Aztec Empire Recovers from Great Famine

1454

After years of devastating crop failure and desperate rationing in the Valley of Mexico, the rains finally returned and Moctezuma I accelerated tribute collection from conquered provinces to rebuild depleted imperial reserves. The experience deeply reinforced the Aztec theological conviction that the sun required constant nourishment through human sacrifice to prevent the catastrophic destruction of the world. Famine had hardened the empire's religious logic into something terrifyingly absolute.