Maya and Aztec

The finding and Founding of Tenochtitlan
excerpt from the Cronica Mexicayotl by Hernando Alvarado Tezozomoc written in 1609
I.
Here it is told, it is recounted
How the ancients who were called, who were named,
Teochichimeca, Azteca, Mexitin, Chicomoztoca, came, arrived,
When they came to seek,
When they came to gain possession of their land here,
In the great city of Mexico [...]

Cortes First March to Tenochtitlan
Upon arrival, Cortes founded a town and called it Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. At about the same time he had all ten of his ships scuttled and sank so that his followers could not escape Emperor Montezuma’s ambassaders eventually appeared in the Spanish camp. They brought with them some [...]

Following the collapse of Teotihuacan, the Toltecs swept down from the north and wiped out the few remaining survivors and took over the Valley of Mexico. They set up a capital in Tula under a ruler named Topiltzin. Then, Tula itself fell to invaders in 1224. The fall of Tula led the way for the [...]

Unfortunately, the city Tenochtitlan was destroyed by Cortes immediately after the Aztecs were con­quered. Today, we find the location of the former central square of Tenochtitlan coincides perfectly with the location of the Zocalo in Mexico City. Buried under the pavement of the modern Zocalo lies a wealth of buried artifacts.
Legend tells us that the [...]

The Mexica or Aztecs from Aztlan, were guided by their god Huitzilopochtli, while they traveled for many years. They were told to go until they found an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a serpent. Finally, they found what they were looking for on the shores of Lake Texcoco. Unfortunately, they were among the last [...]

During the fifteenth century the cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco rose side by side. Both towns were built around their great temples. The Aztec’s considered these two temples to be the most important in their entire empire. Each of the great temples (cues) sat on top of pyramids that were the highest points in each [...]