Who Were The Aztecs?

One of the most important peoples of ancient America was the Aztecs, who lived in the valley which now contains Mexico City. Long before the Europeans came from across the sea, these American Indians were making history. They had developed a way or lite almost the equal of many of the European peoples. They carved their history in stone. They built temples and towers and homes of solid masonry. They were quite skilled in astronomy, law, and government, and were expert in many arts and crafts. They were in some ways a kind and gentle. people. They were lovers of nature, especially birds and flowers. They also were fond of music, dancing, plays, and literature.

The Aztecs, however, had also risen to power through military abilities, and warfare was often carried on for the purpose of capturing enemies for sacrifice to their war god. The custom of sacrificing human life was shocking to the Europeans, but this developed naturally among the Aztecs because they combined religion and warfare.

The Aztecs were also called Mexica. From this, or from one of their gods, comes the word for Mexico. In 1325, 167 years before Columbus ever saw an Indian, the Aztecs, according to tradition, started to build their capital which they called Tenochtitlan. This city was later to become the capital of the Spanish and finally of the Mexican republic.

No one knows exactly where the Aztecs came from. The legends about them indicate that they came from the north. They probably arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the twelfth or thirteenth century. In these early times they were known as Tenochcas. The Toltecs, who already lived in the valley and were quite cultured, considered the Aztecs barbaric newcomers. Because of this the Aztecs had a difficult-time settling in the valley. But in time they rose to great power and ruled over the peoples of the Valley of Mexico.

The Aztecs were the indigenous people of a civilisation that existed in central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries AD. Calling themselves Mexicas, their civilisation was well established before the arrival of the European colonisers. They ruled an empire from their capital Tenochtitlan, on whose ruins the present-day capital of Mexico, Mexico City, was built. Their empire dominated the Valley of Mexico and extended as far as the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific shore. It was based on a system of tribute.

The Aztecs had a vibrant culture which included mandatory education and a rich mythology. They also practised human sacrifice. They were conquered in 1521 by Spanish Conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, who destroyed Tenochtitlan afer a siege. The fall of Tenochtitlan was greatly assisted by an outbreak of smallpox in 1520-21 which killed up to half the city's population. The disease had been contracted from the Spanish the Aztecs were fighting and since the Aztecs had no remedy, it proved especially devastating to them. Smallpox was to claim many more Aztec lives that century to the extent that a population of an estimated 15 million before the conquest had shrunk beneath two million by 1581.

Aztec is a nation that belongs to central Mexico. This name was basically given to people from Mexico who spoke the Nahuatl language. These people have their prime in 14th, 15th and 16 century.

Currently, the people living in Tenochtitlan are referred to as Aztecs. People from Acolhuas and Tepanecs are also referred to as Aztecs. There are only 1.5 million people today who speak their language.

Aztecs have had their influence on every field of life, in Mexico as well as Spain. Mexican cuisine, Mexican culture, agriculture, way of living etc is more or less derived from traditional Aztecs.

Aztecs are northern americans