During the Postclassic period of Mexican history, the Aztec Empire flourished in central Mexico. It is considered to be one of the great civilizations of the Americas, with amazing feats of urban planning, engineering, military conquest and unique artistic innovations.
The Mexica was ruled by a combination of fear, skillful political manipulation, alliances and military force. The Aztecs were renowned for their artisans, engineers, traders, and agriculturalists. They created colorful and intricate art, vast cities with towering pyramids and great aqueducts, a highly productive agricultural system, and a writing system that made use of logos and signs.
The influence of the Aztecs on modern Mexican society and culture can be seen in a wide range of things.
The Aztecs are said to have migrated from Aztln to the Valley of Mexico. According to the Nahuatl language, the word "aztln" means "white land" or "land of white herons" The migrants were skilled hunters and warriors who were hostile to the settled inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico.
RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU...
According to the New World Encyclopedia, the Aztecs were led to the Valley of Mexico by the Indigenous manuscripts written on bark paper and folded like accordions. The Aztecs settled on an island at the western end of Lake Texcoco because most of the valley was already occupied. They built their capital city, Tenochtitln, on the spot where they saw an eagle perched atop a cactus and holding a snake in its talons.
Modern archaeology shows a different picture of the Aztecs. One of the groups that occupied the Valley of Mexico was the Aztecs. In the 12th century A.D., many people started to form their own communities. The basic political form of these groups was the city-state, according to Michael Smith, a professor of archaeology at Arizona State University.
The city-states of ancient Greece and the Valley of Mexico were independent political entities with their own standing armies and political and religious structures. The Aztec city-state of Tenochtitln grew from obscurity to military and political prominence through a gradual program of alliances and military dominance.
As legend has it, the Aztecs started out with a precarious existence on their island, practicing agriculture and establishing a small settlement. They fought with the other people of the region. They used to hire themselves out as mercenaries in the wars in the valley. The Aztecs came to dominate the surrounding tribes and city-states with either force of arms, alliance or skillful politicking.
The conflict between the Aztecs and the Tepanecs of the city of Azcapotzalco began in 1427. After the death of the Tepanec king, Tezozomoc, a civil war broke out between two rulers who were vying for power. Tezozomoc's son, Maxtla, was opposed by one of the people who claimed to be the rightful heir. The ruler of the Aztecs was killed in the war. The war took a dramatic turn when the Aztec ruler, Itzcatl, ascended to the throne. Itzcatl overthrew Maxtla and took the city.
In 1428, Itzcatl formed an alliance with the neighboring states of Texcoco and Tlacopan. The Triple Alliance is seen by some scholars as the beginning of the Aztec Empire and others as the beginning of Tenochtitln. The three cities ruled the valley in different ways. The Aztecs gained control of the region.
"The Aztecs ruled by a policy known as 'indirect control,' which is a form of political control, as opposed to direct control, that does not intervene directly in the political, cultural or religious institutions of the conquered group," said Smith. The Aztecs left the local leaders alone if the province or territory paid its taxes on time.
The borders of the Aztecs were extended eastward to the Gulf of Mexico and southward to the Valley of Oaxaca. The war took place with the people of southern Mexico. Trade goods, tribute and taxes started to flow into the city of Tenochtitln with the addition of the new regions. Precious stones and metals, such as gold and silver, from all over the empire were included in these goods.
Laura Filloy Nadal is an associate curator for the arts of the ancient Americas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The goal of the conquest was to gain access to materials and goods from other parts of the world.
Ahuitzotl was the grandson of a successful military leader. He launched the most ambitious military campaigns of his predecessors, adding large swathes of land to the empire, including the southern border of Mexico and Guatemala. He carried out military campaigns against several people in the Americas. He built a network of roads that connected the empire from coast to coast and from north to south.
The Aztec practice of ritual sacrifice is a well-known one. Human sacrifice was an important part of Aztec culture for a long time, but it was raised to a new level by Ahuitzotl. The dedication of a new temple in Tenochtitln resulted in the sacrifice of 20,000 captives.
An extensive system of taxation was used by the Aztecs. Smith said that this was more than just a tribute. He said that the Aztecs had a system of taxation that was similar to what the Romans and Greeks were doing. The primary forms of taxes that people paid to their Aztec overlords were cocoa beans and cotton textiles. Cotton textiles were used for larger transactions, while cocoa beans were used for smaller transactions.
