Aztec culture
The Aztecs They were a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mexican. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City, derive their names from the word «Mexica».
the capital of Aztec empire It was Tenochtitlán, built on an elevated island in Lake Texcoco. Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán.
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The Spanish colonization of the Americas reached the continent during the reign of Huey Tlatoani, Moctezuma II (Montezuma II).
In 1521 Hernán Cortés and an allied army of American Indians outnumbered the defending Aztecs.
According to their own story, when the Mexica arrived in the Anahuac Valley (Valley of Mexico) around Lake Texcoco, the groups that lived there considered them uncivilized.
The Mexica borrowed much of their culture from the ancient Toltecs, whom they appear to have at least partially confused with the older Teotihuacán civilization.
For the Mexicas, the Toltecs were the creators of all culture; «Toltecayotl» was synonymous with culture.
Mexica legends identify the Toltecs and the cult of Quetzalcóatl with the mythical city of Tollan, which they also identified with the most ancient Teotihuacans.
Mexico’s valley
The center of Aztec civilization was the Valley of Mexico, a huge oval basin some 7,500 feet above sea level.
The Aztec empire included many cities and towns, especially in the Valley of Mexico. The largest city in the empire was the capital, Tenochtitlán.
The early settlers built log rafts, then covered them in mud and planted seeds to create roots and develop more solid ground to build homes on this swampy land.
The Aztecs felt they were the «chosen people» of Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli, their god of war, was their protector.
As the Aztec empire expanded, specialized artisans and common laborers were brought to Tenochtitlán to expand the city.
When the Spanish saw the gold gifts that Moctezuma offered them as a gift, they wanted to conquer the city.
The Spanish defeated the Aztecs and the Catholics felt it their duty to destroy all traces of the Aztecs. The few remaining Aztecs have continued their culture today.
Aztecs
Often the term «Aztec» refers exclusively to the people of Tenochtitlán, located on an island in Lake Texcoco, who called themselves Mexica Tenochca or Colhua-Mexica.
Tenochtitlán was built according to a fixed plan and centered on the ritual precinct, where the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlán rose 50 m above the city.
The houses were made of wood and mud, the roofs of reeds, although the pyramids, temples and palaces were generally made of stone.
Based on current chinampa yields. It has been estimated that 1 hectare of chinampas would feed 20 individuals and 9,000 hectares of chinampas could feed 180,000 people.
Population
The Aztec civilization contained around 15 million people who lived in nearly 500 towns and cities.
About 300,000 people lived in Tenochtitlán. In this famous city, the government controlled and was responsible for dealing with taxes, punishments, famine, and market trade.
Criminals were enslaved under tedious working conditions for a specified time.
If the offense was minor, the offender was charged a series of fees or fines. This type of government system is just one of many things that affected aspects of daily life for the Aztecs.
sacrifices
People used prisoners of war for their sacrifices. The main place of sacrifice was the Great Pyramid. It had one hundred and fourteen steps, and added to the magnificent beauty of the city.
Tenochtitlán stretched over 26,400 feet and had more than 400,000 inhabitants. This is the highest population density ever recorded in the history of Mesoamerica.
All the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán were Aztecs, and they had the same culture and religion. They were all polytheists, they believed in many gods.
Huitzilopochtli
The most important to them was Huitzilopochtli, the sun god. The Aztecs worshiped him daily in the Main Temple.
Since the land was not a great place to farm, the Aztecs were forced to work around this fact, which they did very well.
Tenochtitlán was well protected by Lake Texcoco, but Cortés and his army were too strong.
The city fell in 1540 and Cortés destroyed it. He built on it what is now known as Mexico City.
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
The empire reached its height during the reign of Ahuitzotl in 1486-1502. His successor, Motehcuzoma Xocoyotzin (better known as Moctezuma II or Montezuma).
He had also been Hueyi Tlatoani for 17 years when the Spanish. Led by Hernán Cortés, they landed on the Gulf coast in the spring of 1519.
Despite some early battles between the two, Cortés sided with the longtime enemy of the Aztecs. The Confederation of Tlaxcala, and arrived at the gates of Tenochtitlán on November 8, 1519.
After Moctezuma II’s death, the empire fell into the hands of severely weakened emperors. Like Cuitlahuac, before being ruled by puppet rulers, like Andrés de Tapia Motelchiuh, installed by the Spanish.
