Mesoamerica was once a place filled with growing, ruthless empires and civilizations. Although not one was like the Aztecs and their empire. Although they started off with a humble beginning, they quickly grew into a great civilization that dominated present day Central Mexico. They conquered and expanded into an empire stronger than the other neighboring empires. And, the heart of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan was a grand capital filled with people and temples. The Aztecs were also ahead of its time with fully-functional irrigation systems and government. The Aztec civilization truly was one of Mesoamerica's most influential empires because of their history, unique culture, and beautiful architecture.
The Aztec history is the story of a
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The Aztec’s religion was a mix between mythology and polytheism, meaning that mythological beings were a part of their religion as well as many of their animal-like gods. The two main gods that were worshipped were Huitzilopochtli, the war and sun god, and Tlaloc, the rain god. The importance of worship was shown by the Aztec’s 260-day worship calendar, which was divided into twenty weeks with thirteen days. Human sacrifices also played a vital role in Aztec worship where the offerings could be any human, typically victims of wars but could even be their own people and children (Ancient 1). The clothing of the Aztecs was mostly made by women using fibers of a maguey cactus to weave a variety of fabrics (Morgan 10). In this way, the capes and loincloths were made for men, and dresses for women. Jewelry also played a part in Aztec life, by reflecting their wealth with the amount worn (Ancient 2). Chinampas were man-made islands created by cutting channels through marshy land and then using the mud to create islands with wooden posts to support them. They were used to grow their most important crop, corn, and other foods on fertile land. In order to farm the food, farmers used a “coa”, a broad wooden blade with a long handle, to dig and hoe the ground (Morgan 6,7). The native language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, was the dominant language of Central Mexico by 1350 because of the Aztecs dominance. Many …show more content…
They built various temples for many of their gods, but only the two most honored had a temple at the top of the Templo Mayor, meaning temple major, which was located at the center of Tenochtitlan. The astounding pyramid was built in 1325 to honor the sun god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc (Ancient 1). The Templo Mayor is believed to have been around 300 ft. high with two temples at it’s peak for their gods (McDowell 768). The Aztecs built many other pyramids with a temple at the top, but the factor that determined an important pyramid was if the pyramid had a roof made of wooden beams forming a point (Morgan 15). The average Aztec temple was approximately 200 ft. that “rose in terraces with a broad stairway leading to the top” (Morgan 15). Art for the Aztecs was a way to honor their gods, and for their own aesthetic pleasure. The artisans would organize themselves into guilds based on what they were skilled in. Through metalwork, the Aztecs would make metal objects by beating thin pieces of gold, silver, or copper, or they would make ornaments and jewelry by pouring molten gold into basic molds. Their lapidaries carved and polished bright-colored gems, such as jade, turquoise, and quartz, to create mosaics and jewelry, or to decorate objects such as clothing and weapons. The last form of art the Aztecs practiced was pottery, which was not made with a wheel but with simple tools. Women would use
The Aztecs were a remarkable civilization. Th is civilization were distrusted and disliked because they tended to push others out of their way. They ruled an empire in Tenochtitlan in the time of 1350 to 1519. They also were known for their agriculture and human sacrifices. Agriculture was a very important part of their h istory because without their farming method the Aztec couldn't have created such great civilization. According to Document A of the Aztec DBQ, states that the Aztec empire grew more than 200 miles west to east, and north to south. Th is means that with the growth of the empire the population also grew and more effective agriculture techniques were needed to feed the people. They created the method of ch inampas because they
The Aztec were a powerful group but did not have an imperialistic worldview like the Spanish. The Spanish expanded their empire and travelled across to the America’s. Here they explored and conquered many groups of people. As they fought the Spanish army grew with more slaves being taken in. This was very different from the Aztec people who fought only for control. They were not focused on expanding their religion and allowed conquered areas to keep their religion and way of life. They did not take slaves and used the captured men for human sacrifice. The Aztec thought that sacrifice would keep their gods happy and increased the amount of before they were conquered. Thus the Aztec worldview was based on religion and the gods. The Aztec and Spanish worldviews were different. The Aztec respected their gods and only conquered land to not be destroyed while the Spanish conquered land to expand their empire. These factors helped contribute to the fall of the powerful Aztec
The Aztecs were one of the last tribes to arrive in Mexico, in 1195 CE, when they arrived in the Valley of Mexico other tribes had taken the best land so the Aztecs were left with the swampy shores. They soon adapted and began to conquer their neighboring tribes. They continued to expand until they had their very own empire. The empire continued to thrive, until the Spanish arrived and had a fixed mind set on wanting the empires region of land.
The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. They were a civilization with a rich mythology and cultural heritage. Their capital was Tenochtitlan on the shore of Lake Texcoco. From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate religious.
The Aztecs were an American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico from the 1400's to the 1500's. The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas and built cities as large as any in Europe at that time. They also practiced a remarkable religion that affected every part of their lives and featured human sacrifice. The Aztecs built towering temples, created huge sculptures, and held impressive ceremonies all for the purpose of worshipping their gods. The Spaniards destroyed their magnificent empire in the year 1521, but the Aztecs left a lasting mark on Mexican life and culture .
