Ancient capital of the Aztec empire.
Located at the site of modern Mexico City , it was founded 0441; 1325 in the marshes of Lake Texcoco . It formed a confederacy with Texcoco and Tlacopán and was the Aztec capital by the late 15th century. Originally located on two small islands in Lake Texcoco, it gradually spread through the construction of artificial islands to cover more than 5 sq mi (13 sq km). It was connected to the mainland by several causeways. The population in 1519 was estimated to be about 400,000 people, the largest residential concentration in Mesoamerican history. It contained the palace of Montezuma II , said to consist of 300 rooms, as well as hundreds of temples. It was destroyed by the Spanish conquistador es under Hernán Cortés in 1521.