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Aztec rituals and religious symbolism imbued the civilization’s life with religious meaning throughout the year. Every month had at least one major religious ceremony honoring a god or gods. Most of these ceremonies were related to the agricultural season, the sowing of corn or the harvest of fruits. Find the answers to your questions about Aztec history - the mysteries of ancient Aztec culture and the Mexica people of the Aztec empire.
Located in Central Mexico, the Aztec people had one of the most extensive cultures in North America during the European colonization era. They dominated their region between the 14th and 16th centuries, leaving many relics in their wake that are still studied today. Many see the Aztec people as being barbaric and warlike, which is true, but these six important facts about the Aztecs might shine some light on who they were as a culture a little more brightly. They were extremely creativeThe Aztec people loved to sculpt and create pottery. We also have records of several artistic drawings that were rendered during the height of their era. It is believed that many of these works of art were also designed to be applied to their warriors as tattoos in order to honor them for specific accomplishments. They also invented a number of sporting games that were regularly played and some of those games are still played today.
They emphasized educationThe Aztecs were one of the first North American cultures to mandate public schooling for children. Although the different classes in their culture had different schools, every child had the chance to learn and change their stars. In addition to reading and writing, children were also taught vocational skills that could help them survive later on in life. They were not defeated by warWhen the Spanish first encountered the Aztec civilization, they were defeated. Additional incursions into the Aztec lands also looked to be detrimental to the colonization cause.
If it weren’t for the spread of smallpox, a disease that the Aztecs had not encountered yet and so had no immunities to, this culture might still be thriving today. They had an extensive record keeping systemThe written language of the Aztecs is very hieroglyphic in nature. They learned early on that knowledge came from being able to write things down so that others could learn from that information. Without paper available to them, they used deer skins or the back of tree bark to keep tax records, documentation of religious sacrifices, or even books of poetry.5.
Slavery was a major component of their cultureIt was not uncommon for the poor class to sell their children to the wealthy class because they had no money in Aztec society. Slavery wasn’t seen as a necessarily bad thing, however, because many Aztecs would actually sell themselves into slavery as well.
The idea was that the money could be used for business purposes so that enough profits could be generated that freedom could be purchased later on down the road. Human sacrifices might not have been religiously motivatedIn looking at the region where the Aztecs lived and what foods were available to them, some historians have come to the belief that their cultural practice of human sacrifice might have been due to protein deficiencies more than a religious need. The people who were sacrificed were often eaten and it is estimated that about 20,000 people were killed annually to meet this need. Disease Was The DemiseThe Aztec people where brilliant in war and military strategy however there biggest downfall was succumbing to disease.
Smallpox ravaged the population of the Aztecs when the Spaniards began to attack. Many claim that the Spaniards out witted the Aztecs when in reality their retreat was due to the harm that the European disease did to the Aztec people. Record Keeping Was A Strong PointThe Aztec people had an impressively advanced method of keeping records. Using their own language, N’ahuatl, they developed a picture alphabet that was used to document major events.
The records where made on bark and deer skin using charcoal. They then colored the documents with vegetables and herbs. The intensive records they kept included sacrifices, tax records, poetry, and historical records.The Aztec culture is one of the most comprehensive early cultures that North America saw. By learning these facts about this culture, we can come to a better understanding of who they were and what they hoped to accomplish.
A map showing the maximum extent of the Aztec Empire c.1521. Despite dominating the area of central Mexico, the Aztecs had migrated from the north.The Aztecs actually called themselves the ‘Mexica’ and spoke the Nahuatl language. Some three million people continue to speak the indigenous language in central Mexico today.
The Mexica originated from northern MexicoNahua speaking people began to migrate to the Basin of Mexico around 1250 AD. The Mexica were one of the last groups to arrive, and most of the fertile farming land had already been taken. They founded Tenochtitlan in 1325 ADThey moved to an island in Lake Texcoco, where an eagle nested upon a cactus eating a snake (the symbol in the middle of the modern Mexican flag).
They saw this as a prophesy and founded Tenochtitlan on this island on 13 March 1325. The Mexican flag features an emblem of an Eagle eating a snake on a cactus – the Aztec prophesy. They defeated the Tepanecs to become the most powerful state in MexicoFrom 1367, the Aztecs had been militarily supporting the nearby state of Tepanec and benefited from the expansion of that empire. In 1426, the Tepanec ruler died and his son Maxlatzin inherited the throne.
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He sought to reduce Aztec power, but was crushed by the former ally. The empire wasn’t strictly an empire as we might thinkThe Aztecs didn’t directly rule their subjects in the same way a European empire like the Romans did. Rather than direct control, the Aztecs subjugated nearby city states but left the local rulers in charge, then demanded regular tribute – leading to great wealth for Tenochtitlan. Their combat became focused on capture over killing on the battlefield. Folio from the Codex Mendoza showing a commoner advancing through the ranks by taking captives in war. Each attire can be achieved by taking a certain number of captives.While the Aztec did fight pitched battles, from the mid-1450s fighting became something rather more like a blood sport, with ornately dressed nobles attempting to make their enemies submit so they could be captured and then sacrificed.
The ‘flowery wars’ prioritised military training and religion over conquestThe ritualised ‘flowery war’ was practiced against enemies like Tlaxcala and Cholula – whereby the Aztecs could have conquered the cities, but decided not to as the constant war helped train Aztec soldiers and served as a source for gathering sacrifices. Their religion was based on existing Mesoamerican belief systemsThe polytheistic pantheon that the Aztec religion was based upon had existed for thousands of years prior to their own civilisation.
