Aztec Empire Trivia

Built on an island in the middle of a lake and sustained by ingenious floating farms, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan stunned the Spanish conquistadors who first laid eyes on it. This quiz covers the gods, rulers, and daily life of the empire that dominated central Mexico before European contact.

No feathered headdress required, just 12 questions on one of Mesoamerica's most remarkable civilizations.

A City on a Lake

According to legend, the Aztecs settled where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent, and built their capital, Tenochtitlan, on an island in Lake Texcoco. To feed a growing population, they engineered chinampas, artificial floating gardens that turned the lake's shallows into remarkably productive farmland.

Gods and Ritual Life

Aztec religion centered on maintaining cosmic balance through devotion and offerings to a wide pantheon of deities.

• Huitzilopochtli, the sun and war god, was closely tied to the identity of the Aztec state
• Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, represented wind, learning, and the priesthood
• Ritual sacrifice was believed necessary to keep the sun moving through the sky

Empire and Encounter

By the early 1500s, the Aztecs led a powerful alliance of city-states that dominated much of central Mexico, ruled at the time of European contact by the emperor Moctezuma II. That empire came to a dramatic end following the arrival of Hernan Cortes, whose small expedition, aided by rival indigenous groups and disease, brought down Tenochtitlan within a few short years.