The Aztecs

The Aztecs

The Aztecs lived in Mexico between four and six hundred years ago. They moved there from different parts of South America. In Mexico they built beautiful cities with big buildings, squares and wide streets. Most of their cities were on islands so they went everywhere by boat. They didn’t use horses or wheels for transport. They built their biggest city on lake Tezcoco, near today’s Mexico City. They had their own Aztec language and they were very advanced in many ways. They had schools for the children and two calendars – one for their religion and another one to help them plant their crops. Every day, they killed people in the market square to say “thank you” to their god.

Most Aztecs were farmers and fishermen. They ate a lot of fish and hunted wild animals with bows and arrows. They made clay pots to cook their food. They probably did not use money. They bought and sold things in the market with beans. We are not sure if the Aztecs had writing, but they probably did not. When the Spanish Arrived in Mexico in 1519, they attacked the Aztecs. Three years later, after a long war, the Spanish took control of Mexico.