3. Oxford University Is Older Than the Entire Aztec Empire
Human minds naturally group historical eras into distinct conceptual buckets, often placing European medieval history and Mesoamerican civilizations into entirely separate mental timelines. When you examine the exact dates, however, you discover a mind-bending temporal reality: Oxford University existed centuries before the Aztec Empire ever began. Historical records confirm that formal teaching took place at Oxford as early as 1096 CE. The academic institution expanded rapidly in 1167 CE when King Henry II banned English scholars from attending the University of Paris, forcing students to seek higher learning domestically within England.
By contrast, the political alliance that formed the Aztec Empire arose centuries later in 1428 CE. The Aztec state emerged when three major city-states—Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan—joined forces in a Triple Alliance to dominate the Basin of Mexico. By the time the Aztecs established their capital and began expanding their territory across Central America, scholars at Oxford had spent over three hundred years studying theology, philosophy, law, and classical literature. Understanding this timeline overlap helps you dismantle chronological biases; it illustrates that while medieval Europeans were attending organized university lectures, Mesoamerican cultures were still generations away from founding their most famous empire.
