Lecture 8. Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco: Cultivating the Aztec Capital

As newcomers to the region of contemporary Mexico City, the Aztecs transformed an empty shoreline into the hub an expanding empire. Hernán Cortés wrote that the efficiency of the Aztec capital, with chinampas (lake-based fields), schools and markets, surpassed Spanish cities in plan, services and hygiene. Framing the templo mayor (monumental royal-administrative center) with religious and political monuments that emphasized rulership and Aztec exceptionalness were barrios, or neighborhoods overseen by local bureaucrats.


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