It has even been suggested that the Aztecs were the first Americans, as we now understand the term. American in the sense that a strong national identity was forged from unlikely and disparate material, in which largely mythologised figures and events (the cowboys of the Wild West, let's say, or the flight from the Old Country), not to mention a federal system of states, play a large part. Controversial, eh? Well, here are the key facts. The wandering tribe of Aztecs (also known as Mexicas and Tenochcas) fetched up at a lakeside in a swampy part of Meso-America at the beginning of the 14th century. Although the area was fertile, nobody else round about wanted this particular bit. Just as well, because it was there that they saw an eagle devour a serpent on a prickly-pear cactus. This was the sign they had been waiting for, since one of their guiding deities, the humming-bird god Huitzilopochtli, had told them that if they ever saw this sight, they would have arrived at the place where they would found a great city. Why? Look, don't expect all the answers. We've a lot to get through here.

So establish a city they did. On an island, in the lake, in the year that they called "2-House", and we call 1325. The city of Tenochtitlan, named after their earthly leader Tenoch, grew into a great metropolis and the centre of an empire. But not for long. Two centuries after the eagle/snake episode, the Spanish arrived and destroyed Tenochtitlan. It was 1521. The Aztec civilisation, from first to last, existed for only 200 years, and the imperial alliance period, when they ruled the Basin of Mexico and beyond, lasted only 91 of those years. As civilizations go, that was quick. In contrast, the neighbouring Mayan culture lasted 3000 years, and the distant Incas in their Andean strongholds managed over 300 (about the same duration as the later British Empire, as it happens) before conquistador Francisco Pizarro cooked their goose.

But the Aztecs did shine so very brightly. They did achieve great things. And they did rip the hearts out of an awful lot of unfortunate captured enemies. They had various gods, most of whom, like their sun-god, needed human blood. So the Aztecs were perpetually in search of fresh blood and waged ritual wars, wearing lovely clothes and carrying ceremonial weapons, in order to seize warriors to provide it. This priest-driven hunt, coupled with their aptitude for agriculture, trade and craftsmanship, were a potent combination. Unless they formed alliances, the non-Aztecs round about didn't stand much of a chance.

But don't run away with the idea that the Aztec empire was just a scary region ruled over by bloodthirsty fashion-conscious madmen brandishing obsidian knives. They were also sex fiends. At least, young prince Acamapichtli was. He succeeded Tenoch and ruled from 1375 to 1395. Being a made-up civilization, the Aztecs lacked a royal family or nobility. So Acamapichtili was declared a god and put out to stud with orders to generate them. To help him in these duties and to relieve pressure on his goddess wife, he was provided with 20 nubile wenches from leading local families. This seems to have done the trick. Polygamy became the norm for the ruling caste. Soon, the Aztecs had more royalty than they could shake a stick at. This was later to become a bit of a problem.

But it was good news for the merchant caste, particularly the jewelers and makers of to-die-for featherwork accessories, who grew wealthy. Next down the pecking order came commoners (farmers and fishermen and artisans) who paid the taxes so that the nobles could buy gewgaws and bibelots from the merchants. At the bottom of the heap were slaves, who were voluntary entrants into what seems to have been a kind of crude social-security system. Actually, they were not quite at the bottom. Beneath them were the captured soldiers doing hard labour as they awaited ritual execution on the altars of the great temple. Not exactly a job with prospects.