When the Aztecs first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already living on the best land in the area.  According to Aztec legend, when the Aztecs spotted an eagle, perched on a cactus, holding a snake, they were to settle down, peacefully, until they had gained strength. They were not to make war with their neighbors. Instead, they were to build a glorious Aztec city, a city of their own. 

Normally, when the Aztecs entered an area, they immediately began to fight with their neighbors. But, around 1100 BCE, because of the legend, rather than fight the other tribes for the best land, the Aztecs quietly settled along the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs built canoes so they could fish, hunt waterfowl, and trade with other tribes for the building materials they needed. If you had never met the Aztecs before, you would have thought of them as very good neighbors - at least while they were behaving peacefully. 

Free School for Everyone: 

To build the city they wanted, they knew that they would need many engineers, builders, and traders. To solve this problem, the Aztecs created schools for their children. Attendance at school was mandatory. All Aztec children had to attend school, even girls and slaves. The Aztecs were the only people in the world at this time in history to have free schools that every child had to attend.

Specialized Professions:

Girls learned about religion. They also learned the crafts that the Aztecs believed were woman’s work, which included weaving, cooking, sewing, embroidering, and childcare. The girls were trained to be good wives and mothers.

Boys went to one of two schools. One school was for the sons of nobles, wealthy traders, and successful merchants. The other school was for the common people and slaves. But, whichever school an Aztec boy attended, he was trained to be a specialist. Boys studied how to be farmers, traders, engineers, builders, astronomers, and doctors.

Those students who became builders and engineers were the people who designed and built the amazing Aztec cities. That included the capital city of Tenochtitlan, which was located on the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.  

Floating Gardens: 

As the Aztec population grew more food was needed. To solve this problem, Aztec engineers created “floating” gardens.  First, they built a series of rafts and anchored each to the lakebed. Vegetation and reeds were piled on top of a raft.  Then, they piled on enough dirt to be able to grow crops.  

The Capital City of Tenochtitlan:

With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had huge temples, beautiful open plazas, and a huge bustling central marketplace.  By the mid-1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a population of about 300,000 people, which made it the largest city in the world at that time!

Through successful human-environment interaction, in a very short amount of time, the Aztecs went from being a wandering tribe to being a very visible presence in ancient Mexico.

Aztecs Schools

Specialized Professions

Floating Gardens

Tenochtitlan