what is tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican altepetl, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, located in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. It was founded by the Aztec or Mexica people around 1325 C.E. and was the capital of the expanding Aztec Empire in the 15th century until it was captured by the Spanish in 1521. The city was built on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico. Tenochtitlan was one of two Mexica āltepētl (city-states or polities) on the island, the other being Tlatelolco. The city was of great wealth, obtained through the spoils of tribute from conquered regions. It was also of astounding beauty and impressive scale, with towering structures and hundreds of temples. The population in 1519 was estimated to be about 400,000 people, the largest residential concentration in Mesoamerican history. The city was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores under Hernán Cortés in 1521.