Final answer:
The Aztecs and other Mesoamerican cultures believed in the existence of multiple Ages before ours, each ending in a catastrophe. Societies like the Olmec, Maya, and Toltec preceded the Aztecs, whose advanced civilization held rich cultural and technical knowledge. Despite the Spanish conquest, the impact and achievements of these pre-Columbian societies continue to be recognized.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Aztecs and other Mesoamerican cultures believed that several successive Ages had existed before ours, and each time mankind had been wiped out by some cataclysmic events. This reflects the rich mythical and religious framework within which these civilizations understood the world and its history. Prior to the Aztecs, the Valley of Mexico saw the rise and fall of several societies such as the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacanos, and Toltec cultures. The Aztec Empire, with its advanced systems of agriculture, architecture, and religion, built upon the legacies left by these earlier civilizations.
Great civilizations like the Moche, Nazca, and Tiwanaku in the Andes, and others like the Olmec and Maya in Mesoamerica, shaped the cultural inheritance that the Aztecs and the Incas later developed upon. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they encountered these complex societies, which had evolved from the ancient traditions of their predecessors. Despite the conquest and the loss of much of their knowledge to the actions of the Spanish, the legacy of Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztecs remains a subject of study and admiration for the engineering, astronomy, and cultural richness they exhibited.
Understanding the history of these cultures helps us appreciate the depth of pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas and the impact of European contact. The Spanish conquest led by Hérnan Cortés brought an end to the Aztec Empire, but much of what we know about the Aztecs comes from the codices and historical accounts that have survived the destruction.