Causes of the Tepanec War

The Tepanec War transformed the Aztecs into a major player in the politics of Lake Texcoco then throughout Central America. The War brought together where various tribes and people united to topple down a tyrannical hegemony of the Tepanecs. But what were the causes and tyranny that brought the war in the first place?

Map of Lake Texcoco in Aztec Warfare by Ross Hassig

A Grandfather's Love and the Rise of the Aztecs

Messengers from a nascent city of Tenochtitlan arrived in the sumptuous palace of Tezozomoc in the city of Azcapotzalco, the great power that dominated the lands around Lake Texcoco, the area now known as Mexico City. The messenger brought a request from Tezozomoc’s favorite grandson, the leader of Tenochtitlan, the teenager Chimalpopoca, asking for his grandfather to allow his people to build an aqueduct. Tezozomoc agreed to his grandson’s request, an agreement and a relationship that changed a region’s political landscape.

A Joke that Left Thousands Without a Nose

32,000 Voldemort-like looking people, without a nose and only a hole in the middle of the face thanks to a “jest” by a Nahuatl-King. Such was the sheer result of the Aztecs’ fight for their survival during their migration years. An episode that displayed their ruthlessness, resilience, and martial prowess which later turned them from nomads to overlords.

Xochimilco Prisoners in Aubin Codex

Doc Recap: Reply to the 1852 Letter of President Fillmore

In 1854, Perry returned to Edo Bay to take the reply of the Japanese government from the letter that he delivered last year. A translation of the letter was made. Explore the contents of the reply of the Japan to the presidential letter.

Commodore Perry Meeting
the Japanese Commissioners

Doc Recap: 1854 Anglo-Japanese Treaty

Great Britain and Japan signed a treaty of friendship in Nagasaki just months after Perry left the Islands. It established the relation between the two countries and secured the opening of Japan for resupply. Explore the contents of the convention.

Sir James Sterling

Doc Recap: Treaty of Shimoda

In 1855, Putiatin returned to Japan to conclude a treaty delayed for over a year. The Treaty of Shimoda established formal relations between the two countries.

Putyatin in Nagasaki

10 Things to Know About the Early Leaders of the Aztecs

Behind the blood curdling stories of sacrifice by the Aztecs lies a story of beating the odds, a rags to riches story. Here are 10 things to know about the early leaders of the Aztecs who faced dangerous odds and built the foundation of a Mesoamerican Empire:

Eagle on top of a cactus, the famous sign
that marked the foundation of Tenochtitlan