The Aztecs were able to maintain their empire through a well- trained military. According to the World History Encyclopedia, all Aztec boys were trained to fight in special military compounds. When they joined the military, they helped the other warriors by carrying weapons and supplies and acting as skirmish troops. Young warriors were allowed to fight in hand-to-hand combat. One of the main goals of Aztec warfare was the capture of sacrificial victims; in fact, an Aztec fighter was considered successful and acquired status by the number of warriors he could capture in battle, and whole wars were fought with neighboring groups for the sole purpose of capturing. The warrior who captured 20 captives was allowed to join the elite units of the Aztec army.
The Aztec Empire was at its most powerful by the early 16th century. The Aztec state had a complex bureaucratic system with governors, soldiers, law courts, tax collectors, and civil and religious officials. The monarch was at the top of the pyramid. The monarch ruled over 5 million to 6 million people over 80,000 square miles. The area was about 400 to 500 city-states.
The grave of Tenochtitln is located under Mexico City. The Aztec capital was large enough to make it larger than most major European cities of the same time period. The city of Tenochtitln was laid out with razor- straight avenues and causeways that connected it to the lake. It was possible to get water from the Sierra Madre mountains to the city. The Aztecs fed the inhabitants of the city through a sophisticated agricultural system made up of "chinampas," or "floating gardens," which were artificial islands made by adding successive layers of mud, sticks and vegetation. The 2020 research found that these chinampas were productive and sustainable.
The Sacred Precinct was located in the center of the city and contained the gods' temples. Templo Mayor was the most prominent temple in the Sacred precinct. The city's tallest structure was crowned by two temples, one dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc and the other to the Hindu god Huitzilpochtli. There are two parallel staircases leading up the pyramid from the ground level.
In terms of feet, Templo Mayor was measured from north to south and from east to west. The Pyramid of the Moon is the second largest pyramid in Mexico and is located in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan. The construction of Templo Mayor used a wide range of materials.
Although Templo Mayor was discovered in 1914, it wasn't extensively excavated until 1978. The temple was renovated at least six times over the centuries, reaching its final form just before the arrival of the Spanish conquistador.
The Aztecs were polytheists and had a panoply of gods. According to Thought Co, there were no less than 200 gods in the Aztec pantheon. There were a lot of gods. One of the gods of the Aztec pantheon is called "hummingbird of the south" or " left-handed hummingbird" according to Britannica. He is associated with the sun and fire and is depicted as a warrior with a shield in one hand and a snake in the other. The lower part of his face is usually blue.
The Aztec deity was called "quetzalcoatl", which means "feathered serpent". He was the god of light, wisdom and the arts and was associated with the wind. He gave several gifts to humankind, including books, the calendar and maize, and was against the practice of human sacrifice. The art of the city is influenced by the feathered serpent motifs found in the pre-Hispanic site of Teotihuacan. The Maya of the Yucatn worshiped him as Kukulkan.
The Aztec god of judgement, the Earth, and the night is called Tezcatlipoca. He is often depicted in Aztec art with black and yellow stripes painted on his face, heron feathers on his head, and a colorful shield. He carries a mirror that he uses to see into people's minds. He was worshiped by many societies in the Americas.
Tlaloc is a rain god and the Aztecs worshiped him. He is depicted in art wearing a mask with fangs like a jaguar. Tlaloc is associated with storms. The Olmec culture of Mexico flourished from 1200 B.C. to 400 B.C., and depictions of Tlaloc appeared as early as that time.
The Aztec Empire was at its largest extent in the early 16th century. Most of the central part of Mexico was split into 61 provinces by the Empire. The Aztec Empire was invaded in 1519. He landed in Veracruz with 500 Spanish soldiers and proceeded to march inland with several Indigenous groups that were at odds with Aztec rule.
When he got to Tenochtitln, he was in charge of thousands of warriors who wanted to topple the Aztec Empire. Cuauhtémoc's Aztecs put up a stiff resistance at first. The Aztecs were defeated by the superior iron weapons, arquebuses, cannons, and cavalry of the Spanish. The city was captured in 1521 by a group of people.
There were other factors that led to the Aztecs' demise.
Smith said that European diseases played a big part in the victory. The disease ravaged the region and killed thousands of Indigenous people.
According to Suzanne Alchon, a historian and author of the book " A Pest in the Land: New World Epidemics in a Global Perspective", between 25% and 50% of the population of the Valley.
The Aztecs are known in the popular imagination as fierce warriors who sacrifice their own lives. Smith said that they created perhaps the most sophisticated civilization in Mesoamerica and engaged in massive engineering and building projects that rivaled and surpassed those in Europe at the same time. Some of the most distinctive artwork in the Americas can be found in museums around the world.
It was originally published on Live Science
All Rights Reserved © 2024
