Pre-Columbian Mexican refers to the cultures and civilizations that existed in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Two of the most prominent Pre-Columbian Mexican cultures were the Aztecs and the NAHUA. The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the 14th to 16th centuries. They built great cities and developed a complex society, economy, and religion. The NAHUA were an indigenous people of central Mexico who spoke the Nahuatl language. They were the dominant group in the AZTEC Empire and were also present in other parts of Mesoamerica.