Geography  South-central Mexico  Mountainous area  The capital city was Tenochtitlan, an island in present day Mexico City

The Myth Behind Tenochtitlan  According to Aztec legend, in 1323, the Mexicas were shown a vision of an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, eating a snake. This vision indicated that this was the location where they were to build their home.  The Mexicas eventually arrived on a small swampy island in Lake Texcoco where they founded the town of Tenochtitlan in 1325.

Tenochtitlan

Aztec Government  The Aztec Empire was very diverse including many ethnicities due to the amount of people conquered by the Aztecs  The empire did not directly rule over its conquered people and allowed local authorities to remain in control  The conquered people were only expected to pay a tribute tax to the Aztecs and if completed then they were left alone  Although conquered enemy soldiers were used as sacrifice in their rituals

Aztec Religion  The Aztecs were polytheistic and believed in over 100 gods  Their main god was the sun god, Huitzilopochtil  There also regular human sacrifices to appease the gods  Some people considered the sacrifice to be an honor

Aztec Temple

Article About Religious Practice