The city that served as the capital of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan. Located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in present-day Mexico City, Tenochtitlan was a remarkable urban center known for its advanced architecture, canals, and artificial islands called chinampas, which facilitated agriculture. Founded in 1325, it became a political, religious, and economic hub of the Aztec civilization. At its height, Tenochtitlan had a population of several hundred thousand and was one of the largest cities in the world. The city fell to Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés in 1521, marking the end of the Aztec Empire.