<P> The Aztec Empire , or the Triple Alliance ( Classical Nahuatl : Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān , ( ˈjéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ ) ) , began as an alliance of three Nahua altepetl city - states : Mexico - Tenochtitlan , Texcoco , and Tlacopan . These three city - states ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico from 1428 until the combined forces of the Spanish conquistadores and their native allies under Hernán Cortés defeated them in 1521 . </P>
<P> The Aztec Empire , or the Triple Alliance ( Classical Nahuatl : Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān , ( ˈjéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ ) ) , began as an alliance of three Nahua altepetl city - states : Mexico - Tenochtitlan , Texcoco , and Tlacopan . These three city - states ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico from 1428 until the combined forces of the Spanish conquistadores and their native allies under Hernán Cortés defeated them in 1521 . </P>
in 1428 the aztecs joined with two other city-state texcoco and tlacopan to for
in 1428 the aztecs joined with two other city-state texcoco and tlacopan to for
ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico
ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico