A Short History of the Ancient Aztecs
At the same time that the Renaissance was unfolding in Europe, the Aztecs were creating a remarkable world-class society in the Americas. The years were 1350 to 1519. The place was roughly the site of present-day Mexico City.
Frequently, we begin our study of the Aztecs in 1519 because that is the year Hernan Cortes and 500 Spanish conquistadors (“con-kees-ta-doors”) first entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (“ten-och-teet-lan”). However, we are interested in Aztec culture before the Spanish arrived. It is the pre-conquest Aztecs that will be the focus of this week's lesson.
Understanding any civilization is challenging because civilizations are complex. We should not expect a smoothly ironed history. There will be wrinkles – some triumphs, some losses; some beauty, some ugliness. And historians will disagree about what to emphasize.
This is even true for the history of the United States of America. Some modern historians choose to emphasize the losses and ugliness of our past to paint America as oppressive and a deterrent to freedom for their own political agenda. Others choose to ignore our failures and paint America as perfection immune to any wrongdoing. Like all things, there is a balance, where it is necessary to acknowledge the ugliness and terrible things mankind has done but have an overwhelming sense of pride and patriotism for the country that has provided more opportunity and liberties both economically and culturally than any other in history.
Back to the Aztecs, on the basic geography, there is no disagreement. The Aztecs lived in a geological basin in
central Mexico that is about the size of Rhode Island. Surrounded by high mountain peaks, the basin extends 80 miles from north to south and 49 miles from east to west. In Aztec times, the basin collected water that formed five interconnected shallow lakes which provided splendid irrigation for farming. In the middle sat Tenochtitlan, an urban island built on landfill, and home to 300,000 people. The climate in this high region was unpredictable, with wet summers and dry, frost-filled winters. However, with the help of their calendars and their gods, the Aztecs managed to cope quite well.
The Aztecs first migrated to the shores of Lake Texcoco around 1100 CE. At the time they numbered about 10,000 people. When they arrived, there were already many groups of farmers living in the lake area of central
Mexico. The Aztecs were distrusted and disliked because they tended to push others out of their way. Eventually, after centuries of aggression, they were totally in charge. By 1434, they were demanding tribute and military support from people throughout the region. They were also busy developing a remarkable agricultural system called chinampas (“chin-ahm-pahs”). Because of their strong military and agricultural success, Aztec leaders were able to rule some ten million people.
Religion gave the Aztec's direction and purpose. Their religion included at least 128 major deities, including gods of rain, fire, water, corn, the sky, and the sun. The gods were recognized by a cycle of festivals and ceremonies that involved feasting, dancing, and human sacrifice. The most important god, Huitzilopochtli (“weet-zee-lo-poch’-tlee”), was the Aztec sun god, who struggled to keep the night at bay and to bring warmth to the world. Huitzilopochtli needed strength in order to carry out his duties and the Aztecs believed that human blood and hearts provided the necessary nourishment. This led to some disturbing practices.
