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They produced NezahualcÓyotl: Poet King O ut of the native histories compiled by the early Franciscan friars emerges a portrait of a king who could rival Lorenzo the Magnificent of Renaissance Florence in his learning and support for the arts. Almost 50 years before the Spanish, Nezahualcóyotl (nay-zahwahl-KOH-yohtl; meaning Hungry Coyote) ruled Texcoco, part of the Aztec Triple Alliance. He codified Aztec law, studied astronomy, engineered elaborate aqueducts, and designed his garden to include fountains and a zoo.

Though it be of jade it will shatter, Though it be of gold it will break, Though it might be of quetzal feathers it will decay. Nothing endures for eternity on this earth, But is here only fleetingly. Nezahualcóyotl (Davis 1973, 117) 41 A Brief History of Mexico three-dimensional sculptures that were among the greatest artistic works of Mesoamerica. The Aztec empire was so powerful it rendered other regions weaker. , for example, the Yucatec Maya no longer built grand cities of stone and plaster, but rather lived in the older ones of their ancestors or built smaller shrine-like centers, such as Tulum.

Despite the remarkable contrasts between the lowland Maya and Teotihuacán, there was considerable contact between them. The Maya presence is clear at Teotihuacán in one of the apartment complexes and in trade items, such as carved jades. Teotihuacán-style buildings, ceramics, and obsidian are found at numerous Maya sites, and Teotihuacán symbols were adapted by Maya rulers as part of their war costume. Some archaeologists have argued that Teotihuacán conquered some Maya cities or even founded them; others believe the evidence equally supports mere trade and political alliances.