While living in swamps, Aztec priests received a vision from gods telling them to migrate. The Aztecs believed in over 1,600 gods who controlled nature and human life. They believed the world rested on a giant crocodile swimming in a sea of water lilies, with their capital Tenochtitlan located on an island in that sea. Aztec education focused on developing warriors and was based on their militaristic culture and religious beliefs, which included human sacrifice to the gods to give strength to the sun.