How did the Aztecs build on the achievements of earlier Mesoamerican cultures and develop new traditions to create their large empire?

AAccording to their oral tradition, between 1300 and 1345 a group of Nahuatl-speaking people, the Mexica, migrated southward from what is now northern Mexico, settling on the shores and islands of Lake Texcoco in the central valley of Mexico (Map 11.5). They formed a vast and rapidly expanding empire centered around the twin cities of Tenochtitlan (tay-nawch-TEET-lahn) and Tlatelolco, which by 1500 were probably larger than any city in Europe except Istanbul. This was the Aztec Empire, a network of alliances and tributary states with the Mexica at its core. Examining the means by which they formed and expanded their empire, as well as the vulnerabilities of that empire, can help us build a rich understanding of Mesoamerican society.

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HuitzilopochtliThis painting of the hummingbird god of war carrying a shield in one hand and a serpent-headed knife in the other was made by Aztec priests in a book written on bark paper about the time of the Spanish conquest. He is shown descending from a step-pyramid, perhaps a reference to the great pyramid in the center of Tenochtitlan, where he was worshipped. (© Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc., www.famsi.org)
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MAP 11.5The Aztec (Mexica) Empire in 1519The Mexica migrated into the central valley of what is now Mexico from the north, conquering other groups and establishing an empire, later called the Aztec Empire. The capital of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan, built on islands in Lake Texcoco.