The Aztecs

The Aztecs

The Aztecs began as a nomadic tribe in and around the region of present day Mexico.
In less than 100 years they were masters of an empire which included five hundred towns and fifteen million people.



How they settled

They wandered for over 150 years till a sign from their god (eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake in its beak) indicated where they were to settle in 1325.

Tenochtitlan

• The city was located on Lake Texcoco

• This was the centre of the Aztec Empire

• It was built using incredible technology

• The city was huge, with up to 300, 000 people – far bigger than European cities at that time

• The design was a grid system with canals

• It was an island linked to the mainland by causeways

• Had aqueducts to carry water

• Used canoes and drawbridges to get from one place to another

• Made more land by pounding stakes in the lake bed and lashing them together with ree...