They used different fighting methods and diseases also played a big part in the conquest.

From 1375 to 1428, the Mexica people were under the rule of Azcapotzalco. Aztec leaders like Acamapichtli, Huitzilihuitl, and Chimalpopoca were loyal to Tezozomoc, the Tepanec ruler of Azcapotzalco.

When Tezozomoc died in 1421, his son Malazia (also known as Maxtla) took over. Maxtla wanted to control the nearby cities in the Valley of Mexico even more. He had Chimalpopoca, the ruler of Tenochtitlan, killed. Another important leader, Nezahualcoyotl of Texcoco, had to leave his city.

Arrival in the Valley of Mexico

Around 1250 AD, many city-states already existed in the Valley of Mexico. Some of these were Chalco, Xochimilco, Tlacopan, Culhuacan, and Azcapotzalco. The strongest ones were Culhuacan and Azcapotzalco, located on the shores of Lake Texcoco.

When the Mexica arrived, they were a semi-nomadic tribe, meaning they moved around a lot. Most of the good land was already taken. Around 1248, they first settled on Chapultepec, a hill with many springs near Lake Texcoco.

Later, the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco forced the Mexica to leave Chapultepec. In 1299, the ruler of Culhuacan, Cocoxtli, allowed the Mexica to settle in the empty lands of Tizaapan. There, they started to mix with the Culhuacan culture.

In 1323, the Mexica asked the new ruler of Culhuacan, Achicometl, for his daughter. They wanted to make her a goddess. But the king didn't know the Mexica planned to sacrifice her. They believed this would make her a deity. During a festival, a priest appeared wearing her skin as part of a ritual. The king and the people of Culhuacan were horrified and kicked the Mexica out.

Forced to leave, in 1325, the Mexica found a small island on the west side of Lake Texcoco. This is where they began building their city, Tenochtitlan. They eventually made it into a large artificial island. It is said that the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, told them to build their city where they saw an eagle on a cactus, holding a snake. This image is now on the Mexican flag. The Aztecs saw this sign on the island where Tenochtitlan was founded.

Another Mexica group settled on the north side of this island, creating the city of Tlatelolco. Tlatelolco was first an independent kingdom, but Tenochtitlan later took it over. It became like a "fifth" part of Tenochtitlan. The famous marketplace that Hernán Cortés described was actually in Tlatelolco.

In 1376, the Mexica chose their first ruler, called a tlatoani, named Acamapichtli. They followed customs they learned from the Culhuacan people.

Aztec Triple Alliance

The Aztec Triple Alliance was formed by the cities of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Over the next 100 years, this alliance grew to control lands from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. From the start, Tenochtitlan was mainly in charge of the military and conquering new lands. The other two cities had different roles. Because of its strong military, Tenochtitlan slowly became the most powerful city in the alliance. When the alliance collected tributes from conquered lands, Tenochtitlan and Texcoco each received two-fifths, and Tlacopan received one-fifth.

The Reign of Itzcoatl (1427–1440)

The first tlatoani of the Triple Alliance was Itzcoatl. He and his co-ruler from Texcoco, Nezahualcoyotl, started expanding the alliance's territory. They conquered cities like Cuauhnahuac (now Cuernavaca) and other towns in the modern-day state of Morelos. During this time, cities directly on the lake, such as Xochimilco and Mixquic, were also brought under Aztec control.

Moctezuma I and Tlacaelel (1440–1469)

Two important leaders who helped build the Aztec empire were the half-brothers Tlacaelel and Moctezuma I. They were sons of Huitzilíhuitl, the third Aztec ruler, and nephews of Itzcoatl. Moctezuma I became the sixth ruler in 1449. Tlacaelel became a very powerful advisor, like a prime minister. He made big changes to the Aztec government and religion.

Moctezuma I began serious expansion. First, he had to reconquer towns that had rebelled after Itzcoatl had first conquered them. He asked smaller cities to help build a new Great Temple. Only Chalco refused, which led to a war that lasted several years. He then conquered land belonging to the Huastec people. He also fought against the Mixtecs of Coixtlahuaca, winning that war even though the Mixtec ruler got help from the Tlaxcala and Huexotzinco states, who were enemies of the Aztecs. After this defeat, many Mixtec artists were moved to the Aztec capital. Later, Moctezuma conquered more cities, including Xalapa and Orizaba.

