Aztec Empire
Aztec Empire
Aztec Empire
The Aztecs were a group of American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico during the 1400s and 1500s.
In 1325 the Aztecs founded a huge city on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco this became Tenochtitlan.
Today it is one of the largest cities in North America known as Mexico City.
The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas. Their cities were as large as any in Europe. They built towering temples and huge sculptures.
They held impressive ceremonies featuring bloody human sacrifices to appease their gods.
In 1519 the Spanish attacked and the Aztec Empire. By 1521 they had conquered and destroyed it.
In 1492 Christopher Columbus set off to find India and found the Americas instead. In 1531 Henry VIII made himself Head of the Church.
We can also find out a lot from the Aztec Codices. These are books written by the Aztecs recording events in picture format.