The capital city of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan, was built on islets in Lake Texcoco and had a symmetrical layout divided into four sections. The city was interlaced with canals useful for transportation and featured a Great Pyramid. The Aztecs cultivated cocoa beans to make chocolate drinks and spoke the Nahuatl language, while their principal food was a cornmeal pancake called a tlaxcalli.

1. The AztecsJoshua GeorgeNaib Ahmed

2. Tenochtitlan. The Capitol City of AztecsCultural Landscapes

3. Modern day area of the AztecsCultural Landscapes

4. The capital city of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan. It was built on a series of islets in Lake Texcoco, the city plan was based on a symmetrical layout that was divided into four city sections called campans. The city was interlaced with canals which were useful for transportation. Cultural Landscapes

5. Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan Cultural Landscapes

6. Aztecs used cocoa beans to create chocolate drinks. These were introduced to Spanish conquistadors, and later brought to the rest of Europe.Cultural Diffusion

7. The Nahuatl language is today spoken by 1.5 million people, mostly in mountainous areas in the states of central Mexico.Cultural Hearths

8. The principal food of the Aztec was a thin cornmeal pancake called a tlaxcalli. (In Spanish, it is called a tortilla.)Cultural Environments