History of Mexico City

Founded in 1325, the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán was built on an island in Lake Texcoco, the site of present-day Mexico City.

The city was the military and administrative center of the Aztec Empire, which included large parts of Mexico and Central America.

Tenochtitlán is estimated to have had a population of about 200,000 people, making it one of the world's largest settlements when Europeans first arrived in the Americas in the early 16th century.

Tenochtitlán was built around a series of temples and pyramids. It was organized into a series of calpulli (Aztec for “clans”), each forming a loose neighborhood of the city.

The calpulli fulfilled different economic roles, and each acted as an army battalion.

The Aztec emperor was selected from the calpulli leadership.


(1) SPANISH RULE
(2) THE 19TH CENTURY
(3) THE 20TH CENTURY