What area did the Aztecs dominate?

central Mexico
From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate social, political, religious and commercial organization that brought many of the region’s city-states under their control by the 15th century.

How did the Aztecs dominate?

Aztec rule has been described by scholars as “hegemonic” or “indirect”. The Aztecs left rulers of conquered cities in power so long as they agreed to pay semi-annual tribute to the alliance, as well as supply military forces when needed for the Aztec war efforts.

How long did the Aztecs dominate Mexico?

The Aztecs (/ˈæztɛks/) were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521.

When did the Aztecs dominate modern day Mexico?

The Aztec Triple Alliance exerted tremendous power over a wide swath of central Mexico for just shy of 100 years (1420s to 1521) before falling to Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés.

Do Aztecs still exist today?

Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work.

How did the Aztecs influence us today?

The Aztecs were a prominent influence on the world in which we live today. With their court structures and judges, the Aztecs had an incredibly sophisticated justice system. This is demonstrated in their countless laws against theft, murder and vandalizing–they also had laws enforcing temperance among the citizens.

How did the Aztecs gain power?

War was the key factor in the Aztecs’ rise to power. The Aztecs built alliances, or partnerships, to build their empire. The Aztecs made the people they conquered pay tribute, or give them cotton, gold, or food. By the early 1500s the Aztecs had the most powerful state in Mesoamerica.

Are Aztecs still alive?

Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work. Most Nahua worship in the local church and take part in church festivities.

How did the Aztecs gain power in Mexico?

The Aztecs built a great empire in central Mexico but were conquered by the Spanish in 1521. War was the key factor in the Aztecs’ rise to power. The Aztecs built alliances, or partnerships, to build their empire. The Aztecs made the people they conquered pay tribute, or give them cotton, gold, or food.

What places did the Aztecs conquer?

Between A.D. 1345 and 1521, the Aztecs forged an empire over much of the central Mexican highlands. At its height, the Aztecs ruled over 80,000 square miles throughout central Mexico, from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific Ocean, and south to what is now Guatemala.

Where are the Aztecs today?

Mexico
Aztec, self name Culhua-Mexica, Nahuatl-speaking people who in the 15th and early 16th centuries ruled a large empire in what is now central and southern Mexico.

How does Aztec culture affect us today?

How did the Aztecs know they were in Tenochtitlan?

Aztec legends say they saw a sign from their god, Huitzilopochtli, showing them an eagle with a serpent in its mouth sitting on a cactus. From this they understood they had arrived at their new home, and they built their great city of Tenochtitlan on the site in 1325.

Why is Aztec culture not exclusive to the Aztecs?

Most ethnic groups of central Mexico in the post-classic period shared basic cultural traits of Mesoamerica, and so many of the traits that characterize Aztec culture cannot be said to be exclusive to the Aztecs.

What was the population of the Aztecs at their peak?

By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had come to rule over up to 500 small states, and some 5 to 6 million people, either by conquest or commerce. Tenochtitlán at its height had more than 140,000 inhabitants, and was the most densely populated city ever to exist in Mesoamerica.

How far did the Aztec empire spread?

As well, the Aztec Empire had spread far from the Valley of Mexico during this time and, at its height, the empire consisted of land across most of central Mexico including the coastlines in both the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. This vast expansion meant that the Aztec had conquered and suppressed many different groups of Mesoamerican peoples.