When we left the Mexica at the end of episode 2, the year was 1425 on our calendar, and they were firmly established and accepted by the others Aztecs. They were living in a world dominated by the Tepanecs in the nearby city-states of Azcapotzlco and Tlacopan. They enjoyed a comfortable position as an ally of the Tepanecs and were secure in their island city.

But 1425 turned out to be a turning point for the Mexica, and the very next year events unfolded that would initiate a new phase in their history, this time from established and legitimate to greatness and dominance, and all in just a few decades.  

It began with the death of the Tepanec emperor Tezozomoc and the succession crisis that ensued. The heir apparent, Tayahauh, was deposed by Tezozomoc’s son, Maxtla, in a coup. Some Aztec city states lined up to recognize Maxtla, but the Acolhua did not. The Acolhua were only recently subjugated by the Tepanecs after Tepenec armies – with the help of the Mexica – sacked the Acolhua capital of Texcoco, and so they saw this as an opportunity to throw off the Tepanec yoke and regain their independence. The Mexica were loyal Tepanec allies but they did not consider Maxtla the rightful emperor. And so in a fateful move, the Mexica king, Chimalpopoca, decided not to recognize Maxtla’s coup. Shortly after making that announcement, Chimalpopoca dies, with some evidence suggesting he was assassinated by Maxtla. But the new Mexica king, Itzcoatl, likewise didn’t recognize Maxtla.

Itzcoatl learned that the Tepanecs in Azcapotzalco were not happy with Maxtla’s coup, either, and he convinced them to break off from Maxtla and the Tepanecs of Tlacopan and name their own king, who the Mexica agreed to recognize. They also convinced the Acolhua to join the alliance against Maxtla and help over thrown him.

While the Mexica engineered the diplomatic condition to overthrow Maxtla, it was an Acolhua who was tasked with assembling an army from the different groups of Aztecs. His name was Nezahualcoyotl, and he’s come down to us as maybe the greatest Aztec king of them all, and one of the most important and revered figures in all of Mexican History.

Nezahualcoyotl united the armies of the Acolhua, the Mexica and the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco and led that combined force to defeat Maxtla’s armies and sack Tlocopan. His victory marked the end of the Tepanec empire and the beginning of what historians have come to call the Empire of the Triple of Alliance. Nezahualcoyotl is remembered as the Poet King, and he’s credited with influencing Aztec literature, engineering, architecture and law. He reigned as King of Texcoco for nearly 50 years until his death in 1472, and his court was the most prestigious during that entire time, attracting the greatest artists, philosophers and luminaries from across the valley of Mexico.

On paper the new Empire of the Triple Alliance was supposed to be a power sharing agreement between the kings of Texcoco, Azcapotzalco and Tenochtitlan, but in a matter of decades the Mexica maneuvered within this new power structure to essentially seize control of it. The Mexica king, Itzcoatl, was named the first Emperor of the Triple Alliance in 1426, and would be followed by Moctezuma I, Axayacatl, Tizoc, Ahuitzotl, and Moctezuma II – all Mexica.

Moctezuma I was the first Emperor to expand the new empire’s power outside the Valley of Mexico in force, add huge swathes of territory. Axayacatl came next and he pushed the frontiers of the empire west toward the frontier with Tarascans. After initial success he decided to launch a full scale war against the Tarascan Empire, but his armies were crushed. This fixed the empire’s western border as the frontier between Aztec and Tarascan territories and creating a cold-war like stalemate between the two civilizations – a situation that would hold for the duration of pre-Columbian Mexican history.

Emperor Ahuitzotl was named Emperor in 1486, and he presided over what many historians consider the golden age of the Mexica. He not only expanded the empire’s territory, he oversaw a massive expansion of the Mexica’s island capital, Tenochtitlan, including an overhaul of the sacred central precinct and a renovation of the great pyramid. He also reformed the ancient Aztec caste system and allowed merchants to join the nobility, many of whom had grown incredibly wealthy from the stability of his reign. He appears to have been well liked across the Valley of Mexico as well, and his Tepanec and Acolhua allies seemed content with his stewardship of the empire.

Moctezuma II succeeded Ahuitzotl in 1502 or 1503, and he immediately reversed the new policy that opened the nobility up to wealthy merchants. He also purged Acolhua and Tepanec officials from the offices that administered the empire, and reserved all important posts for the Mexica nobility only. He also set out to squeeze the provinces across the empire for every ounce of tax and tribute that he could, making him and the Mexica extremely unpopular outside the Valley of Mexico - something the Spanish would exploit when they land in 1519.