9781422286883

Meeting Future Challenges: The Government of Mexico

Chichén Itzá and Tikal. Their kings inherited the right to rule from their ancestors. A number of Mayan rulers were women. At Teotihuacán, near Mexico City in north central Mexico, a great civilization existed from about 150 B . C . until A . D . 750. At its height, Teotihuacán’s population may have been as high as 200,000. Its great structures, like the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the Moon Pyramid, can still be seen today. The rulers of Teotihuacán did not record their names or accomplishments. Instead, they honored their gods in the city’s many works of art. The Toltec empire, which began around A . D . 900, ruled mainly from Tula, near Mexico City. However, the influence of the Toltecs can be found in many different areas of Mexico. They were the most warlike civilization that had yet appeared in Mesoamerica . Their empire declined around 1250. The Aztec empire was the last great native empire in Mexico’s history. The empire included a large part of south central Mexico. The Aztecs built a great city at Tenochtitlán, where Mexico City is today. By 1500, they controlled Mexico. Even in the areas of Mexico where they did not have direct influence, the other native cultures declined because the Aztec empire was so dominant. The Aztecs had a carefully structured class system. At the top was the king, whom the Aztecs believed was a god. The Aztec helped to keep their large empire together by marrying members of the royal family to women from far- off parts of the empire. At the height of the empire, Tenochtitlán was one of the largest cities in the world. In 1519, the course of Mexican history changed forever. Since the 1490s, the Spanish had been steadily expanding their influence in The name “Mexico” comes from the Mexica, the most powerful of the tribes known collectively as the Aztecs.

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