Aztec Essay Examples

Under the ruler Itzcóatl (1428–40), Tenochtitlán formed alliances with the neighbouring states of Texcoco and Tlacopan and became the dominant power in central Mexico. Later, by commerce and conquest, Tenochtitlán came to rule an empire of 400 to 500 small states, comprising by 1519 some 5, 000, 000 to 6, 000, 000 people spread over 80, 000 square miles (207, 200 square km). At its height, Tenochtitlán itself covered more than 5 square miles (13 square km) and had upward of 140, 000 inhabitants, making it the most densely populated settlement ever achieved by a Mesoamerican civilization.