Aztec pyramid at Acatitlan, Mexico State

The Aztec Sun Stone, also known as the Aztec Calendar Stone, at the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

The Aztecs were Native American people who lived in Mesoamerica. They ruled the Aztec Empire from the 14th century to the 16th century.

The name "Aztec" comes from the phrase "people from Aztlan". Legends say that Aztlan was the first place the Aztecs ever lived. "Aztlan" means "place of the herons" in the Nahuatl language.^p. 8