Info about Mexico
Mexico history
Aztec civilization was established in the southern part of North America. In order to get an idea of the geographical location, we might begin with the fact that Mexico city (Ciudad de Mexico) is located in the place where once the legendary Aztec Tehochtitlan capital was, a city that impressed the Spaniards who have discovered it, throughout its size, wealth and beauty. Aztec is the people who dominated the central and the southern part of Mexico between the 14th and the 16th century, and which formed a vast, well organized and prepared, but destroyed by Spanish invaders, empire. The name Aztec is derived from the name of a mystical land from the north part of the old empire, called Azatlan; Aztecs also called themselves "Mexica". Azteca language belongs to the Nahuatlan branch of Uto-Aztecan family.
After the fall of the Toltec civilization, flourished along the tenth and eleventh centuries, waves of immigrants heavily populated the central plateau of Mexico, around the Texcoco Lake. Once here, the Aztecs were surrounded by powerful neighbors and were forced to occupy the marshy area west of the lake and had also to pay tribute. Their only piece of land, that was untouched by water was a very small island, surrounded by marshes. However, the Aztecs believed from the very beginning that they could make a small marshy area turn into a vast and powerful empire in less than two centuries, and their belief results from a certain legend. This legend sais, they should be followed to develop a flourishing civilization in a marshy area that would have seen a cactus grew directly out of a rock and next to the cactus, an eagle eating a snake. Priests say they have seen all these things happening, when first setting the foot in the swamp. Even today, as a continuation of tradition, the eagle, cactus and snake appear on all Mexican banknotes. As the Aztec population increased in number, it has managed to develope superior military and civilian organizations. In 1325, they founded Tenochtitlan, the capital city. Mlastinosul lake was converted by Aztecs in the so-called "chinampas (highly productive gardens formed by extracting dirt from the lake bottom to form artificial islands). Bridges were built to link the areas around the city, aqueducts and canals were also dug around the city, to carry food and supplies to the population basically. Temples began to dominate the landscape, being built for religious purposes, and enjoying a great architecture, framed by giant pyramids and other structures. As a result of its geographical position, and the high degree of organization, the city flourished. While the Spaniards led by Hernan Cortez begin their conquest in 1519, the big square in the center attracted over 60,000 people every day. Many of the goods (including those received as tribute from conquered peoples) were exported from the city to be sold in other regions of the empire and Central America. Aztecs established military alliances with other nations, creating an empire that stretched from central Mexico to the border with Guatemala today. In the early 15th century, Tenochtitlan was leading together with city-states Texcoco and Tlateloco (today Tacuba). In a period of 100 years, the Aztecs were fully completed as an empire, perfectly organized and highly developed. By the end the of Montezuma II`s reign in 1520, 38 tributary provinces had been established. They have produced turmoil in the empire, and that just around Cortés's arrival in 1521 in those territories. Cortez easily conquered these territories, and thanks to the emperor Montezuma, who did not oppose, considering him naively as a deity - Quetzalcoatl and receiving him in a triumphant way.
What amazes first is the speed with which a people so small, set on two islands in a lagoon, reached in a few decades, an empire so powerful, to build a scale that no capital city that time in Europe (besides Cordoba) had.