# Aztec Empire
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: ai_assisted


## TL;DR

The Aztec Empire (1428-1521) dominated central Mexico from Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City), built on an island in Lake Texcoco — larger than any European city of its time. Chinampas (floating gardens) enabled intensive agriculture. Conquered by Hernán Cortés and Spanish conquistadors with indigenous allies (1521).

## Core Explanation

Triple Alliance: Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan. Society: pipiltin (nobility) + macehualtin (commoners). Religion: polytheistic, Huitzilopochtli (sun/war god), human sacrifice to sustain cosmic order. Fall reasons: superior Spanish weapons, smallpox (killed ~40% in months), indigenous allies resented Aztec rule. Montezuma II: last independent emperor. Population: ~5 million before conquest → ~1 million after.

## Further Reading

- [The Aztecs (Michael E. Smith, 3rd Ed)](https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Aztecs%2C+3rd+Edition-p-9781405194976)