The Aztec Empire
The Aztec Empire was a powerful Mesoamerican civilization centered at the city of Tenochtitlan, dominating much of central Mexico before its conquest by Spanish forces in the early 16th century.
The empire was formed in 1428 through an alliance of three city-states, with Tenochtitlan, built on an island in Lake Texcoco, growing into one of the largest cities in the world at the time, with sophisticated causeways, canals, and temples.
The Aztecs developed advanced systems of agriculture, including floating gardens called chinampas, along with a complex religious and social structure centered around a pantheon of gods requiring regular ritual offerings.
The empire fell to Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1521, aided by alliances with rival Indigenous groups and the devastating impact of European diseases, marking the beginning of Spanish colonial rule over the region.