Aztec Mini Report
Geography
The Aztec Empire was at its height in 1519 the very year in which the Europeans arrived. The four current countries that shaped the vast majority of the empire were Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Social Organization
The Aztecs population had two main social classes. The first was nobility (pilli), and the second were the common people (macehualli). There was another social class, which were the slaves. Slavery was not genetic and slaves could purchase freedom.
Even though the Aztec culture was very wealthy, the general population was poor. People lived in houses made of mud bricks. They had different buildings, one for sleeping, cooking, eating and worshipping. The other contained a steam bath. They had the same things as we have now, relationships, shopping, music etc. When people died, they would
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Those three units were Tlatcani or Huey Tlatcani, (Executive) City Council and Calpulli.
The Tlatcani, or Great Speaker, was the emperor who was worshipped as a god. Any rule he made was supported by the priests, judges, governors, not only the people of the city. He had absolute power.
The (Executive) City Councils held a lot of power in the ancient Aztec Government. Within each council, there were four members who were the “executive council’. One of these four members would lead not only the city but the surrounding area as well.
The Calpulli was the basic unit of Aztec Government. Families did not own their land, it was owned by a group of families, the Calpulli. The leader in the Calpulli would be in charge of basic needs as well as being responsible of taxes, making sure they were collected.
Art
The Aztecs didn’t have an exact word for ‘art’, but they called special things like it ‘toltecat’. The main themes in Ancient Aztec art were insects, birds, fish and animals such as jaguars, ducks, monkeys, snakes, deer, dogs.
The Aztecs were a large group of Indian tribes.They were originally migratory and as they migrated they assimilatated other tribes. Through this process they joined together and became rich in civilization. The tribes the comprised the Aztecs were the Toltect whom the Chichimec [Aztecs] conquered in the early 1300's A.D. The Toltect embarked on conquests, which resulted in the Aztecs becoming a dominate civilization of their time.(1) Their migratory pattern stopped on the southwestern border of Lake Texcoco as they discovered an eagle sitting on the stem of a cactus, holding a serpent in his talons with his wings open to the sun. This as an omen from the gods.(4) The Aztecs finally settled in central Mexico, where Mexico City is now located, and began building Tenochtitlan in 1325. Over time the civilization's control spanned from Tenochtitlan east to the Gulf of Mexico and south to Guatemala.(1)
Spain, as one of the most powerful nations in the old world, had a great influence on many events in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Spanish also had an influence on many other empires/nations' fate. One of the empires that suffered a grave fate at the hands of the Spanish was the Aztec empire. The Aztec empire was not the oldest Mesoamerican empire and it was formed from an agreement between three city-states. The Aztec's class system had the emperor on top, then the priests, and everyone else below them. The priests were responsible for keeping the gods happy. The sacrifice of goods and people was a commonplace in the Aztec culture, and it was often the goods/people of other nations that were taken for sacrifices. As one can imagine,
This idea can be seen in document A. In document A Peter N. Steams says that the Aztec’s obtained much of their land by force. The Aztec’s can then use all of this land for farming. It’s easy to see how the Aztecs were able to stay in power for such a long time because of their method of gaining land. The idea of obtaining land and the vast size of their land is then revisited in document B. Document B shows the complexity of the Aztec’s farming system. It involves the method of chinampas. Diego Duran informs the readers that chinampas use rectangular areas of land used to grow crops. This shows how the Aztec’s were able to stay in power because this complex system is able to create up to six crops a year. Using this information people can see that the Aztec’s farming system was one of the main reasons that they were in power for so long. They stayed in power because they were able to sustain enough food to feed everyone. No other person or group of people that could come into power would be able to create a system that could help almost everybody in the land fed. The Aztec’s were agricultural
It is the 1450s. Foreigners have invaded your land, and they’re capturing the citizens living there for their lethal rituals. (Doc. A) You are unlucky enough to find yourself kidnapped, along with your family. Your mother is taken away quickly, but your father is forced to become a human sacrifice for the Aztec gods. What does this mean, exactly? According to The History of the Indies of New Spain by Friar Diego Duran, your father’s chest is severed, and his heart is taken out of his body. This is all while he is still awake, and before the time of pain medication. He slowly bleeds to death on the temple stairways - and you’re watching it all. This sounds terrible, does it not?
Back in the time of the Aztec their culture was very different but also similar from our now. For instence they belived in human sacrifice and also there was only a few different jobs that you could make a living through. . There are four major jobs in their society,which are being a priest,tradesmen,warrior or in your a women you would more often then not work hard in the houses learning how to weave and make clothes.
In Northern Mexico, a group of people known as the Aztecs arrived and became the dominant
The Aztec Empire was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time. They dominated the valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Aztecs were an advanced and successful civilization that built beautiful, sophisticated cities, temples, and pyramids. They also created a culture full of creativity with mythological and religious traditions. Aztecs lead a structured and evocative life that let their society to become a very superior civilization. The Aztec’s communication skills were very well developed for their time; through religious beliefs, government involvement, and family life they lived a full and productive life. Until in 1519 when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, and defeated the Aztecs.
