The Aztec Empire was a Native American State that ruled much of what is now Mexico from about 1427 until 1521, until the Spaniards conquered the empire. The empire represented the highest point in the development of the rich Aztec civilization that had begun more than a century earlier. At the height of their power, the Aztec controlled a region stretching from the Valley of Mexico, in central Mexico, east to the Gulf of Mexico, and south to Guatemala. The Aztec built great cities and developed a complex social, political, and religious structure.

Their capital, Tenochitlan, was located on the site of present-day Mexico City. An elaborate city built on islands and marshland; Tenochtitlan was possibly the largest city in the world at the time of the Spanish conquest. It featured a huge temple complex, a royal palace, and numerous canals. After the Spanish conquest, the empire of the Aztec was destroyed, but their civilization remained an important influence on the development of Mexican culture. Many present-day Mexicans are descended from the Aztec, and more than 1 million M

In Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, calpulli fulfilled the same functions but sometimes took a different form. As the city grew large and complex, the calpulli were no longer based on family relationships, but became wards, or political divisions, of the city. Each calpulli still had its own governing council, school, temple, and land, but its members were not necessarily related. There were 15 calpulli in Tenochtitlan when the city was founded in 1325; by the 16th century there were as many as 80 Taylor, Mills Pg.77). In Tenochtitlan and other Aztec city-states, the most capable leaders of each calpulli together composed a tribal council, which elected four chief officials. One of these four officials was selected as the tlatoani (ruler). After Tenochtitlan became the center of Aztec civilization, its ruler became the supreme leader of the empire, to whom lesser rulers paid tribute. This ruler was considered semi divine, a descendant of the Aztec gods, and served as b!

The group that eventually founded the Aztec Empire, the Mexica, migrated to the Valley of Mexico in the middle of the 13th century. As late arrivals, the Mexica, a hunter-gatherer people, were forced by other groups in the valley to take refuge on tow islands near the western shore of Lake Texcoco (one of the five lakes in the area). The Mexica believed in a certain legend, which held that they would establish a great civilization in a marshy area, where they would first see a cactus. After the Mexica arrived at the swampy site on the shore of Lake Texcoco, their priests proclaimed that they had seen the promised omen. The site turned out to be a strategic location, with abundant food supplies and waterways for transportation. The Mexica began farming for a living, and in 1325 they founded the city of Tenochtitlan on one of the lake islands. For the next 100 years they paid tribute to stronger neighboring groups, especially the Tepanec of the city-state of Azcapotzalco!

Long before the rise of the Aztec, the Valley of Mexico was the center of a highly developed civilization. A fertile basin, the valley was located 7800 feet above sea level. In its center lay five interconnected lakes dotted with marshy islands. From about AD 100 to 650 the valley was dominated by the city of Teotihuacan, center of a powerful religious, economic, and political state. After the decline of Teotihuacan, the Toltec civilization reached

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)