The Aztec Empire was perhaps one of the greatest empires in history. They had the most powerful empire out of all the tribes that existed between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, and their legacy lives on in their descendants of today. From the legends of fierce warriors to their controversial religious beliefs, they left an amazing legacy to be explored.
History
The Aztec Indians originated in the Valley of Mexico, moving southward and settling at Lake Texoco. This move was a result of the Sun God, Huitzilopochti, telling the Aztec chief to relocate his tribe. They built their capital on what is now Mexico City, and called it Tenochtitlan. It was here in their capital that they began to build great flat-top pyramids with temples on them. These temples were used for their rituals in which a human sacrifice would take place. The sacrifices were in honor of the , believing that an offering of human blood would provide them with protection from evil.
Significance
The Aztecs are known to be the last and greatest Indian Empire to have existed in Mexico. While the power of their warriors invoked fear among surrounding tribes, it was this power that enabled their empire to become virtually indestructible. Even after their demise in 1521, their civilization lives on today in Mexico. It has been approximated that there are over one million Aztec descendants still in existence. The impact the Aztecs had on architecture, art and tradition lives on in the heart of those who came from them.
Function
When the Aztecs moved their people south to Lake Texoco, they found that they were unable to be productive with agriculture because their empire was built on an island. This was the turning point for the Aztecs and the moment their empire flourished. They began to conquer the tribes of the surrounding areas, taking control of their land and making them pay treasures (taxes) to the Aztecs. The land they conquered also gave them access to food and livestock. This is how the Aztecs grew to be wealthy. They also began building bridges, canals and causeways as a means of efficiency and a way to decrease their travel time when promoting their trade and economy.
Features
The one thing that truly separated the Aztecs from other tribes was their polytheistic religion. They believed in more than one God and felt that human sacrifice was the greatest way to honor them. During their sacrifices, they would lay the man, woman or child to be sacrificed on a flat stone called a convex while they were still alive and stab them, cutting out their hearts and offering the blood to the God being worshiped. When this was complete, the body would then be thrown down the stairs of the temple to other members of the tribe. It was then that the sacrificed person's legs and arms would be cut off, cooked and eaten in honor of the person sacrificed and in honor of the God. During major rituals, one of their warriors would be sacrificed and during a minor ritual, they would sacrifice a prisoner they had captured from the surrounding tribes.
Types
There were two major Indian civilizations during the time the Aztecs held their empire; the Mayas and the Aztecs. While the Aztecs were violent by nature, the Mayas were a more civilized and social civilization. They spoke different languages and lived in different areas. While the Aztecs ruled in the desert valley of south Mexico, the Mayas lived in the jungles of Southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. The local tribes feared the Aztecs, while the Mayas were more advanced socially and were not eager to fight.
Time Frame
The Aztec Empire reigned for two centuries. When Cortes and his band of conquistadors came to Mexico in search of gold and slaves in 1591, they discovered a large civilization of Indians rather than the small tribe they had expected. Initially, the Aztecs saw him as a representative of the great white God and treated him with respect. This all changed when Cortes began melting the gold statues the Aztecs had built in honor of the Gods they worshiped, sending the gold back to Spain. They quickly fought to defend what was theirs and won, sending Cortes and his army of men back to where they came from. However, in 1521, the Aztec Empire met its demise when smallpox spread throughout their land, making it easy for the conquistadors to return and win the second battle, ending one of the greatest civilizations in history.
Effects
The Aztec traditions live on today, through the people of Mexico. Their language, Nahuate, is still spoken by more than 1.5 million Mexicans. Mexico City was built over the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, making it the one of the oldest cities to exist. Mexican cuisine has been flavored by the agricultural contributions the Aztecs have made. Lastly, the Mexican flag bears the emblem of the Aztec legend.
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