The reason the Aztec settled in Valley of Mexico is because there was water from mountains and fertile volcanic soils.
Description:
The Aztecs in Mexico's Valley
In the Valley of Mexico, a rich region at about 8,000 feet above sea level, the Aztec Empire first appeared.
The valley had been the hub of civilization for more than a thousand years by the time the Aztecs arrived there in the middle of the 12th century C.E. Particularly two prior peoples had established there civilizations that had a significant impact on the Aztecs.
The Arrival of the Aztecs
A brand-new group of people entered the Valley of Mexico some time about 1250 C.E. The Mexica were a nomadic group of hunters and gatherers (meh-HEEkah). They are now referred to as the Aztecs.
- The word "Aztec" is derived from Aztlán, the mythical homeland of the Mexican people. Aztlán, in accordance with Aztec legend, was an island in a lake to the northwest of the Valley of Mexico.
- Around 1100 C.E., the Aztecs abandoned the island. Before arriving in the Valley of Mexico, they spent several years wandering through the deserts of northern Mexico.
- When the Aztecs reached the valley's centre, they discovered lakes scattered with islands made of marsh.
- The area around the lakes was governed by prosperous city-states. It was challenging for the Aztecs to establish themselves in the valley. The citizens of the city-states saw the Aztecs as primitive barbarians. However, because of their reputation as deadly warriors, the city-states were happy to hire the Aztecs as mercenaries.
- The Teotihuacán and Toltec legacies started to have an impact on the Aztecs after they had arrived in the valley. They visited Teotihuacán's historic remains on pilgrimages.
- They made the feathered serpent god of the Teotihuacáns, Quetzalcoatl (ket-sahl-koh-AHT-l), one of their own deities.
- The Toltecs were revered by the Aztecs as the kings of a glorious era. Aztec emperors wed into the Toltec royal family that was still alive. Even yet, the Aztecs started referring to the Toltecs as their own forebears.
Empire builders to mercenaries
Tenochtitlán's construction by the Aztecs began in 1325 CE. They once more worked as mercenaries for the mighty Tepanecs for the following 100 years. The Aztecs benefited from this partnership in the form of land, trade links, and money.
Eventually, though, the Tepanecs' oppressive control over the Aztecs was overthrown. Tenochtitlán formed the Triple Alliance with two other city-states under the leadership of the Aztec Itzcoatl (itz-kohAHT-l). The coalition fought in 1428 and the Tepanecs were defeated. Together, the allies launched a series of conquests that served as the Aztec Empire's building blocks.
Itzcoatl set out to alter Aztec history when Tenochtitlán rose to prominence. He destroyed documents that described the lowly beginnings of his people. Instead, he made a connection between the eminent Toltecs and the Aztecs.