The empire the Aztecs couldn't conquer

The empire the Aztecs couldn't conquer Brian Overcast / Alamy Stock Photo The yácatas of Tzintzuntzan are uniquely round and made of volcanic stone – perhaps the most intact relics of the P'urhépechas The P'urhépechas were one of the only indigenous groups in Mexico the Aztecs failed to conquer – but despite that feat, they were nearly lost to history. Stephanie Mendez Standing tall and strong at 4ft 10in, my P'urhépecha great-grandmother is an elder of the community who can speak the endangered language Chatting in Juana's kitchen, I took in everything I could: how she cooks without electricity or a stove; her rows of dishes made from barro ; and the deep stone pit in the middle of the room where she was preparing a huge pot of nixtamal, corn kernels processed in a specialized way to make tortillas de maíz. Arturo Peña Romano Medina/Getty Images The P'urhépecha were one of the only indigenous groups in Mexico that the Aztecs failed to conquer According to Jahzeel Aguilera Lara, a geographer and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, "The yácatas of Tzintzuntzan – the 'place of hummingbirds' – are the best-preserved pyramidal structures in the region. "Nothing could be done without the permission or allowance of P'urhépecha elites," Pérez Montesinos said.