the marketplace Plaza de las Tres Culturas Tlatelolco A boy walks toward the open-air Tlatelolco marketplace with his father They hear a rumble of noise from thousands of people inside The boy and his father pass by rows of spices meat gold jewelry and feathers His father stops to hand over cacao beans in exchange for corn
The grand Templo Mayor towers over Tenochtitlán as the boy rushes home He cannot wait to show his mother their purchases Market day is always busy in the Aztec Empire
Who Were the Ancient Aztecs ceremonial aztec outfit The Aztecs ruled an empire in present-day Mexico from 1325 to 1521 At its height the empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic It ruled around 6 million people Today the Aztecs are remembered for their grand cities and fierce warriors
The largest people group in the empire was the Mexica In 1325 they founded their famous capital Tenochtitlán in the Valley of Mexico Myths claim they saw an eagle eating a snake on a cactus They believed this was a sign from the gods to settle there ancient Tenochtitlan Mexico The Eagle and the Flag The Mexica story of the eagle eating the snake is still celebrated today It is the central image on the flag of Mexico
