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The Aztecs wandered around Mexico for about 200 years before they settled down in the Valley of Mexico. Other tribes were living in the area. Rather than start a war for a place to live, the Aztecs settled down in the swampy land around Lake Texcoco.
They were clever people. They adapted to their environment. They built canoes to fish and hunt. They filled the marshes with a combination of reeds and stones and dirt to create more farmland. They built dams and dikes to free even more land. Their engineers successfully built a bustling city, with wide plazas and many shops, on a swamp.
After they had settled in, the Aztecs began conquering neighboring tribes. Soon, the entire Valley of Mexico was under their control. Other tribes had to pay tribute to them in the form of food, clothing , goods, and captives to feed the hungry Aztecs gods. The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice. That was one of the many reasons the other tribes hated and feared the Aztecs. But the Aztecs seemed unstoppable.
It was not until the 1500s, when the Spanish arrived, that the Aztecs were conquered. The Spanish brought guns, dogs, horses, and disease. It was disease that conquered the Aztecs. The Aztec Empire collapsed. The Spanish took over the entire region.
Today, in Mexico, there are about one million descendants of the ancient Aztecs, living and working. Human sacrifice is no longer part of their festivals, but beautiful Aztec art and clever Aztec games
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