Make a JUDGEMENT Bloodthirsty Heathens! Highly Intelligent & Organized! Ruthless Warriors!

Let us take a closer look at this civilization…

Mesoamerica in the 1400’s Home to numerous different linguistic and political groups Most numerous were the Nahuas  spoke Nauhuatl Shared cultural traits Communities usually headed by hereditary rulers Most of their food came from agriculture-maize, beans, squash, and peppers Religion revolved around agricultural cycle, human sacrifice and rituals to guarantee successful harvests Not viewed themselves as one people Warfare increased between city- states for territories

The Chichimeca  Nomadic and “uncivilized” people who lived “like dogs”  One such group was the Mexica  Today they are known as the Aztecs for their mythical homeland, AZTLAN <-- somewhere in the American Southwest

The Rise of the Mexica  Had no home in the Valley  Had to attach themselves to other city-states  Became well known for their mercenary skills for Culhuacan (descendants of Tolteca)

Finding a Home  By early 1300’s they settled on a small island in the middle of Lake Texcoco  Located in the heart of Mexico City (Today)  They made their island bigger by cleaning the soil from bottom of lake and using it to expand their island

Finding a Home  Huitzilopochtli (Aztec god) told them to leave their homeland  “Go where the cactus grows, on which the eagle sits happily…there you shall wait, there you shall meet a number of tribes and with your arrow or with your shield you shall conquer them.”  Named their home, TENOCHTITLAN, (place of the prickly pear cactus)

Chinampa Agriculture  Land was not good for farming, developed an ingenious method to plant and harvest crops: CHINAMPA AGRICULTURE  Chinampas - narrow strips of lan  The Aztec built these floating gardens around their central city  Used canals to travel (canoe) to Tenochtitlan and nearby islands  They built roads to the mainland, some over five miles long

Tenochtitlan

The Rise of the Mexica  They established the first dynasty in 1370  This dynasty endured until the arrival of the Spanish  First king was son of a woman from Culhuacan  His successors formed marriage alliances with other important powers in the valley

Mexica Rise to Power  By early 1400’s, Azcapotzalco surpassed Culhuacan as the dominant city-state in central Mexico  Mexica King, Ixcoatl formed an alliance (Triple Alliance) with 2 other states: Texcoco and Tlacopan  Together they defeated Azcapotzalco  Tenochtitlan became dominant power within the Triple Alliance, Texcoco 2 nd, and Tlacopan 3 rd

TEXCOCO TLACOPAN AZCAPOTZALCO

Rise of the Mexica  King Moctezuma I from Tenochtitlan and Nezahualcoyotl from Texcoco  Extended their reach well beyond valley of Mexico to Oaxaca in the South and to the Gulf Coast to the east  By 1500, Triple Alliance controlled an area roughly size of Italy

Tribute  Subjugated territories paid their new rulers quantities of goods in tribute  Cacao, gold dust, gemstones, cotton textiles, honey, featherwork, maize, rubber balls  Local leaders remained in peace as long as they paid their tribute on a regular basis and remained loyal

Tribute  In theory, Tenochtitlan and Texcoco were equal partners in ruling central Mexico  Each took 40% share of the tribute while Tlacopan took 20%  In practice, Tenochtitlan undermined Texcoco’s ruling class

El Mercado (The Market)  Most famous aspects of Tenochtitlan was their marketplace  Attracted 60,000 people, daily  Historians believe it was divided into7 sections  Section 1: gold, silver, precious stones, feathers  Section 2: chocolate and spices  Section 3: cloth and all types of clothing  Section 4: food-corn, beans, turkeys, quail, rabbits, deer meat, maguey honey,  Section 5: avocados, wild plums, frogs, bark paper, incense, rubber, gum, lime, obsidian blades, animal skins,  Section 6: Greens and tortillas  Section 7: tobacco, all types of pottery, pots, bowls, and tubs

Spanish Reaction to Tenochtitlan  There were over 30 public buildings:  Palaces of nobles, temples, schools and academies, and even a zoo  Because of its canals, Spaniards called it, “Venice of the Americas.”  At its height, more 250,000 lived in Tenochtitlan  “…and when we saw all those cities and villages built in water, and other towns on dry land, we were astounded. The great cities and buildings made of stone seemed like images 0r visions to us. Some of the soldiers asked whether it was not a all a dream. It was so wonderful that I do not know how to describe the first glimpse of things never heard or seen or dreamed before.

Religion  Some of their gods, Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent) and Tlaloc dated back to time of Teotihuacan  Huitzilopochtli was their most important god  Mexica wanted their conquered subjects to also worship Huitzilopochtli

Religion  Religious ritual was part of everyday life  Mesoamerican calendar divided he year into 18 months of 20 days each with a five day break at the end of the cycle  Each month had ceremonies closely related to the agricultural cycle

Sacrifice  Almost all Aztec rites included a sacrifice to the gods  Creation story: World was created and destroyed 4 times  The 5 th time, the gods sacrificed themselves in order for the world to not end, sun, humans, the universe  Quintosol (5 th Sun): To repay their sacrifice, humans paid with their life  Afraid world would end if gods failed to receive their dues

Sacrifice  Many civilizations in Mesoamerica and other civilizations included human sacrifice  Historians believe rituals increased under Aztec domination  Human sacrifice pleased gods but it also caused many of Aztec allies, nobles, commoners, and enermies to be in awe of Aztecs