Originating from a tribe of wanderers in the area we now know as Mexico, the Aztecs were the dominant political power in Central America until the Spanish Conquest. The traditional view of them is of bloody sacrifice to gods such as Huitzilopochtli, the god of warfare. But behind this image was a very sophisticated culture. They were devout, with a high moral code that prohibited torture and gave women more rights than their European counterparts. The capital, Tenochtitlan, was far larger than any contemporary European city. Their big mistake was to welcome the Spanish.