Nahuatl

language · Aztec · Mexico · history

Ancient Aztec Language. Nahuatl has been spoken in central Mexico since at least the seventh century AD, making it one of the oldest continuously spoken languages in the Americas.

Still Spoken Today. About 1.7 million people called Nahuas speak varieties of Nahuatl today, mostly living in central Mexico with some communities in the United States.

Language of Emperors. Nahuatl was the language of the Mexica people and the powerful Aztec Empire, which controlled a huge part of central Mexico before the Spanish arrived.

Most Prestigious Language. The version of Nahuatl spoken in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, became so respected and important that other people across Mesoamerica wanted to speak it too.

Part of a Language Family. Nahuatl belongs to the Uto-Aztecan language family, which includes many other Native American languages spread across Mexico and the southwestern United States.