CHAPTER 2 LATE POSTCLASSIC MESOAMERICA 89The Mexica, who were to become the dominant polity by the end of the cen-
tury, were originally vassals of the Tepanec king. Their tribute to the Tepanecs was
service as mercenaries in their wars of conquest. In 1428, the Mexicas banded to-
gether with the Acolhuas and several other groups to overthrow the Tepanec em-
pire and establish an alliance of three polities: Tenochtitlan (the Mexica capital),
Texcoco (the Acolhua capital), and Tlacopan (capital of a dissident Tepanec polity).
This “Triple Alliance,” known today as the Aztec empire, began a systematic cam-
paign of militaristic expansion soon after 1428. The combined armies began by con-
quering areas in the Valley of Mexico, and then moved beyond to incorporate
ever-greater areas of Mesoamerica. When Cortés and the conquering Spaniards ar-
rived in Mexico in 1519, the Aztec empire covered much of Mesoamerica, and areas
not conquered by the empire were influenced by the Aztecs through trade and other
institutions. A more detailed look at Aztec society appears in the Aztec profile that
follows. Further details about the organization of Mesoamerica in 1519 is the theme
of Chapter 3.PROFILES OF THREE LATE POSTCLASSIC
MESOAMERICAN PEOPLES
We turn now to a closer look at the social and cultural features of three Late Post-
classic Mesoamerican peoples. Information on these three Mesoamerican groups
derives primarily from documentary sources, both native and Spanish. In the case of
the Aztecs and Mixtecs, the native documentary corpus includes numerous pictor-
ial codices, as well as texts written in the native languages (using Latin characters
taught to them by the Spanish friars) and in Spanish. The Mayas produced similar
documents, but they also painted hieroglyphic texts that contain additional infor-
mation. Descriptions by the Spaniards of these peoples were written primarily by
Spanish missionaries, such as Bernardino de Sahagún in Central Mexico (see the In-
troduction and Figure A.10) and Diego de Landa in Yucatan. But many other Span-
ish sources rich in information are also available, produced by the Conquistadors
and later administrative officials (see Chapter 6 for illustrations and a full description
of these documentary sources). Archaeological studies of the sites occupied by these
three peoples, as well as by other Mesoamerican peoples, provide an additional use-
ful source of information upon which the accounts to follow are based.
Given the limitations of space, it will be necessary to focus on only a few of the
multitude of features that characterized the complex societies and cultures of these
three Mesoamerican peoples. We have chosen to concentrate on three basic topics
that are universally recognized as being particularly critical for an understanding of
any culture: economics, politics, and religion. For information on other topics related
to the Aztecs, Mixtecs, and Mayas, as well as to other Mesoamerican peoples dis-
cussed in this text, the reader should consult the suggested readings at the end of this
chapter.