Who were the Aztecs?

The Aztecs were a pre-Columbian people who stood in what today is part of the center of Mexico. The height of its existence took place between centuries XIV and XVI of our era. The capital of those who forged a true civilization to the arrival of the Spaniards in America was Tenochtitlan, which was built between the islands of Lake Texcoco, where today is the city of Mexico. The Aztec civilization included a disciplined education, as well as the belief in a complex mythology. The arrival of Europeans to the new world, what most impressed them was the practice of human sacrifice possessing these pre-Columbian inhabitants.

Historically, it is believed that those who were the Aztecs came from the area north of Mexico, and that they came to inhabit the area where today is located the Mexican capital towards the year 1200 of our era. When settled, they found that the area was inhabited by other local tribes, whereupon had permission to them to settle; a situation that involved to assimilate with other existing cultures. According to legend, the Aztecs had a vision in the Texcoco Lake Eagle Inn in a cactus with a snake under your feet. This vision indicated the place where your home should be found. In this way, this nascent civilization founded the capital Tenochtitlan in the year 1325 on one of the islands of the Lake. Later, in the beginning of the 15th century, the Aztecs allied themselves with other neighboring towns founded in this way the Triple Alliance, which possessed a hegemonic domain of this historic town. Supposed that this Alliance would dominate much of the country, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific coast. This is how the Empire reached its maximum splendor between 1486 to 1502 under the reign of Ahuitzotl. In the year 1519, Spaniards under the command of Hernán Cortés arrived in the Gulf of Mexico; and they strategically decided to ally with the enemies of the Aztecs, Tlaxcala Alliance... In July of the year 1520, hostilities reached their point ends with the massacre in the main temple, which meant the death of Moctezuma, who was then leader of the legendary in that town. Finally on August 13 of the same year, the conquerors destroyed the capital. The Spanish conquest brought with it, in addition to the disappearance of the Aztec culture, a tremendous decrease in population due to epidemics of plague. The first one came to pass between 1520 and 1521, where between 50% and 10% of the population of the Valley of Mexico ceased to exist. Subsequently took place two gigantic pests; the first between 1545 and 1548; and the second between 1576 and 1581. It is interesting to note that as a result of these circumstances the population in Mexico declined from 15 million before the conquest, to 2 million in 1581.

The legacy of the Aztecs, can be seen today in the Mexican population through miscegenation which brought with it the arrival of the Spaniards. Nahuatl, official language of those who were part of this legendary town, keep talking by some indigenous groups that inhabit mountainous areas close to the city of Mexico. It also should be noted that much of the Mexican cuisine, is based on the agricultural products used by what were the Aztecs.
Translated for educational purposes.
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