Ever wondered who ruled Mesoamerica, the Aztecs or the Mayans? The Mayans were first, building their amazing cities and pyramids in places like Guatemala and southern Mexico from around 2000 BCE. They were great at astronomy and had an advanced writing system. The Aztecs came later, dominating central Mexico with their powerful empire starting in the 14th century, known for their massive capital city, Tenochtitlán. Both civilizations were incredible in their own ways, but they ruled different parts of Mesoamerica at different times. Credit:br Glyphic compounds: Mexican Manuscript, French National Library, logogram AKOL: Mexico relief location map: By Carport - NordNordWest, CC BY 3.0 , Tlatelolco Marketplace: By Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Balam 3: By Goran tek-en - , CC BY-SA 4.0 , Basin of Mexico 1519 map-en: By Yavidaxiu, Sémhur, Animation is created by Bright Side.