The Aztec was a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mexica. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City wanted to be called “Mexica”. I chose this culture because The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to have ever existed on earth. Nearly every part of the
The Aztecs were a ancient civilization who ruled an empire in the region of mesoamerica between 1325 A.D and 1521 . From their capital city of tenochtitlan, presently the site of modern - day Mexico City, the Aztecs had many achievements. Two things they were most know for is Agriculture and Human sacrifice, which was very unique. However, historians should emphasize the role of Human Sacrifice in Aztec culture."
The Aztec of Central Mexico built a tributary empire covering most of central Mexico. Build huge monuments for their gods, showing their creativity and art influenced by their religion and gods.
The Aztecs were a civilization of brave and strong warriors. They ruled their empire in 1350 to 1519. Tenochtitlan was the capital of their empire. Two things the Aztecs were known for were human sacrifice and agriculture. However historians should emphazise agriculture.""I think historians should emphasize Aztec agriculture because of these three reasons. One reason is their farming method called chinampas. According to Document B it states that when the Aztecs used the method of chinampas they did not get cut short of food. Second reason historians should emphasize mor aztec agriculture is because they created many popular Mexican foods of today. According to Document C it states that they created tortillas and popcorn. Laslty Aztecs agriculture
Between 1350 BCE and 1519 BCE the Aztecs dominated the area around Mexico City. When the spaniards invaded Mexico and ended the era of the Aztecs they were surprised and impressed. The Aztecs migrated to the shores of Lake Texcoco in 1100 BCE. They were distrusted and disliked because of their domineering nature. Eventually they came to power and began demanding military support and labor by 1434 BCE.
Friar Diego Duran points out that an Aztec god ordered them to call the piece of land that they settled in, Tenochtitlan (Doc. 2). There are religious reasons that justify the Aztec reign and control over central Mexico; one of these reasons if their gods telling them what to do. There is a polytheistic reign in the Aztec empire, which makes them feel like they have to build towers to impress their gods and make their lives better. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Student Edition describes “the central plaza of an Aztec castle included a pyramid temple to the war god, left, temples to other gods and palaces” (Doc. 4) The Aztecs relied on their gods to help them make choices in life. The Aztecs did fierce human sacrifice to turn the sacrifice into a god. Most of the Aztecs fierce fighting game from human sacrifice to their
Tenochtitlan was built on a lake island called Aztlan and over the lake, the Aztecs built fertile, floating farms called “Chinampas”.The people who inhabited the Aztlan Island were originally called the Mexica people. The name Aztec is derived from the name of the Island. However primitive this empire may seem, the Emperors were quite affluent. They had lavish possessions
First, the Aztecs built their empire on a lake, which proves that they were skilled architecors, engineers, and designers. They built magnificent temples and totems dedicated to their gods. The Aztecs would build their temples similar to mountains, to help stop the rainfall from coming into their homes. An example of their biggest temple, Templo Mayor, was 100-80 meters in size. They constructed a wash basin at the top and on the sides they had a platform of stairs.It is also said, that they would compete with neighboring tribes to see who had the most creative, graceful, and complex temple in the city. The Aztecs were also good farmers, despite Mexico City being a dry country. They built corn, beans and flower gardens on top
The first being political political: the subjugation of enemy city states in order expand the empire and demonstrate power and superiority. The second objective was religious and socioeconomic: the taking of captives to be sacrificed in religious ceremonies. According to Friar Diego Durán’s accounts of the Aztec civilization, Tlacaelel - a king of the Aztec Empire - arranged with leaders of other Pre-Columbian city states to engage in ritual battles that would provide all parties with enough sacrificial victims to appease the gods. Tlacaelel reigned over a period of great famine in the empire in year 1450. The Aztec Religion believed that Gods required sacrifices to keep all running smoothly. There were several gods that the Aztecs worshiped to for agricultural purposes, for example: Tláloc, who sends rain and nourishes maize7, Centeotl, the god of maize in general, Teteoinnan, the god of agriculture as well as sexual fertility, and Xipe Totec, god of rituals and sacrifice8. The Aztecs believed that through worshipping certain gods, and generously providing them with a steady supply of sacrifices and blood, the gods would in return keep things balanced. When there was not enough victims, Tlacaelel resorted to these battles to collect more humans to be sacrificed. War was a dominant aspect of the Aztec civilization, and they aspired to exponentially expand their empire through military conquest, while also collecting tribute from the
The religion of the Aztecs was made up of mainly three gods: Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. Below these three main gods were four creating gods. Below these four gods were many other gods, however the most important were Tlaloc, the rain god, Chalchihuitlicue, the god of growth and Xipe, the god of spring. The main thing that captures the attention of Aztec religion is their human sacrifice made to the different gods. Although human sacrifice was practiced around Mesoamerica, the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice in a large scale never seen before to date. The idea of human sacrifice was that Gods gave things to humans like food, rain, wealth, and other goods only if they were given human beings in return. The Aztecs believed that the goods liked best the living hearths of sacrificed captives. If the captive was a well skilled soldier and very brave then the Gods would return better goods to his people. This idea lead to wars were the Aztecs fought with other indians and capture their bravest men for sacrifice. As we can imagine,