The Aztec empire is the term used to encompass a series of Nahuatl culture peoples, coming from the Mesoamerican area, which began to develop from the 14th century to the 16th century. This civilization is responsible for the creation of a great empire whose capital was in the city of Tenochtitlan, located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the current territory of Mexico City. The Aztecs spoke the Nahuatl language which spread throughout the region.
The Olmecs greatly influenced the Aztec culture, especially because they lived, at different times, but in the same region. After the Olmec hegemony, this area suffered several invasions of peoples that were native to North America. The first settlers who came from the north, from the Nahua region, were responsible for building a huge city that they called Teotihuacan, between 500-600 AD, based on Olmec traditions. This city had great pyramids in honor of the Sun, the Moon and the most important day of this culture, Quetzalcóatl.
The conformation of this empire was based mainly on the union of three great cities, which were: Texcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlan. The Aztec peoples extended their power throughout much of the Mesoamerican areas. On the other hand, the political relations that were established between the Aztecs and the regions that were under their control are not yet clear, but experts affirm that it was not a rigorously centralized structure, like the one formed by the Incas in South America.
With regard to the Aztec Confederation, a large number of communities with very diverse languages, customs and cultures coexisted. The alliance between them was based on religious aspects and above all, through the centralization of the Aztec military forces and the mandatory contribution of taxes that the Mesoamerican peoples who were under the power of the Aztec Empire had to pay.
This empire achieved its peak between 1440 and 1520, then in 1521 was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors who had by leading to Hernán Cortés, who after a series of colonizing raids in August 1521, managed to colonize the occupied territory by the Aztecs.
