The Aztec Indians came from the north into central Mexico about A.D 1250. Other Indian tribes had lived in central Mexico for many centuries. The Aztecs had built cities there and set up governments. But one invader followed another, and the cities fell into ruins. By the time the Aztec Indian arrived, few of the old tribes remined.
The Aztecs were a warlike people who made many enemies among their neghbours. After several moves the Aztec Indian settled in the Valley of Mexico on island in Lake Texcoco. The lake was located on a high plateau between two mountain ranges. In the distance were towering, snowcapped volcanoes. Wild game and fish were plentiful, but as the Aztec population grew, they need for food increased.
There was not enough space to farm on the islands in Lake Texcoco. Farmland had to be built in the lake itself. The Aztecs colected mud from the shore and packed it onto rafts. The rafts were made of reeds and twigs, tightly woven to keep the mud from falling out. Then the Aztecs floated the rafts out into the shallow lake and sank them, one on top of the other. Finally great heaps of earth appeared above the water. On these floating gardens, or Chinampas, the Aztecs raised crops.
The Aztecs became fine painters, sculpturers, and craftsmen. They learned to weave, make pottery and embroider with beads and feathers. Aztec Indian were skilled stonecutters, silversmiths and leatherworkers.
The 1325 Aztec Indian began to build a city, Tenochtitlan, on one of the islands. Today it is called Mexico City. Here the Aztec Indian grew and flourished. At first Tenochtitlan was a crude village of reed and mud huts, but by the early 16th century the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan had become a magnificent city. Government buildings and palaces were built of cut stone coated with white plaster. Ordinary homes, called adobes, were built of redclay bricks. In the poorer sections of town the houses had roofs thatched with green palm leaves.
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