+The Fall of the Aztec EmpireBy: Remie Adams

AP Euro

Period 6

+ Background

The Aztecs originated in Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th, and 16th century.

They were very good refined workers, merchants, farmers and fishers.

They worshiped the many gods of the sun, and their Aztec god that was a “form of energy in one way or another”.

In Mexico a triple alliance was formed between Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Over time Tenochtitlan became the most powerful which then became the heart of the Aztec Empire.

They defended their territory and later conquered control over the Mexican basin.

+ The Rise of the Aztec Empire

Aztec formed their empire in 1427 that was based in Tenochitlan. The Aztecs would conquer many different cities that were not

always next to each other . They didn’t always directly govern these different conquered cities and would allow the local governments to remain in place, but would force them to pay varying amounts.

This empire would conquered power over many cities throughout Mesoamerica and dominated a majority of their society.

The Aztecs kept expanding due to their trade and military conquest.

They surrounded many colonies to gain power and became very controlling using military forces.

They began conquering cities as far south as Chiapas and Guetemala and expanding from the Pacific to Mexican Gulf.

+ Map of the Aztec Empire in 1519

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+ The Fall of the Aztec Empire

The maximum extending of the empire was in 1519, as the Spanish led by Cortes started to arrive.

Cortes found the weakness of the Aztecs and rounded up about 40,000 native people plus his 600 armed men to rebel against the Aztecs.

The many communities the Aztecs had control over, despised the Aztecs and wanted freedom. They formed an alliance with the Spanish and worked together to over take the Aztec empire.

Not much after the Spanish arrival, most Aztec cities were conquered, and a siege of Tenochtitlán begins.

The fall of the empire was not only caused by the Spanish conquest but also by the many tribes they had earlier conquered and surrounded.

In August 1521,  The last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc, surrenders to Cortes.

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The End