Final answer:
The article about the Aztec Empire focuses on its substantial urban and cultural development, its expansion under King Moctezuma I, and its elaborate socio-economic and religious practices, leading up to its vulnerability and eventual downfall with the arrival of the Spanish.
Step-by-step explanation:
Central Idea and Supporting Evidence of the Aztec Empire:
The central idea of the article titled Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans: The Aztec Empire is to describe the rise and dominance of the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica, particularly its expansion, socio-economic structure, and cultural practices until the arrival of the Spanish. Several pieces of supporting evidence illustrate this central idea:The Aztec Empire's capital was Tenochtitlán, a city estimated to have a population of 100,000 people, which exemplifies the empire's size and influence.Religion and rituals, including human sacrifices taken from neighboring city-states, played a crucial role in building resentment towards the Aztecs, contributing to their fall with the arrival of the Spanish.
King Moctezuma I is credited with much of the empire's expansion, including taxing subjugated city-states and initiating extensive building projects like new pyramids.The socio-economic fabric of the Aztec society included a series of marketplaces, a legal code, and a division of society into nobles, commoners, and slaves.The downfall of the Aztec Empire is attributed to internal resentments and the exploitation of these weaknesses by Spanish conquerors.