This text opens with a description of the origins and rise to power of this great Central American civilzation, and ends with its sudden and cataclysmic fall 200 years later at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores. In its central section, aspects of Aztec life and culture is looked at, including war, religion, technology, Aztec arts and crafts and everyday life in their great city of Tenochtitlan. The final chapter looks at the Aztec legacy. This book is part of a series of reference works that look at the way of life, beliefs and achievements of the ancient cultures. The emphasis is on primary source material, with contemporary quotations offering insights into how life was actually lived.