Teaching began at Oxford in 1096. The Aztec capital Tenochtitlán wasn't founded until 1325.
Oxford is 229 years older than the Aztec civilisation.
If you think that's wild: the Aztec Empire itself — the Triple Alliance that made them a dominant power — wasn't formally established until 1428. By that point, Oxford had been educating students for 332 years.
Your timeline is broken. Most people picture the Aztecs as ancient and universities as modern. The truth is the opposite. When the Aztecs were laying the first stones of their great temple, Oxford students had already been studying theology, law, and philosophy for over two centuries.
How old is Oxford?
Nobody knows the exact founding date. There was no ribbon-cutting. But historical records confirm teaching was taking place in Oxford by 1096 — the year before the First Crusade. The institution grew rapidly after 1167, when King Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris during his feud with Thomas Becket.
By 1249, Oxford had its first three colleges — University, Balliol, and Merton — complete with student housing, organised faculties, and a chancellor. The Aztec people were still nomadic at this point, migrating toward the Valley of Mexico.
How short-lived were the Aztecs?
The Aztec Empire lasted just 93 years — from the Triple Alliance in 1428 to the Spanish conquest in 1521. That's less than a century. Many buildings still standing at Oxford today are older than the entire Aztec Empire.
The White House, whose cornerstone was laid in 1792, has been standing longer than the Aztecs ruled their capital.
Even Cambridge is older. Oxford's rival was founded in 1209 — also more than a century before the Aztec capital existed. Cambridge was started by scholars who fled Oxford after a student accidentally killed a local woman and townspeople began rioting and hanging scholars. Medieval university life was intense.
To put the 229-year gap in perspective: it's roughly the same distance in time as between today and the year 1797. George Washington was still alive. Napoleon hadn't yet invaded Egypt. The entire industrial revolution hadn't happened.
That's how long Oxford had been running before the Aztecs even showed up.