3. Because they wanted to expand their empire and religion But mostly they wanted GOLD!!!! And the Spanish king wanted their land. And the aztecs gave hernando Cortez their trust because They thought he was a god because they were once told that a god will come in a human body and he looked like a white man with the whit beared

4. Hernán Cortés was a Spanish explorer who is famous mainly for his march across Mexico and his conquering of the Aztec Empire in Mexico. Cortés was born in the Spanish city of Medellín in 1485. When he was a young man, he studied law, but he soon gave that up to seek his fortune in the New World that was just being discovered by Columbus and others. First he went to the island of Santo Domingo (now known as the Dominican Republic) in 1504. He was only 19 years old at the time. He stayed there for seven years, then took part in the Spanish conquest of Cuba in 1511. He became mayor of Santiago de Cuba and stayed there until 1518.

5. The Aztec people also have a very violent history. Many historians note the vast number of human sacrifices that were made by the Aztec people to appease the gods. The Aztec believed that such sacrifices were necessary to keep the gods happy and to ensure the existence of the human race. They believed that people alone could keep the gods happy or rouse their displeasure. It is estimated that up to 50,000 people were sacrificed each year. The Aztec also engaged in cannibalism for special, religious ceremonies. The Aztec people might best be characterized as survivors, conquerors and deeply religious. Their religious beliefs led them to sacrifice thousands upon thousands of people each year. As survivors, they were also able to free themselves from slavery and a migratory existence. As conquerors, they were able to enslave and colonize others tribes. Today, the Aztec culture is one of the most fascinating and well researched. Aztec art, jewellery and culture are featured in many museums, books and movies.

6. Maize was the staple crop of the Aztecs. Aztec women ground the maize into flour on a stone slab with a stone roller. It was then made into flour and baked into a kind of pancake called a tortilla. Aztec women cooked on a clay disc called a comal, which stood on stones above. Also maize was made into a kind of porridge called atole. The Aztecs ate 'envelopes' of steamed maize called tamales stuffed with vegetables, meat or eggs. The Aztecs also ate tomatoes, avocados, beans and peppers, as well as pumpkins, squashes, peanuts and amaranth seeds. They also ate fruit such as limes and cactus fruits. The Aztecs diet also included rabbits, turkeys and armadillos. They also ate dogs. However meat was a luxury for the Aztecs and ordinary people only ate it infrequently.

7. Aztec society was divided into classes. At the very top was the emperor. Below him were the nobles and priests. Below them were merchants, craftsmen, peasants and then slaves. Merchants formed a class of their own. They lived in their own areas of cities and their children usually married the children of other merchants. Merchants who carried out long distance trade were called pochteca. There were also many craftsmen in Aztec society. Although the Aztecs did not use iron and bronze some craftsmen made jewellery from gold, silver and copper. Other craftsmen made objects of obsidian, jade and semi-precious stones. There were also feather workers who made things like headdresses from feathers. Most of the slaves were people who had committed a crime and been sentenced to slavery or very poor people who sold themselves into slavery. However Aztec slaves did have some rights. They could own property and marry. Any children they had were born free. A master had to punish his slave 3 times, in front of witnesses before he could sell him. However if a slave was sold 3 times by 3 different masters he could then be sold for sacrifice