The Inca Empire Janos Gyarmati’s Paria la Viexa and an expanding empire: Provincial centers in the political economy of the Inca Empire proved that the Inca’s built an empire unlike any other. From 1440 to 1532 A.D., the Inca Empire dominated the Americas. Known as “the fastest growing and largest territorial empire”(Gyarmati 37) of its time, the Inca Empire left a mark with their complex, perpetual and innovative economic, road, and settlement system. The Inca’s were advanced for their time, however, they lacked a system that would guarantee the survival of their kin. In order to strive, for the long-term, the Inca’s created provincial centers that would ensure their growth and economy for the generations to come.
The Aztec Empire was one of the strongest if not the strongest civilizations in the Americas. It is a testament of how a strong foundation from the ground up can result in a grand thing.
The Aztec empire fall was dependent on many factors and those factors would be dependent on who you ask. Different people have different point of views on why the Aztec empire fell when it did and this is solely dependent of the background of that particular person. With this being the case, Aztecs, Conquistadors and regular Indians viewed the same event in different ways based off of their beliefs, thoughts and interactions with each other.
The Aztecs were from Aztlan, located in both north and northwest Mexico. These civilizations were possible because the people in the areas became sedentary and agricultural. They were able to do this because of the vast natural resources and climates of where they lived. Their cultures were for the most part male dominated, possessions usually past through the male line from one male member to another male. Women would normally move to the male’s village when they got married.
There are several different levels of Aztec religion. Two major priests and then there followers and then his followers and so on and so forth. Also there were two priestesses who were the head of the Aztec cults. In the era of the Aztec civilization 5,000 priests had come and gone.
The Rise and fall of the Aztec Empire is possibly the most important area of study in the modern world. Of all of the nomadic tribes who migrated into Mexico, the Aztecs were one of the last. At first driven away by established tribes, the Aztecs slowly began to develop an empire of immense wealth and power by the late fifteenth century. Due in large part to the accomplishments of their ruler Itzcoatl, the empire expanded to include millions of people from a number of different tribes, including the Cempoala, who would later aid the Spanish in defeating the Aztecs. Because of the "melting pot" within the empire, the Aztecs had a very diverse culture. However, this immense Aztec Empire would soon be brought to its knees by the doings of one man and his army.
The Aztecs came from Azatlan which is the mythical place of origin(Aztecs of Lost Civilization). Huizilopochtli, the god of war, told the Aztecs to leave Azatlan and wander until they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a rock and eating a snake(Los Aztecas). The Aztecs traveled many years to find the legend and finally found it while at Lake Texcoco. Lake Texcoco was ruled by the Toltecs between the 10th and 11th centuries(Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia). Since many other tribes also migrated to Lake Texcoco at the same time, the Aztecs were pushed out to the westside of the lake to a swampy area. The only piece of dry land they had was a little island surrounded by marshes. Over a long period of time they built their empire with chinapas. Chinapas were formed by piling up mud from the lake bottom to make little islands(Aztec Empire History). Tenochtitlan (currently Mexico City), which means "Place of the Cactus", became the capital in 1325 and soon there came many islands in which bridges were built to connect the mainland (Los Aztecas). They also dug canals and constructed aqueducts. There were many religious structures, and they built temples and pyramids. By 1502 the Aztec Empire expanded from Guatemala to San Luis Potosi which is in Central and Southern Mexico and extended 800 miles along a northwest-southeast axis. The Aztecs conquered many cities and all became part of the empire which was wedged between high mountains and surrounded by lakes(Aztecs of Lost Civilization/ Azetc Empire History).
Who were the Aztecs? Why were they considered to be an empire even greater than the Romans? And how was Hernan Cortes able to defeat them? These are some of the questions that people ask about these indigenous people. These people are known as the Aztecs but originally called themselves Mexica. They came to Mexico in the early thirteenth century and from there they started to develop a social structure and government consisting of priests, kings, peasants, and soldiers. Besides having a very organized society the Aztecs had a very large and intimidating army consisting of full time soldiers and peasants. By 1427 A.D. the Aztec empire became the dominant group and controlled most of central Mexico. Considering how advanced and large the Aztec culture and society were makes me believe that they were aware of other people outside of their civilization. A clear example would be that they knew of neighboring tribes other than their own that they went to war with and conquered. Although I do believe that the Aztecs were caught off guard and even amazed when they saw the light skinned Spaniards. I also believe that Cortes wasn’t the first outsider to make contact with the Aztecs but I do believe he was the first light skinned person to make contact with them because of Moctezumas reaction to Cortes description. Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs with less than 1000 soldiers and a handful of horses. Some reasons that have to do with the Aztecs fall from power are the Prophecy of Quetzalcoatle, their Emperor Moctezuma, enemy tribes, disadvantages in technology, their omens, disease, and lastly their warfare rituals.