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The Spanish then starts to rebuild the city of Tenochtitlan which would be called Mexico City and with be the capital of New Spain.
It took them less than 200 years, it went from a small settlement on an island in the western swamps of Lake Texcoco, into the powerful political, economic, and religious center of the greatest empire of Precolumbian Mexico. -
Cortes defeats the Aztecs and takes over the city of Tenochtitlan.
He went to the city of Tenochtitlan because it was an opportunity for him to try to appease the Spanish while seizing up their army. -
The tenth emperor of the Aztecs was Cuauhtémoc. He is also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc. He is was the ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521. That makes him the last Aztec Emperor.
He was known for being the embodiment of indigenist nationalism in Mexico. He was the only emperor who survived the conquest by the Spanish Empire and their native allies. -
An alliance is formed with the Tlaxcala by Cortes and begins to attack the Aztecs.
Cortes wanted to form an alliance with the Tlaxcala so they can defeat the Aztec empire, centered at Tenochtitlan to the west. The Tlaxcala wanted something in return so Cortes promised not to levy taxes on them or confiscate their land. -
Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, arrives in Tenochtitlan. He was treated as an honored guest by the Aztecs but Cortez takes Montesuma II prisoner. Cortez was driven from the city, but Montezuma II is killed.
Hernan Cortes was the Spanish conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire. It had also brought large portions of, what is now mainland Mexico, under rule of the King of Castile. -
In the night sky, the Aztec priests mark the sighting of a comet. hey believe the comet was a sign of impending doom.
The comet flew over Tenochtitlan -
Montezuma II becomes ruler of the Aztec Empire. He was one of the ninth Aztec kings.
He was famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. -
The Templo Mayor, also known as the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, is finished. It was then dedicated to the gods with thousands of human sacrifices.
This temple was constructed with two pyramids that were joined together. It had a double stair and two temple structures that were located on the top. -
A great flood comes in and destroys the city of Tenochtitlan.
After the flood, the dams were totally destroyed and never rebuilt. For the next few years the city was filled with famine and starvation. -
Montezuma I becomes the fifth leader of the Aztecs. He had a rule that would mark the height of the Aztec Empire.
He is best known for his expansion of the empire and for his building projects, that is including the dike across Lake Texcoco and the temples to the god Huitzilopochtli. -
Montezuma I rules and great expands the empire.
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The Aztec Empire was then formed with a triple alliance. It was between the Aztecs, the Texcocans, and the Tacubans.
All together they fought against the Tepanec and challenged them for superiority in the Valley of Mexico. Overtime the three were able to overpower all other societies in the Valley of Mexico. -
The fourth ruler will end up being Itzcoatl of the Aztecs. He will found the Aztec Empire.
He was pretty an important ruler, he reigned over the Aztec Empire from 1427 until 1440.
He was best remembered as the leader who saw the Aztecs become the most powerful Mesoamerican society in the Valley of Mexico. -
There then was a dominant ruler of the Aztecs, Acamapichtli, comes into power. They call their ruler the Tlatoani which means "speaker".
The Aztecs choose their rulers by a high council of four nobles who were related to the previous leader. Emperors were usually chosen from among the brothers or sons of the deceased ruler. -
After finding Tenochtitlan, they began to build causeways and canals around it.
The purpose of this project was to make it easier for transportation to and from the city. A causeway is where they raise the road so they were able to easily drive over the swampy and wet areas.
They had 3 major causeways that led from the island city to the mainland. -
The city of Tenochtitlan is founded. It will become the capital of the Aztec Empire. The location is picked by the priests because it is where they see the foretold sign of an eagle holding a snake while standing on a cactus. -
The Aztecs end up settling in Chapultepec, but they are then forced to leave by the Culhuacan tribe.
When they first got there they reported to the god Huitzilopochtli that they wanted to sacrifice the princess, she ended up provoking a ferocious battle, which The Mexicas (also known as the Aztecs) lost. So, that's why they were forced to leave and move to the marshy islands in the middle of the lake. -
The Aztecs arrive in the Valley of Mexico. They got that land because no one else wanted it. It was terrible land in the beginning but then the Aztecs built up islands where they could grow crops. -
The Aztec's leave their homeland of Aztlan in Northern Mexico and begin their journey to the South. This won't be the last time the Aztec's move over the next 225 years. They will eventually settle down in the city of Tenochtitlan.