Final answer:
We know more about the Aztec than the Maya primarily because the Maya civilization fell much sooner, and the Aztecs were more directly documented by Spanish conquerors. Additionally, both the Aztec and Maya had written languages, but Spanish destruction of records and earlier decline of Maya city-states led to less physical evidence remaining for the Maya.
Step-by-step explanation:
The knowledge we have about the Aztec and the Maya comes from several sources, including the written records they left behind. While it is true that the Spanish destroyed a great deal of the knowledge base of both the Maya and Aztec, the Maya did have a written language, evidenced by various Mayan writings, including phonetically-based hieroglyphs recorded on stone, pottery, and in codices. The Maya civilization developed and refined this writing system, which recorded their history, genealogies, and scientific achievements. Conversely, much of what we know about the Aztec comes from Spanish records created after their arrival, as the Spanish destroyed many Aztec records. While both civilizations were advanced and possessed a wealth of knowledge across various domains, it is the Maya codices and the ability of scholars to decode the Mayan writing system that contribute significantly to our understanding of the Mayan culture.
The option that best answers the question 'Why do we know more about the Aztec than the Maya?' is B. The Maya civilization fell much sooner than Aztec civilization, which contributed to a greater physical preservation of Aztec materials until the Spanish conquest. Additionally, records about the Aztecs were more extensively documented by the Spanish conquerors, compared to those of the Maya whose great city-states had already been abandoned before the arrival of the Spanish.