Aztec Empire

After reading so much about the Incas, I thought it would be interesting to know a little bit more information about the Aztecs who were around at the same time.

The Aztec Empire controlled Mesoamerica for almost 100 years. This empire was full of native speakers known as Nuhatl-speakers. They consisted of workers, merchants, farmers and fishers. These people worshipped the god of the sun. Cortes landed there in 1519 and 2 years later the Aztec Empire fell.

In 1427, the Aztecs began their empire, led by Itzcoatl. Leadership was passed on through brothers and then through the eldest son. Later on, it was chosen by religious or political leaders. Leaders were chosen based off of their skill in battle and their eloquence.

Warfare was very different with the Aztecs when comparing them to other civilizations. Instead of conquering and killing another society, they would capture them and try to bring them into Aztec society. This allowed them to expand more and be much more productive. However, for some unlucky prisoners, the Aztecs would sacrifice them on an alter in front of very large crowds. They would cut out the victims heart, sacrifice it to the gods and then roll their body down the stairs of the temple.

The Aztecs' religion was based off of their calendar system which was connected to the cosmos. Each aspect of the world was represented by a certain deity, and these deities were also on the calendar. Their calendar predicted what type of day it was going to be and lent itself to a 260-day year. A solar year was used to determine the planting and harvesting times.

Lastly, the fall of the Aztec empire was due to both the spaniards and the revolts of nearby communities. Cortes was able to figure out the Aztecs weakness, which was that their empire was all just small communities that were only connected by their membership to this society. Many hated the Aztecs and wanted to be free from them. Cortes took advantage of this and gathered 15,000 people from these small groups along with 9,000 of his own men. He was then able to destroy the Aztec civilization and ended up gaining control over the people who were fighting for their freedom. After the city of Tenochtitlan was infected with small-pox, he wiped the rest of them out. By 1521, the spaniards were in control of this whole area.