On a raised island in the shallow waters of Mexico’s Lake Texcoco in the 14th and 15th centuries, a triple alliance of warrior city-states known as the Aztecs built Tenochtitlan, one of the greatest cities in the Americas.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Xoquauhtli, a midwife in the heyday of the Aztec Empire, is busy with the work of helping women give birth on the festival of Teteoinnan, the Aztec's god of warfare. She would like to participate in the religious ceremonies but does not want to abdicate responsibility for her work. Follow along this historically-accurate depiction of how Xoquauhtli manages her time between labor and attending ritual human sacrifice.
Get a taste of traditional Aztec dancing in this three-minute video of Danza Azteca performing a Xicauhuatl, or fire serpent, dance. Aztec and Mexica mythology believed fire serpents were responsible for carrying the sun across the sky each day, and incorporated symbols of the serpent in their religious rituals, including dancing alongside percussion. Watch more here.
Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztecs, founded around 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco, in what is today Mexico. It was a major political, economic, and religious center until its destruction by the Spanish in 1521. This video explores the marvels of the city, which began as an island but grew via causeways and in-filled land and culminating in a North American Venice.
As workers moved from fields to cities throughout the era, large metropolises of enduring strategic importance were formed from Paris, France, to Baghdad, Iraq.
Across the Aztec empire, you'd be met with variants of Nahuatl, the indigenous language that is still is spoken by about 1.5 million people today. This free, self-paced online university course teaches the Veracruz variant, beginning from the language's "piltlahcuiloltzitzin"—or alphabet—to how to conduct specific "tlamachtiliztli" or ceremonies.
John Dee was a famous adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, often using magical items—including a literal crystal ball—to attempt to foretell the future. Among these items was an obsidian mirror believed for centuries to have been made by the Aztecs, but doubts persisted as no one knew how Dee could have acquired it. Recent scientific analyses revealed the origin of the obsidian as from volcanic rock located in Pachuca, Mexico, establishing it as a legitimate Aztec item.
For centuries, the story of Spain's takeover of the Aztec Empire suggested the empire's leader, Montezuma II, surrendered his lands and cities peacefully, and that a rogue band of Aztecs later launched a surprise attack against the conquistadors. But the evidence suggests no such peace took place amid the paradigm-shifting encounter between two men from totally different worlds. Learn more about the debate here.
The Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World amid a period of consolidation and expansion for the imperial Aztecs of the valley of Mexico. After settling many of the islands of the Caribbean, they moved west to Aztec territory, claiming it for Spain. Trace their journey and map the ensuing conflict with this interactive map and timeline.
With an average elevation of 7,000-feet, Mexico's historical valley basin stands literally tall in the annals of history. Surrounded by volcanic mountains, the valley's center was once the vast, shallow Lake Texcoco, the site of the Aztec city Tenochtitlan. Learn the lay of this ancient, fertile land with this geography explainer on a key cradle of world civilization.
On the Day of the Dead, ghosts enjoy earthly delights amid Mexican cemeteries. Baskets of sweet breads and tamales grace graves, while altars honoring the departed display hot chocolate and chicken legs. Hear from experts why this morbid day emphasizes the significance of offering foods loved by the dead. Intrigued? You can learn to make them yourself with recipes provided.
Weave together the many narratives of world history with our highly curated and expanding selection of diverse, fascinating resources designed to showcase the breadth and richness of Earth's story, from the earliest traces of human civilization to the dramatic developments of contemporary cultures.