The Aztec Empire, the ancient, great state that controlled much of what today is Mexico, was founded in the misty past, with the settling of its capital Tenochtitlán in 1325 AD. That’s definitely a long time ago. Nonetheless, Oxford University in England began teaching students in 1096 AD, and the university was officially founded in 1249 AD. Oxford has lasted a lot longer as well; the Aztecs fell to the Spanish conquistadores led by Cortes in 1521 AD, while the university is still going strong.