Tenochtitlan was also located near the powerful city- states texcoco and Tlateloco. Religious structures dominated the landscape, the giant stepped, and limestone faced pyramids on which temples were erected. The Aztecs society was structured in a hierarchy with nobles at the top. Social status was determined primarily at birth.
In the center of the Aztec civilization was the Valley of Mexico, a huge, egg-shaped basin about 7,500 feet above sea level. The Aztec empire included many cities and towns, mainly in the Valley of Mexico. The largest city and important in the empire was the capital, Tenochtitlan.
The Aztecs were a relatively unusual group of people who came into the Valley of Mexico during the 12th and 13th century A.D. and became the greatest power in the Americas by the time the Spaniards arrived. Tenochtitl�n was located on a marshy island with partial resources; they built a few thatches and mud huts, and some small temples. The Aztecs would have to work constantly to maintain a city on swampy land. As the Aztec empire expanded, focused craftsmen and common laborers were brought to Tenochtitl�n to expand the city. Like the Olmec civilization, the Aztecs also used a slash and burn method of farming. All this helped the Aztecs grow and abundance of corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans, and other kinds of food. The Aztecs made the swampy, shallow lake into chinampas.
The basic part of Aztec society was the calpulli, or group of families who claimed fall from a common ancestor. Calpulli ran schools in which boys were taught citizenship, warfare, history, crafts, and religion. In the Aztec empire, some man-made goods were created for the ruler or sold in the local markets. These included pottery, tools, jewelry, figurines, baskets, and cloth. The Aztec empire and their religion as such arose around the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Aztec religion was very different that that of modern religions. The Aztecs believed in many gods, whom they paid tribute to every day of their lives. Human sacrifices, as well as animal were a big part of the Aztec religion. For warriors, the most honorable way to die was to be slain in battle or to volunteer to be sacrificed at an important ceremony. The less important sacrifices, prisoners were offered to the gods. Before each of these ceremonies the participant was required to abstain from sex, and to eat only one unseasoned meal a day for four days leading up to the event.
In February 1519, Hernan Cortez was sent by the governor of Cuba, Diego Valesquez to explore the area occupied by the Aztecs. For some reason at the last minute, Valesquez ordered Cortez not to go. Disobeying his orders, Cortez set out with 400 soldiers, 100 sailors, and about 15 horses. Cortez also received a woman translator, named Malinche, who is the mother of the first mestizo. When Cortez arrived, the Aztec emperor Montezuma the second greeted him with open arms, believing When the Aztecs realized that he was not who they thought, the gave Cortez gold and jewelry in hope that this would get him to leave. Instead the Spaniards became greedier. Cortez actually took Montezuma the second as a hostage in order to receive a large ransom from the Aztecs. That he was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the god of civilization.