Aztecs | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/aztecs/RSS feed for AztecsenTue, 14 Apr 2026 11:45:00 +0000This Millennium-Old Sacrificial Altar in Mexico Belonged to a Civilization That Thrived Before the Aztecshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-millennium-old-sacrificial-altar-in-mexico-belonged-to-a-civilization-that-thrived-before-the-aztecs-180988539/Surrounded by human skulls, the artifact was uncovered at the site of the Toltec people's capital in central Mexico ahead of construction of a new railway projectTue, 14 Apr 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-millennium-old-sacrificial-altar-in-mexico-belonged-to-a-civilization-that-thrived-before-the-aztecs-180988539/FBI Returns Long-Lost Manuscript Signed by Hernán Cortés in 1527 to Mexico's National Archiveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fbi-returns-long-lost-manuscript-signed-by-hernan-cortes-in-1527-to-mexicos-national-archives-180987191/The document, which vanished decades ago, includes logistical details linked to the travels of the Spanish conquistador, who had conquered the Aztec Empire several years earlierFri, 15 Aug 2025 16:37:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fbi-returns-long-lost-manuscript-signed-by-hernan-cortes-in-1527-to-mexicos-national-archives-180987191/Researchers Thought It Was Just a Fortress. It Turned Out to Be a Lost Zapotec Cityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-thought-it-was-just-a-fortress-it-turned-out-to-be-a-lost-zapotec-city-180986076/Lidar scans have revealed a 600-year-old fortified city in southern Mexico that boasted ball courts, roads, neighborhoods and templesMon, 24 Feb 2025 16:35:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-thought-it-was-just-a-fortress-it-turned-out-to-be-a-lost-zapotec-city-180986076/The University of Oxford Is Older Than the Aztec Empire and Other Facts That Will Change Your Perspective on Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/university-oxford-older-than-aztec-empire-other-facts-will-change-your-perspective-history-1529607/The historical timeline you keep in your head might not be as accurate as you thinkFri, 11 Oct 2013 15:17:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/university-oxford-older-than-aztec-empire-other-facts-will-change-your-perspective-history-1529607/Mexican Government Acquires Rare Centuries-Old Aztec Manuscriptshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-familys-centuries-old-aztec-manuscripts-are-shared-publicly-for-the-first-time-180984029/The 16th- and 17th-century artifacts provide historical accounts of events such as the founding of TenochtitlánWed, 27 Mar 2024 17:32:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-familys-centuries-old-aztec-manuscripts-are-shared-publicly-for-the-first-time-180984029/117 Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2023https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/117-fascinating-finds-revealed-in-2023-180983491/The year's most exciting discoveries included a stolen Vincent van Gogh painting, a hidden medieval crypt and a gold-covered mummyTue, 26 Dec 2023 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/117-fascinating-finds-revealed-in-2023-180983491/Earthquake in Mexico City Reveals 500-Year-Old Aztec Snakeheadhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-preserve-a-giant-colorful-aztec-snakehead-uncovered-by-an-earthquake-180983127/The nearly six-foot-long sculpture features well-preserved colors on 80 percent of its surfaceWed, 25 Oct 2023 18:30:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-preserve-a-giant-colorful-aztec-snakehead-uncovered-by-an-earthquake-180983127/The Globe-Trotting Scholar Who Unlocked the Secrets of the Aztecshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/zelia-nuttall-globe-trotting-scholar-unlocked-secrets-aztecs-180983049/Anthropologist Zelia Nuttall transformed the way we think of ancient MesoamericaMon, 23 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/zelia-nuttall-globe-trotting-scholar-unlocked-secrets-aztecs-180983049/This Ancient Maya City Was Hidden in the Jungle for More Than 1,000 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-maya-city-was-hidden-in-the-jungle-for-over-1000-years-180982427/Archaeologists surveying the ruins of Ocomtún found pyramids, stone columns and a ballgame courtMon, 26 Jun 2023 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-maya-city-was-hidden-in-the-jungle-for-over-1000-years-180982427/The Mesoamerican Influences Behind Namor From 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mesoamerican-influences-behind-namor-from-black-panther-wakanda-forever-180981106/The sequel to the 2018 Marvel blockbuster features a Maya-inspired antihero played by Mexican actor Tenoch HuertaThu, 10 Nov 2022 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mesoamerican-influences-behind-namor-from-black-panther-wakanda-forever-180981106/