For instance, a feathered serpent – which the Aztecs called Quetzalcoatl – were present in Omec culture which dated to 1400 BC. The ruins of Teotihuacan north of Mexico City. This well preserved site was one of the world’s biggest cities in 500 AD, but fell into decline around 250 years later and was abandoned.
The Aztecs believed its giant structures to be the work of gods. In this photo, the huge Pyramid of the Sun is shown next to the 3km long Avenue of the Dead. Photo by the author.The pantheon of the Teotihuacan city state, which was one of the world’s largest cities between 200-600 AD, had many similarities with the Aztec pantheon. Indeed, the word ‘Teotihuacan’ is Nahuatl language for ‘birthplace of the gods’. There were over 200 deities within their PantheonAztec gods were divided into groups, such as for the weather, agriculture and warfare. The patron god was called Huitzilopochtli, who was associated with war and sacrifice. Tlaloc, the god of rain, and Quetzalcoatl, the god of knowledge and wisdom are other prominent gods common in art and stonework.
An Aztec pot paying homage to the rain god Tlaloc, housed in the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City. Tlaloc was a common feature of pots because they would be used to catch rain water. Photo by the author. Their religion practiced human sacrificeCaptives would be sacrificed to please the gods, which was common throughout Mesoamerican religion. While the Aztecs certainly increased the amount of sacrifice that occurred in the region, the true extent of how much it occurred is unclear. Spanish sources are almost certainly exaggerated.
Aztec human sacrifice Human sacrifice as shown in the Codex Magliabechiano. They lacked metallurgy for warfareIn terms of military technology, the peoples of the Mexico region were a long way from the Europeans at the time – they had not developed either bronze or iron for widespread battle use and most metalwork was for jewellery or small ornaments.Most Aztec weaponry was based on a volcanic glass called obsidian, which was sharp and strong enough to fashion primitive weapons. Militarily they were only as advanced as European peoples in the Neolithic (Stone Age) period.
And pack animals for buildingThere were no horses, cows or sheep native to the region. This meant armies could not be easily supported and all of the structures in the region were built purely by man power. Communications in central Mexico could only run as fast as a man.
An large Aztec stone sculpture in the Templo Mayor museum in Mexico City. The creation of large Aztec stone works is all the more remarkable due to the stone having to be shifted by manpower alone. Photo by the author. They were advanced in architecture, art and astronomyDespite primitive technologies and the lack of load bearing animals, the Aztecs constructed many great religious buildings – notably the large Templo de Mayor complex at the heart of Tenochtitlan. Aztec society placed great emphasis on skilled masonry, and intricate stonework is a regular feature on many of their buildings.
The remarkable 24 ton Aztec Sun Stone consists of detailed motifs and the heart of Aztec cosmogony. The colossal Aztec Sun Stone, housed in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Photo by the author. They were agricultural innovatorsFor centuries prior to the Aztec arrival the Valley of Mexico had complex irrigation systems called chinampas.
The Aztecs developed these for large scale cultivation. Soil from the bottom of the shallow Lake Texcoco was piled up to create ridges between ditches, and small rectangular fields were formed.The rich soil combined with a constant water supply and a favourable climate meant there were three harvests every year, leading to a very high population density. Maize was the principle Aztec crop. Maize (corn) was the staple of the Aztec diet – similar to rice in Asia or Wheat in Europe. This could be eaten on the cob, in corn tortillas or in a gruel. Maize was so important to the Aztecs that they had a god for it – Centeotl – which translates to “Maize cob Lord.” 16.
Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world by 1500The city’s population was over 200,000 by the early 16th century – only Paris and Constantinople were bigger cities at the time. Montezuma was emperor of the Aztecs when they met the Spanish conquistadors under Hernan CortesHe was the ninth rule of the Aztecs, reigning from 1502 until his death in 1520. Under his rule, the Aztec Empire reached its greatest size, but was also conquered. He first met the Spanish expedition led by Cortez in 1519. Montezuma was already facing internal problems when the Spanish arrivedMany subdued tribes under Aztec rule were very discontent. Having to pay regular tribute and provide sacrificial victims built up resentment.
Cortes was able to exploit the poor communications and turn city states against the Aztecs. The strange ruins of Zempoala, near Veracruz on east coast of Mexico. The city was the first major settlement Hernan Cortes encountered on his expedition to the Americas. Photo by the author.His first meeting with indigenous people, with the Totonacs at Cempoala near modern day Veracruz, quickly informed him of the resentment towards the Aztec overlords. The empire was crushed by the Spanish conquistadors and their allies in 1521Cortes was, but then took him hostage.
After an incident when Montezuma was killed, the Conquistadors were forced out of Tenochtitlan. They rallied with indigenous allies like Tlaxcala and Texcoco, to build a vast force which besieged and sacked Tenochtitlan in August 1521 – crushing the Aztec empire. The ruined Templo Mayor complex in the heart of Mexico City. After the Spanish sacked Tenochtitlan, they destroyed the central temple complex, built houses over it and later used it as a rubbish dump. Photo by the author.
Spanish brought smallpox that devastated the Aztec populationThe defense of Tenochtitlan was severely hindered by smallpox, a disease from which Europeans were immune. Very shortly after the Spanish arrival in 1519, between 5-8 million people in Mexico (about a quarter of the population) died from the disease.It subsequently ravaged the indigenous population of the Americas at a greater scale than even the Black Death in Europe during the late 14th century. There were no revolts in favour of the Aztec empire once it had fallenUnlike the Incas in Peru, people in the region did not rebel against the Spanish conquerors in favour of the Aztecs. This is possibly indicative of the empire’s fragile and fractured power base.
Spanish rule of Mexico ended exactly 300 years later – in August 1821.Main image: Mural by Diego Rivera in the Palacio Nacional showing life in Aztec times.
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