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Ancient City of Tenochtitlan Facts & Worksheets

Tenochtitlan City, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, is located on an island near the western lakeshore of Lake Texcoco.

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The Ancient City of Tenochtitlan, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, is located on an island near the western lakeshore of Lake Texcoco. Founded in 1325 CE, it was the capital of the Aztec Empire in the 15th century and is presently in the center of Mexico.

See the fact file below for more information on the Ancient City of Tenochtitlan or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Ancient City of Tenochtitlan worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

 History

  • According to legend, a group of Aztec people, known as Mexica, left their home in Aztlan city. Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, sun, and human sacrifice, directed the priests to look for an eagle that was eating a snake, perched on a prickly pear cactus. 
  • They found it on a small swampy island in the middle of the lake. They built a temple in their god’s honor and founded Tenochtitlan. The name Tenochtitlan was derived from the word tenochtli, which means “among the prickly pears cactus”. Mexico’s flag and coat of arms now bear the image of the eagle-eating snake.
  • Despite the unfavorable terrain, the Mexicas set out to build a city. The early years were tough for the Mexicas. They only lived in huts and constructed the promised temple using perishable materials. A city named Azcapotzalco also controlled them and they had to pay tribute to it. 
  • For eighty years, this tiny island eventually spread to cover more than five sq. miles by constructing artificial islands using the chinampa system, islands created above the waterline, connected to the mainland by several passageways.  
  • Tenochtitlan also grew its alliances and was able to break free from Azcapotzalco control and gain independence. The tribute they received made the inhabitants wealthy and invited more immigrants. It was estimated that the population reached 350,000. 
  • The Mexica civilization gained political power and dominated the Aztec Empire. It became the Empire’s center with broad and straight streets and had approximately 60,000 people come each day to buy and sell, as described by Hernan Cortes in his letter to the king. 
  • The city began to build structures. Most prominent was their temple dedicated to both Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, gods of rain and fertility. 

Tenochtitlan Society

  • Historians described the Tenochtitlan social classification as very complex. Despite this, the Mexicas were able to implement a strict social hierarchy. Heredity determined individuals’ social standing. 
  • The upper class was identified as pipiltin or nobles, which consisted of government and military leaders, high-level priests, and lords or tecuhtli. Priests had their internal class system.
  • The tecuhtli consisted of landowners, judges, and military commanders and received tributes from commoners. This class were permitted to display their wealth by wearing capes and jewelry. 

Education

  • There were two kinds of education in the Aztec Empire: Telpochcalli for the commoners and Calmecac for the nobles and exceptionally gifted commoners. 
  • Each calpulli had Telpochcalli. Its purpose was to train young men to be warriors. It started when young boys turned 15. They also had other obligations, such as collectively working the fields for their livelihood or carrying materials to repair temples.
  • The Calmecac schools taught children to become priests and government officials. Their training started between the ages of 6 and 13. Misbehavior was not tolerated, especially in Calmecac schools, as noble children were held to a higher standard than commoners. 

 Spanish Conquest

  • Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519. He was stunned by the city’s structures on land and canals. 
  • He also described it as big as Seville or Cordoba, and it had around 400,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city in the world at the time. Many of them wondered if they were dreaming. 
  • The soon-to-be Spanish invaders were greeted by the Tenochtitlan’s ruler Motecuhzoma with gifts of gold, hoping that it would appease them and make them go back to their country. But the gold only made the Spaniards more resolved to take what the rich city had. 
  • When Motecuhzoma was killed on July 1, 1520, stoned to death by his own people according to Spanish accounts although some say the Spaniards killed him, Cortes decided to flee. 
  • In May 1521, Cortés came back and with his army began to siege the city. His army consisted of 800 conquistadores and tens of thousands of indigenous warriors.
  • He also constructed 13 small ships loaded with canons for his planned attack and surrounded the city from the water to the causeway. He mounted several assaults on Tenochtitlán, effectively cutting off the Aztecs’ food and water supply. 
  • For 93 days, Cortés’s coalition army continuously mounted assaults on the Aztec defenders, slowly wearing them down. The Aztecs simultaneously suffered from the smallpox plague brought by the Spanish, killing many of its people.  It made Spanish victory inevitable. In August 1521, the Aztec empire was buried under the ground. Cortés established the Spanish capital of Mexico City among the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

Ancient City of Tenochtitlan Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Ancient City of Tenochtitlan across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about the Ancient City of Tenochtitlan which is located on an island near the western lakeshore of Lake Texcoco.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ancient City of Tenochtitlan Facts
  • Ancient City
  • Fall of the City
  • History of Tenochtitlan
  • Tenochtitlan’s Origin
  • Tenochtitlan Society 
  • Legend
  • Education System
  • Island of Tenochtitlan
  • Tenochtitlan Words
  • Cultures under the Ground

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.