How Did The Aztecs Conquer Their Empire

2586 Words11 Pages

The Aztec tribe is incredible in how they lived and thrived between the 14th century and the 16th century. They were very advanced for their time and had cities that were just as large as some in Europe. The Aztecs had enormous temples, remarkable ceremonies that included human sacrifice, and gigantic monuments, all to worship their gods. All within a 200 year span the Aztecs became an empire unlike any other. It seemed as though they were unstoppable. Until 1521, when they were conquered by the Spaniards and their glorious empire was destroyed. What were the factors for the immense growth rate of the Aztec empire and how did the Spaniards conquer and destroy their empire? These questions are what this essay will be exploring and finding the …show more content…

He was a great warrior and is remembered as the father of the Aztec Empire. Under his reign he solidified the alliance with Tlacopan and Texcoco, as well as major expansion took place and the city of Tenochtitlan started to become the dominant city of the triple alliance. Tenochtitlan was the driving force of the Aztec’s military and lead the conquests of new city-states. When city-states or territories were conquered the Aztec emperors did not rule over each one directly, local governments were formed for certain areas but still were forced to contribute certain amounts of tribute to the Triple Aliiance, most of them going to the city of Tenochtitlan. With over 500 city-states and five to six million people, 140,000 living in Tenochtitlan alone, this way of government worked very well for the empire. Since there were so many people in the empire, the local governments could make sure everybody was happy and enforce stability and laws. It was also their duty to keep the economy running and in good …show more content…

When these empires conquer other empires much blood is lost in the process and almost every trace of their way of life is destroyed. The Aztec population experienced a huge massacre and lost many loved ones but the heritage of the Aztec people still lives on in many places in Mexico and even places in the United States. In Mexico, the Aztecs are the biggest native group of people and still have their ancient language. Their religion is still practiced also but is a combination of Catholicism and Aztec religion. Some foods that are present in todays society that originated from the Aztecs include, tacos, chili, and chocolate. The overtaking of the Aztec empire was a disaster and most of their culture and heritage became destroyed but some of it still lives on today. The Aztec Empire was remarkable in its ways of life and will be remembered as an extraordinary

Open Document