The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people that settled in the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco. According to their stories, they came from a place called "Aztlan" (which gave them their name), although it is unclear whether this place was a reality or a myth. The Aztecs inherited much of their culture from the more ancient Toltecs, and established their capital in Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) in 1325. During the 14th and 15th century, the empire expanded and conquered most of the surrounding peoples. The empire collapsed after the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in 1521.
