The Aztecs were a wondering tribe who came to the Valley of Mexico in the twelfth century. A legend tells the story that they once lived on an island called Aztlan. One day, in a cave they found a statue of their god Huitzilopochtli. The statue told them to find a new place to live and promised that they would be the ruler of a great empire. Their god promised he would give them a sign, to show them where to build their city. An eagle sitting on a cactus was their sign.
             The Aztecs used clothing and jewelry to show their importance and rank. There were very strict rules about what people could wear. By the age of four, all Aztec boys wore a loincloth. A loincloth is a strip of cloth tied around the waist and between the legs. Poor Aztecs were only allowed to wear white loincloths with a plain cloak tied around their shoulders. Wealthy warriors wore patterned loincloths with fringes or embroidery on them. They would dye their cloaks bright colors and some even had jewels, gold thread, or feathers woven into them. Very, very important men wore several cloaks at the same time.
             All Aztec boys go to school when they are about eight years old. There were two different kinds of schools, the clan schools and the nobles' schools. At the clan schools, most of the teachers were skilled warriors, and weapon training was the most important part of school life. The boys practiced with wooden weapons and went into real battles to help the older warriors get better. The schools also taught history and crafts. All of the teachings were learned by heart, and the students were not taught how to read or write. Some things the boys had to do were: they had to keep the school clean, carry out repairs, cut fire wood, and keep the temple fires burning. Also, to make them tougher they were made to sleep in cold rooms with hardly any covering.
             The Aztecs believed that their lives were controlled by many different gods
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