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The Aztecs, who from the fifteenth century until the Spanish conquest in 1519 created a large empire in what is now southern and central Mexico, evolved from a nomadic culture. According to their histories, they came from a mythical island called Aztlan (white land) and their supreme god, Huitzilopochtli, led them to Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) in 1325.
From there, for nearly two hundred years, they subdued the neighboring tribes and turned them into tribute-paying vassals. Although gold was a valued commodity, jade, turquoise, and featherwork were considered more important. The Aztecs produced painted books written in pictograms rather than in words derived from an alphabet.
The spiritual and earthly center of the Aztec world was the Templo Mayor (great temple), which dominated Tenochtitlan and ...
Source: HighBeam Research, Aztec exhibition. (Report from Europe).(Brief Article)