Cortes's Conquest
CORTÉS'S CONQUEST OF THE AZTECS The Aztec Empire was a Native American State that ruled much of what is now Mexico from about 1427 until 1521, until the Spaniards conquered the empire. The empire represented the highest point in the development of the rich Aztec civilization that had begun more than a century earlier. At the height of their power, the Aztec controlled a region stretching from the Valley of Mexico, in central Mexico, east to the Gulf of Mexico, and south to Guatemala. The Aztec built great cities and developed a complex social, political, and religious structure. Their capital, Tenochitlan, was located on the site of present-day Mexico City. An elaborate city built on islands and marshland; Tenochtitlan was possibly the largest city in the world at the time of the Spanish conquest. It featured a huge temple complex, a royal palace, and numerous canals. After the Spanish conquest, the empire of the Aztec was destroyed, but their civilization remained an important influence on the development of Mexican culture. Many present-day Mexicans are descended from the Aztec, and more than 1 million M
Aztec art was primarily and expression of religion, and even warfare, which increased the emp!ire's wealth and power, and served the religious purpose of providing captives to be sacrificed. Giant stone pyramids topped by temples where human sacrifices were dedicated to the gods dominated Aztec cities. (1998), Colonial Spanish America ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. After five months of desperate and bloody fighting, Cuauhtemoc surrendered in August 1521. The Chichimec combined their own cultural traditions with those of the Toltec to form the early Aztec civilization, whose social structure, economy, and arts would reach their height under the rule of the later empire. The fall of Tenochtitlan marked the end of the Native American civilizations that had existed Mesoamerica since the first human settlement of the region. After Tenochtitlan became the center of Aztec civilization, its ruler became the supreme leader of the empire, to whom lesser rulers paid tribute. The Mexica believed in a certain legend, which held that they would establish a great civilization in a marshy area, where they would first see a cactus. After Cortes returned, the Aztec rebelled, fighting to drive the Spaniards out of Tenochtitlan. Gradually, they revolted against the Tepanec and won control of some territory on the mainland. In its center lay five interconnected lakes dotted with marshy islands. One of these four officials was selected as the tlatoani (ruler). As the Mexica grew in number, they established superior military and civil organizations.
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