9781422286807

Famous People of Mexican History

at the borders of the kingdom fought against his people. Because of this fighting, Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl was driven from his throne, never to return. The Aztecs believed that Topiltzin Queztalcoatl disappeared in the east. In some versions of the story, he died but later appeared in the heavens as Venus, the morning star. The Aztecs admired Topiltzin Queztalcoatl for his ability to control his kingdom through his wisdom and strength. These qualities were important to the Aztecs. Aztec records show that Itzcoatl, ruler of the Aztecs from 1427 to 1440, shared these qualities. The Aztecs were a tribe of warriors who came from the north and settled in central Mexico, and Itzcoatl was an early founder of their empire. Because other tribes occupied much of the same territory, the Aztecs were forced to live on land no one else wanted, on a swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. They claimed as their own the ancient city of Tenochtitlán, which was first settled in 1325. During the reign of Itzcoatl, the original Aztec settlement began to be transformed into an amazing city. The Aztecs enlarged the small islands of the lake and created “floating gardens” from mud dredged from the lake bottom. The islands were connected to the shore by stone causeways, which had removable sections for defending the Aztec city. The Aztecs were able to build Tenochtitlán’s new splendor because Itzcoatl’s leadership made it possible. He negotiated a treaty, which was called the Triple Alliance, with two other powerful tribes. Because the Aztecs had allies, they spent less time and money fighting off their enemies. Thanks to Itzcoatl’s wisdom and diplomacy, the Aztecs had the time and the resources to build their great imperial center in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

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