Tlacaelel's Influence

Tlacaelel was a key person in shaping the Aztec empire. He became important during the war against the Tepanec people in the late 1420s. Tlacaelel held great power as a "Grand Vizier" (a chief minister) during the reigns of four Aztec rulers, until he died in 1487.

Tlacaelel strengthened the idea that the Aztecs were a chosen people. He also made the god Huitzilopochtli the most important god. Along with this, Tlacaelel increased the number of human sacrifices, especially during a time of natural disasters that began in 1446. During Moctezuma I's rule, he started the flower wars, which were special battles fought against Tlaxcala and other city-states. These wars were mainly to get prisoners for sacrifice.

To make the Aztec noble class stronger, he helped create laws that stopped common people from wearing certain fancy items like lip plugs, gold armbands, and cotton cloaks.

When Tlacaelel started his work, the Mexica were simply a group of people under another ruler. By the time he died, they had become the powerful Aztecs, ruling a large empire with a clear social structure.

The Reigns of Axayacatl (1469–1481) and Tizoc (1481–1486)

Moctezuma I's son, Axayacatl, became ruler in 1469. During his rule, Tenochtitlan took over the kingdom of Tlatelolco. Axayacatl used the excuse that his sister, who was married to Tlatelolco's ruler, was mistreated to start a war.

He also conquered cities to the west of the Valley of Mexico, such as Tollocan, Ocuillan, and Malinalco.

At one point, Tenochtitlan had a brief "civil war" when Tlatelolco rebelled. Tlatelolco's ruler, Moquihuix, tried to team up with Tenochtitlan's old enemies. But the Tlatelolca were defeated. Axayacatl then ordered the killing of all the rulers who had helped Moquihuix.

In 1479, Axayacatl suffered a big defeat by the Purépecha people at Tzintzuntzan. This was the Aztecs' first major loss. After recovering, he had to work to keep control of the Huasteca region, which his father had already conquered.

In 1481, Axayacatl's brother Tizoc ruled for a short time. His rule was not very successful. In his first war, he only captured 40 prisoners for sacrifice, which was seen as a humiliation. After this defeat, Tizoc mainly had to defend the lands already conquered. Because he failed to conquer new towns, he was replaced, possibly poisoned, by his younger brother Ahuitzotl.

The Reign of Moctezuma II Xocoyotzin

When Moctezuma II became ruler in 1502, a special mushroom called teōnanācatl (meaning "sacred mushroom") was reportedly served. Moctezuma II was a strong warrior. He expanded the system where conquered lands paid tribute to the Aztecs. He also made sure the lands his ancestors conquered stayed under Aztec control and conquered new areas himself. His campaigns reached far south into Tabasco. Only the Aztecs' main enemies, Tlaxcala, Huexotzinco, and the Purépecha, remained unconquered. The Aztec Empire was at its largest when the Spanish arrived in 1519. Some stories say that Moctezuma II and the Aztecs believed the arriving Spanish were linked to the return of an exiled god, Quetzalcoatl, who was supposed to return pale and bearded.

Fall of the Aztec Empire

The Aztecs were conquered by Spain in 1521 after a long siege of their capital, Tenochtitlan. During this siege, many people died from hunger and a disease called smallpox. Hernán Cortés had only 508 Spanish soldiers, but he was joined by as many as 150,000 or 200,000 allies from Tlaxcala and other Aztec tributary states. It was easy for Cortés to find allies because many neighboring city-states did not like the Aztecs. Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec ruler, surrendered to Cortés on August 13, 1521.

It took almost another 60 years of war for the Spanish to fully conquer Mesoamerica. This process might have taken even longer if it weren't for three different epidemics, including a rare type of paratyphoid fever, which greatly reduced the Native American population. The Spanish conquest of Yucatán, another region, took almost 170 years.

As allies of the Spanish, the Tlaxcalans gained the most at first. However, the Spanish eventually broke their alliance, but not for many decades.

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