Founding of the Aztec Empire
1428 AD · Medieval
The Aztec Empire was established in 1428 when the city-state of Tenochtitlan formed a Triple Alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan. Under the leadership of Itzcoatl and his successors, the alliance conquered vast territories in central Mexico. The Aztecs rose from humble beginnings, having founded their capital city Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco in 1325. The empire reached its height under Ahuitzotl and Moctezuma II before falling to Spanish conquistadors in 1521.
Key Figures
AcamapichtliItzcoatlMoctezuma IAhuitzotlMoctezuma II
Locations
TenochtitlanLake Texcoco
Topics
mesoamericaMexicorazacivilizationindigineous
Connected Events — 2 Connections
The centralized imperial structure and tributary system established in 1428 created the unified empire that Cortés could topple by capturing its center at Tenochtitlan, while the wealth accumulated through this system attracted Spanish conquistadors seeking gold and tribute Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Clovis culture represents the earliest widespread human settlement of the Americas, establishing the initial population dispersal patterns across Mesoamerica that would eventually give rise to complex civilizations including the precursor cultures of the Aztecs Clovis Culture
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