#206

Mesoamerican Civilizations: The Aztecs

We have been learning about what was going on in the Americas while Europe was in the Middle Ages. We have been looking specifically at MesoAmerica (a region that refers to Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America). We have already learned about the Olmecs and the Mayas. What do you remember about the Olmecs and Mayas? Turn and talk to your neighbor to help your remember.

Olmecs(1400 B.C.E to 500 B.C.E):

Mayas(about A.D. 300 to 900):

Today, we will learn about another MesoAmerican civilization called the Aztecs. In the late 1200s, a nomadic (traveling) group migrated from the north into the Valley of Mexico. They settled in the area and founded a city in central Mexico named Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was located where Mexico City is today. This group of nomadic hunters and gathers became the Aztecs. The Aztecs were fierce warriors. In the late 1400s, the Aztecs conquered huge amounts of land and built an empire. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, grew to become a magnificent city with temples, palaces, gardens and zoos.

The Aztecs

The ancient Aztecs believed in many gods and goddesses (what is it called when you believe in many gods?) Each god had a job to do. The sun god, for example, brought the sun up every day. The Aztecs believed it was important to keep the sun god happy. They truly believed if the sun god was not happy, he would refuse to bring up the sun, and the world would end.

Since the Aztecs believed in a great many gods and goddesses and each had an important job to do, the ancient Aztecs spent most of their time trying to keep their many gods happy and well fed. The Aztecs believed that human sacrifice was essential. They used people to feed their hungry gods. Some of the people sacrificed were Aztecs, but most of the people they sacrificed to keep their gods happy were people captured from neighboring tribes. This did not make them popular with their neighbors! Each time the Aztecs tried to settle down and build a city of their own, other tribes in the area would band together to chase them away. No one wanted the Aztecs for a neighbor. The Aztecs were very upset by this. They wanted a city of their own!

According to legend ... One day, the Aztecs were magically visited by their main god. He promised his people that they would have a city of their own some day. To find it, they were supposed to look for an eagle, perched on a cactus, holding a snake. Their god told them that when they found the magical place of the eagle, snake, and cactus, they were not supposed to make war with their neighbors. Instead, they should settle down peacefully until they had gained strength. They were to use that time to build a glorious Aztec city, a city of their own.

For the next 200 years, the Aztecs wandered in the Valley of Mexico. They never doubted their god. They never gave up. They were always on the lookout for an eagle, perched on a cactus, holding a snake in his mouth. One morning, an Aztec priest was standing on the swampy shore of Lake Texcoco. He yawned and looked out across the lake. He could not believe his eyes. On one of the many small islands that dotted the lake, he saw an eagle, perched on a cactus, with a snake wiggling in its mouth.

The Aztecs had found their home at last. Aztec legend says the cactus grew immediately into an island. It was on that island that the Aztecs founded their civilization. They named the island Tenochtitlan, "the Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus".

Aztec Expansion:

The Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan in 1315. In the early 1400s, Aztec leaders began forming alliances with neighboring states. Do you remember what an alliance is? Who do you form alliances with? Who should you form alliances with? Why do you think the Aztecs formed alliances with their neighbors? What do you think the result was? Turn & talk with a neighbor about this for one minute.

The alliances the Aztecs made expanded their rule and power. The Aztecs expanded their empire by conquering hundreds of smaller states in what is now central Mexico. Each conquered state was given an Aztec governor. The Aztecs became wealthy from tribute (payment from conquered peoples). By early 1500s, the Aztec empire covered most of Mexico and included about 30 million people. As the Aztec Empire expanded, Tenochtitlan prospered; goods and tribute came to the city from all parts of the empire. As the Aztecs prospered, their capital of Tenochtitlan grew. At this time it is believed that the city was one of the largest in the world; in Europe, only Paris, Venice and Constantinople were larger.

Aztec Social Structure:

1. RULERS: Unlike the Mayas, the Aztecs were ruled by a single emperor, who was chosen by a council.

2. NOBLES AND PRIESTS: Below this ruler was the Noble Class, which was made up of officials, judges, and provincial governors.

3. WARRIORS AND TRADERS: The warriors came next in Aztec class structure. A warrior might rise into the noble class through superior performance on the battlefield. Traders formed another group in Aztec society. They carried goods over long distances to exchange for exotic products from peoples who lived beyond the empire. Traders also scouted distant lands to help plan future conquests.

4. COMMONERS: Most of the people in the empire were farmers.

5. SLAVES: Slaves made up the lowest class in the social structure. Slaves were mainly criminals or enemy soldiers who had been captured. Despite their lowly status, they still had certain rights guaranteed by Aztec law. Some even owned land and eventually bought their freedom.

Aztec Religion:

Religion was very important to the Aztecs. As in Mayan society, priests gained significance because they led rituals that were believed to appease the gods, who would then prevent disasters. The Aztecs built a huge pyramid in the center of Tenochtitlan to honor their chief god, the sun god. To please their gods, Aztec priests offered many thousands of human sacrifices. That’s right - they actually killed thousands of people because they believed the murders would make their gods happy. They believed that the blood of strong warriors was especially nourishing to the gods. People were sacrificed by being held down by four men while the priest would cut out their hearts while they were still alive. Every year, the Aztecs sacrificed thousands of people. Both the Olmecs and the Mayas also practiced human sacrifices, but on a much smaller scale. Aztec sacrificial victims were usually captured enemy soldiers.

Aztec Contributions:

1. LEARNING AND SCIENCE: Aztec priests created an accurate calendar. They also established schools and recorded historical events. Aztec medical practices were advanced enough to set broken bones and treat dental cavities. How do we know this?

2. ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING: The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan was one of the great achievements of Mesoamerican civilization. Built on the site of present-day Mexico City, Tenochtitlan began as two small islands in Lake Texcoco. Engineers filled in parts of the lake and built wide stone causeways to connect Tenochtitlan to the mainland. Architects designed huge pyramid temples, an elaborate emperor’s palace, and busy outdoor markets. An estimated 200,000 people lived in Tenochtitlan in 1500, making it the largest and most densely populated settlement in Mesoamerica.

2. AGRICULTURE: As their population grew, the Aztecs ingenious ways to created more farmland. They used a variety of fertilizers and converted swampy areas into productive farmland. They also built chinampas – artificial islands made of earth piled on reed mats that were anchored to the shallow bed of Lake Texcoco. On these “floating gardens” Aztec farmers raised corn, squash, and beans.

Aztecs’ ability to produce an abundance of food was a major factor in the success of their empire.

Closure: Turn & Talk or free-write: 1) How were the Aztecs similar and different from the Mayas?

2) What role does geography and government play in history?