Aztec Empire

The Aztec lineage lived in southern Mexico from about 900 CE (AD) to 1521. In the 1100s the Aztecs settled in the valley of Mexico on the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs named this place Tenochtitlan and it ultimately became the capital of their civilization.

In this article, we’ll discuss the Aztec Empire, which ruled over a vast trading network. More than an empire, the empire was a confederation of city-states. The Aztec society relied heavily on agriculture. Several crops might be grown annually due to irrigation and floating garden beds.

Aztec Empire: Overview

Capital	Mexico-Tenochtitlan
Common languages	Nahuatl (lingua franca) many others
Religion	Aztec state religion
Government	Hegemonic military confederation of allied city-states
Historical era	Pre-Columbian era Age of Discovery
Currency	Quachtli (pay with cotton cloth by quantity) and cocoa bean as commodity money
Today part of	Mexico ​

Aztec Empire: History

Believed to have begun as a northern tribe of hunter-gatherers forces Aztlan’s “ White Land”. They arrived in Mesoamerica during the early 13th century and later on emerged as one of the dominant forces in Central Mexico during the 15th century.

In the beginning, the Aztecs were a nomadic tribe from northern Mexico. The tribe reportedly witnessed a vision of an eagle eating a serpent while perched on a cactus in 1323. They were given instructions by this vision on the location of their future home.

The Aztecs travelled south until they arrived at Lake Texcoco‘s swampy shoreline. Just as their vision had promised, they spotted an eagle sitting atop a cactus, holding a snake in its beak. The contemporary Mexican flag bears this well-known picture.

Tenochtitlan was founded by the Aztecs when they chose to reside near Lake Texcoco. The surrounding wetlands hindered opponents’ attempts to assault them, and the lake supplied them with rich fisheries and fertile soil for cultivation. Over time, the city began to thrive.

Aztec Empire: Rise to Power

The Aztecs were founded by the Mexica, who came from West Mexico. Legends predicted the Mexicans would find a great civilization when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of rock. This empire was created on Lake Texcoco, strategic with abundant amounts of food supplies and waterways for transportation.

One of the key factors in the Aztec’s rise to power was territorial annexation through war.

​Aztec Capital “Tenochtitlán”

Constructed to help defend it from enemy attacks on a muddy island in the middle of a huge lake.

Site of present-day Mexico.

By the end of the 14th century, the Aztecs had “Tlatoani,” their first powerful king.

The sovereign of each independent city-state that comprised the empire was entitled to tribute or taxes.

In 1440, the renowned fighter Montezuma gained authority.

With impressive architectural features including temple pyramids and an emperor’s palace zoo, the city was renowned for its magnificence.

​Aztec Imperial Annexation

Aztecs started to expand their empire, later on annexing numerous other local city-states to expand their territorial area. They employed armed forces to forge coalitions occasionally and diplomacy other times.

Mesoamerican city-states fought uniquely. The objective of the battle was to capture opposing soldiers rather than kill them.

There was hardly much armour used by Aztec soldiers. They would, instead, be clad in animal pelts. The top warriors of the Aztecs were known as jaguar and eagle warriors, and they were feared and revered for their ability to capture more enemy soldiers than any other unit. These warriors were clad in the hides of these particular animals.

Aztec Empire: Life

The primary food of the Aztecs was local grains such as maize, beans, and squash; they were primarily vegetarians. These crops were grown on chinampas, which are little floating farms constructed on the surface of Lake Texcoco.

They occasionally consumed insects and their eggs, as well as meat products like lake fish and prawns. Since all they required was found in the surrounding area, they did not keep many domesticated animals.

The more affluent people in Aztec society frequently attended religious feasts. Teonanácatl, a kind of hallucinogenic mushroom, and cups of drinking chocolate would be the highlights of these feasts. These mushrooms, which were mostly utilised by priests, gave the Aztec’s visions.

Aztec Empire: Culture

Worshipped Gods who represented the earth, rain and sun.

Believed that the water brought rain, thunder and lightning.

Believed that their Gods must be fed with human hearts and blood.

A good way to die since it helps their Gods.

Aztec Gods & Human Sacrifice

The Aztecs wanted to sacrifice the opposing warriors later, so they captured them. To gather enough sacrifices to satisfy the Aztec Gods was a crucial purpose of armed conflict.

Heart extraction was the most popular kind of sacrifice. A priest would remove a person’s heart from their chest before tossing their body down the steps of the temple. Hundreds of skeletons have been discovered by modern historians at Aztec temples, demonstrating the widespread nature of this practice.

Sometimes Aztec communities would fight Flowery Wars when they were low on sacrifices. According to Aztecs, human sacrifice was required to appease the Gods. Furthermore, it was thought that the ruler of the Aztec Empire had been chosen by the gods and was entitled to reign by divine right.

Aztec Games

• Aztec Ball Game
• Volador ( flying bird game)

Aztec Empire: Location

One of the strongest empires of Mesoamerica, the Aztecs, developed in the Valley of Mexico around Lake Texcoco, where modern-day Mexico City is located.

Tenochtitlan was the capital megacity of the Aztec Empire.

The Aztecs were driven out of their former home in Culhuacan and moved towards central Mexico for a place to settle.

Aztec Empire: The Arrival of Europeans

At the pinnacle of the Aztec empire in 1519, a new race of people came on the outside of the realm. These were Hernán Cortés‘ Spanish conquistadors; he had sailed from Cuba with only eleven ships and five hundred troops.

This was the first recorded meeting between Europeans and Aztecs. Despite his early misgivings, Moctezuma II, the Aztec Emperor, chose to extend an invitation to the Spanish to come to Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma gave the Spanish pricey presents while they explored the city and took in the numerous Aztec temples, markets, and palaces.

Why Moctezuma was so hospitable is a mystery. The popular narrative claims that he believed the Spaniards to be gods, while this was most likely made up by the Spaniards themselves.

Aztec Empire: Fall

Twenty-five years after the Spanish landed in Mexico, in 1502, Montezuma II was emperor. Due to a lack of immunity to European diseases, contact resulted in several smallpox deaths and severe illness. It was full of ominous omens.

With the assistance of native allies who were dissatisfied with the Aztecs’ harsh rule over the region, Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortes eventually destroyed the Aztecs in 1521. Destroyed was Tenochtitlan. On its ruins, the Spanish erected Mexico City, the capital of New Spain. Although their kingdom had collapsed, the Aztec people still made their home in the region.

Conclusion:

The “empire” of the Aztecs was a confederation of city-states rather than an actual empire. An empire governed by deception. It was highly diverse in terms of ethnicity, just like most European empires, but it functioned more as a system of tribute than a single political structure.

Religion was important in Aztec culture, and it involved horrific human sacrifices. It barely seems imaginable that the Aztecs dominated this region only a few hundred years ago, considering the current condition of affairs.

FAQs on Aztec Empire

When did the Aztec empire start and fall?

The Aztecs (/ˈæztɛks/ AZ-teks) were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521.

Who defeated the Aztec empire?

Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztec empire.

What was the Aztec empire known for?

They produced highly skilled and sensitive art, conceived perhaps the most advanced calendar of their time, and built extraordinary temples in clean and well-organized cities.

What killed the Aztec empire?

Smallpox spread among the indigenous people and crippled their ability to resist the Spanish. The disease devastated the Aztec people, greatly reducing their population and killing an estimated half of Tenochtitlán’s inhabitants.

What religion was Aztec?

The Aztec religion is a polytheistic and monistic pantheism in which the Nahua concept of teotl was construed as the supreme god Ometeotl, as well as a diverse pantheon of lesser gods and manifestations of nature.