According to mythology, the Aztecs came from a place named Aztlan and settled in what is now Mexico.

While
the location of Aztlan is unknown, many academics think that in the 13th century, the Mexica—as the Aztecs
called themselves—migrated south to central Mexico.

According to tradition, the Mexica patron deity Huitzilopochtli gave the order to build Tenochtitlan. According
to tradition, Huitzilopochtli instructed them to locate their encampment where a large eagle devouring a serpent
was perched on a cactus. Tenochtitlan was named after this town in the Mesoamerican area of Anáhuac, which
was built on a network of five interconnected lakes. Tenochtitlan was established in 1325 CE, according to
archaeologists.

The Mexica at Tenochtitlan were once one of several little city-states in the area. They had to submit to the
Tepanec, whose capital city was Azcapotzalco, and pay tribute to them. The Mexica joined forces with Texcoco
and Tlacopan in 1428. By forming the Aztec Triple Alliance, they were able to win the conflict for regional
dominance and amass tribute from conquered territories.

The agricultural system that made it feasible to feed the populace was essential to Tenochtitlan's ascent to
power. One element of the scheme was the creation of tiny, artificial islands known as chinampas above the
waterline. Keeping records helped in tracking tributes. The Matricula de tributos and Codex Mendoza, two
pictographic documents that escaped Spanish destruction, document the tributes made to the Aztecs.
Additionally, religious activities were documented in the codices.

Aztec priests employed a 365-day solar calendar in addition to a 260-day ritual calendar for divination. The
Aztecs used both bloodletting (the offering of one's own blood) and human sacrifice as part of their religious
rituals at their main temple at Tenochtitlan, Templo Mayor. It is said that some of the brutality of the Spanish
invasion may be attributed to how the Spanish responded to Aztec religious activities.

In what is now Mexico, the Spanish first set foot there in 1519 under the leadership of conqueror Hernán Cortés.
They were searching for gold, and the presents from Motecuhzoma, the ruler of the Mexica people, showed
them where it was. When Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan, he imprisoned Motecuhzoma and tried to govern on his
behalf. However, this failed, and in June 1520, Cortés left the city.

But the conversations did not stop here. From the middle of May 1521 until their capitulation on August 13,
1521, the Spanish conquistadors besieged the Aztec city. They received assistance from former Triple Alliance
member Texcoco. Many areas of Tenochtitlan were devastated during the battle or plundered, burnt, or
demolished following the city's capitulation. On top of the ruins, Cortés started to construct what is now known
as Mexico City, the administrative center of a Spanish colony of which he was designated governor.