The Aztec Empire: The Valley Of Mexico

Religion played a huge role in the Aztec society. Religion was the most important thing to the Aztec people . The Aztecs used omens and stars to tell the future. The Aztecs had believed that a god named Quetzalcoatl would and destroy the entire Aztec civilization and he would return in the year of the seed. In 1519 a Explorer named Hernan Cortes discovered Mexico in 1519. 1519 was the seed year according to the Aztec calendar. The Aztecs Believed that Hernán Cortés was Quetzalcoatl.So they treated him great respect. Hernan Cortes had lunch with the Aztecs and after lunch he killed all the Aztec people. The aztecs could not attack him first because they believed that he was a god and they had to treat him with great respect.Hernan Cortes killed 5% of the aztec empire. The 90% died from smallpox and the 4% died in the attack. The spanish brought the other 5% with them to Spain as slaves. On August/13/1521 most of the Aztecs race died and Hernan Cortes was declared

civilization raised or how the people lived? How they regulated their lands? Or what they used to eat? Etc. One of the aspects that many people are curious about is the old-world medicine, how ancient people dealt with illnesses and how they treated their patients? As for the American civilization, the most recorded advanced medicine was in the Aztec’s empire. The Aztec’s Empire was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of old ages. In fact, their culture was full of creativity with a combination of methodology and religious tradition. They arrived in the Valley of Mexico in 1325C.E, and their name means Aztlan people, where they were originally from. In fact,

Aztecs’ language changed due to a new writing style and language forced into their lives by the Spanish. After this, religion, human sacrifices, and the worshiping of Gods all were demolished and crushed as the conquistadors enforced the new religion, Catholicism. Finally, the social hierarchy was left in ruins as power shifted from that of the great Aztec Empire, over to the Spanish Crown. Coming with the Spanish Rule, all Aztecs’ lives were affected and changed. With this, we now know why the Aztecs’ lives were impacted and altered by Cortes, as well as other Spanish

The Aztecs believed that the Huey Tlatoani was appointed by the gods and had the celestial right to rule, therefore he was the ultimate power in the land

The fall of the Aztec Empire was due to the determination of the Spaniards. The Spaniards were destructive. They did not respect the Natives’ religions at all. They almost destroyed all of the Natives’ culture, and now we know very little about Natives. The Spaniards’ greed and obsession with power, this was their main motivation to conquer the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs’ religion is what got them into the most trouble. They sacrificed humans for their Gods, which was wrong in the Spaniards’ eyes (and mine too). They also were very superstitious .The Aztecs may have won the battle against the Spaniards if they too had advanced weaponry and battle tactics. The Aztecs and the Spaniards were vastly different people, however they had similarities. They both killed in the name of religion, and both growing empires willing to do anything to gain more power.

The Aztec Empire was a society that existed between the fourteenth and the sixteenth century A.D. the Aztec civilisation was highly advanced for their time, There are many ways in which the Aztecs proved their advancement in their society; this included excelling in a number of fields such as their architecture, health and sanitation, engineering and agriculture. In 1325 the Aztecs began to construct the basic foundations of their city, which was located in the centre of lake Texcoco, the Aztecs named it Tenochtitlan.

The Aztec civilization is one of the most spectacular examples of culture and art found in world history. The Aztecs were a group of American Indians speaking Nahuatl who arrived on the North American continent from the arid cactus lands of Northwest. They settled in Mexico for centuries where they were initially enslaved by the other Nahua tribes before emerging as a powerful tribe. The history of the Central Valley of Mexico after tenth century A.D. is dominated by a long tradition of tribal conflicts that led to the fall of several civilizations, replaced by subsequent Nahua tribes. The Aztecs called themselves Mexica, which was the name of priest-chief from ancient, legendary times of Mexi. There is a legendary story which tells that Mexica hailed from Chicomoztoc, the Seven Caves, from the northern lands called Aztlan i.e. the Place of Whiteness. The word Aztec is derived from this same place known as Aztlan. The shifting of Aztecs from the north to central part of Mexico marked the beginning of a tribal story; the tale about the quest and discovery of the omen and the

1.0: the Aztecs believed that humans needed gods to survive. The gods could reward them, by bringing good crops for harvest, or punish them by sending earthquakes and floods. For these reasons, pleasing and honoring the gods was crucial in Aztec religion.

Compare and contrast the conquests of Mexico (Aztecs) with that of the Inca. What led up to the conquest? The goals of the Conquistadores. The results.

Their downfall began with the Spanish conquest. “When the Spaniards arrived in Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the great Aztec Empire, they were deeply impressed by the beauty, cleanliness and order of the city… it is said to have been one of the largest metropolises in the world.” (Tenochtitlan) The leader of this conquest was Hernán Cortés, and their goal was to take down the great Aztec empire. Cortés allied with the Aztec’s enemies and eventually turned on them as well. Cortés sent a letter explaining the Aztecs civilization, their merchants, way of life, and gave King Charles V updates on their attack. “In regard to the domestic appointments of Moctezuma, and the wonderful grandeur and state that he maintains, there is so much to be told, that I assure your Highness I know not where to begin my relation.” (Cortes Letter) Upon their arrival Montezuma (The Aztec leader) greeted them with gifts and gold, but unfortunately Cortés took this as a strategy to weaken the empire and took him hostage. The Spanish were outnumbered but did receive reinforcements over time. The Spanish had to retreat but one of the most lethal weapons was disease that had already been passed on to the Aztecs. Smallpox with no treatment or prevention swept through the Aztec population. This killed their army leaders and left them weak to attack. Cortés took this as an advantage and in his final attack along with Aztec enemies he

The Aztecs were an ancient civilization found in Mesoamerica. Two aspects that they are known for are building temples and pyramids and also known for developing a form of writing called hieroglyphics. However, historians should emphasize on agriculture. We should emphasize on agriculture for three reasons.

The Aztecs were a great Empire that lasted approximately 200 years. They entered the Valley of Mexico from North and founded their capital in the center of a lake. Their capital was called Tenochtitlan, and it was founded in 1325. In 1428 a Triple Alliance was formed with other two cities, Texcoco and Tlacopan, consolidating what we now call, the Great Aztec Empire. The primary source, The Broken Spears, not only tells us about the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spaniards, but it reveals us some of their social, cultural and political aspects.

The Aztecs, like most ancient civilizations, were practicing a polytheistic religion. The most well-known of those civilizations possibly being Ancient Greece. The similarities don’t end there; when most people think of the Aztecs and their religion, they think of their inimical ritual of sacrifice. Thousands of years before, in North Africa, the Carthaginians were sacrificing many of their people, even infants. Most researchers believe it was to appease their gods and even to control the population, which are also reasons Aztec experts believe to be true for the Mesoamerican civilization. (Doc. 7, Doc. 6) Not too far away from the Aztecs in time nor location were the Incas.

The Aztecs engaged in various items that were very unique and different from the rest of society. The Aztecs had an incredibly complex social structure system. They also believed strongly in education, family and the arts.

“Aztlan, Cibola and Frontier New Spain” is a chapter in Between the Conquests written by John R. Chavez. In this chapter Chavez states how Chicano and other indigenous American ancestors had migrated and how the migration help form an important part of the Chicanos image of themselves as a natives of the south.