Arts
Singing and poetry were highly valued; there were performances and poetry contests at most Aztec festivals.
There were also dramatic presentations that included musicians, musicians, and acrobats.
Poetry was the only occupation worthy of an Aztec warrior in times of peace. A remarkable amount of this poetry survives, having been collected during the time of the conquest.
In some cases poetry is attributed to individual authors. Like Nezahualcoyotl, tlatoani of Texcoco, and Cuacuauhtzin, Lord of Tepechpan, but whether these attributions reflect royal authorship is a matter of opinion.
Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire
class structure
In Aztec society, warriors, priests, and the nobility were considered among the most respected in the Aztec social hierarchy.
Due to the Aztec emphasis on warfare, the warrior class was highly valued, and warriors often volunteered for major Aztec sacrificial rituals.
Long-distance traders also enjoyed considerable privileges and often served the government as ambassadors and spies.
The foremost truly wise artisans, doctors, and teachers were also highly respected.
Aztec society was divided into three classes: slaves, commoners, and nobles.
The royalty
The highest class was the pipiltin or nobility. Originally this status was not hereditary, although the children of the pillis had access to better resources and education.
So it was easier for them to become pillis. Later, the class system assumed hereditary aspects.
The nobles were the people who were noble by birth, the priests, and those who earned their rank.
The highest social sphere was occupied by a minority of families known as the pipiltines.
These people were members of the hereditary nobility and held the highest positions in the government, military, and priesthood.
The nobles chose a supreme leader known as the tlatoani from their own group; In Nahuatl this name means the one who speaks. This leader was highly revered and ruled until his death.
Agriculture
The second class were the ‘macehualtin’, originally peasants. Eduardo Noguera estimates that in later stages only 20% of the population dedicated itself to agriculture and food production.
The other 80% of society were warriors, artisans, and merchants. Finally, most of the macehuallis dedicated themselves to crafts. His works were an important source of income for the city.
The largest social group was known as the macehualtin; These people were engaged in agriculture and common trades.
Slaves
The slaves or the tlacotina also constituted an important class. The Aztecs could become debt slaves.
As criminal punishment or as prisoners of war. A slave could own possessions and even own other slaves.
However, upon becoming a slave, all of the slave’s animals and excess money would go to his buyer.
Slaves could buy their freedom, and slaves could be freed if they had children or were married to their masters.
Typically, upon the master’s death, slaves who had rendered exceptional service were freed.
codices
Aztec codices are books written by Aztecs from the pre-Columbian and colonial era. These codices provide some of the best primary sources for Aztec culture.
Pre-Columbian codices differ from European codices in that they are largely pictorial. They are not intended to symbolize spoken or written narratives.
Colonial-era codices contain not only Aztec pictograms, but also Classical Nahuatl (in the Latin alphabet), Spanish, and occasionally Latin.
Although very few pre-conquest codices remain, the tradition of the tlacuilo (codex painter) endured the transition to colonial culture.
Scholars now have access to a body of around 500 codices from the colonial era.
The Aztecs have been credited with the discovery of chocolate. The Aztecs made chocolate from the fruit of the cacao tree and used it as a flavoring and as an ingredient in various beverages and types of confectionery.
He subsequently brought the beans back to Spain, where the chocolate drink was prepared and then heated with added sweeteners. His formula was kept secret to be enjoyed only by the nobility and the warrior class.
Economy
The Aztec economy can be divided into a political sector, under the control of nobles and kings, and a commercial sector that operated independently of the political sector.
The political sector of the economy focused on the control of land and labor by kings and nobles.
The nobles owned all the land. Commoners had access to farmland and other fields through a variety of arrangements. From renting to sharecropping, bonded labor and slavery.
In Aztec markets, a small rabbit cost 30 beans, a turkey egg cost 3 beans, and a tamale cost a single bean.
A small gold statue (about 0.62 kg / 1.37 lb) costs 250 beans. The money was used mainly in the numerous periodic markets that were held in each town.
Education
Boys and girls were carefully educated from birth. During the first years of life, fathers educated boys, while mothers took care of girls.
The Aztecs believed that education was extremely valuable and insisted that children and youth attend school.
There were two main types of schools, the so-called tepoccalli and the quiet-cac…