We explain everything about the Aztec civilization, its origin and its main characteristics. In addition, its social organization and its contributions.
The Aztecs formed an empire that lasted until the European conquest.
What was the Aztec civilization?
The Aztec civilization was one of the most important Mesoamerican cultures. They inhabited the Valley of Mexico between 1345 AD and 1521 AD, and became the dominant culture of the region until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
Conquering neighboring peoples and imposing the payment of tributes, the Aztecs They created a theocratic empire from the city of TenochtitlánThey were renowned for the ferocity of their warriors and the wealth of their cities. They also developed their own writing system with which they recorded their histories, the genealogies of their kings and their religious beliefs.
The Aztec civilization is one of the best documented pre-Columbian cultures. When the Spanish arrived, the Aztec Empire was at its peak. Although many cities, objects and codices were destroyed during the conquest, archaeological finds continue to appear that allow specialists to better understand the Aztec past.
See also: Tlatelolco massacre
Characteristics of the Aztec civilization
- They inhabited the Valley of Mexico for 200 years: from 1325 AD until the Spanish conquest in 1521 AD.
- From the alliance of the cities Tenochtitlán, Texcoco and Tlacopan, they created a centralized and theocratic empire, governed by a tlatoani.
- They had a stratified society, divided into three groups: pipiltin (nobles), macehualtin (common people) and slaves.
- They developed an economy based on taxation, agricultural technology and trade.
- They had a polytheistic religion that influenced all aspects of social and political life.
- They deepened their knowledge of astronomy and created their own writing system.
Origin and history of the Aztec civilization
The Aztecs founded the city of Tenochtitlán in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
The origin of the Aztec people is somewhat uncertain, but The vestiges of their tradition suggest that they were hunters and gatherers. on the northern Mexican plateau before they reached the Central Valley region of Mesoamerica around the 12th century AD.
The word “Aztec”” comes from the Nahuatl language and means “people who came from Aztlán”. According to their legends, The Aztec people abandoned Aztlán (a mythical place) and migrated for decades until they found the ideal place to settle and build their capital.
In reality, the term “Aztec” refers to a group of peoples of diverse origin who inhabited the Valley of Mexico between the 14th and 16th centuries AD. C.: Mexica, Acolhua, Chalca, Xochimilco, Tepanec, among others. The Mexica were those commonly known as “Aztecs.”
Archaeological evidence indicates that around 1325 AD. C. the Mexicas settled on an island within Lake Texcoco and they founded the city of Tenochtitlán. Towards the 15th century, they formed an alliance with the neighboring towns of Texcoco and Tlacopan, achieved dominance over the rest of the towns in the region and, in this way, formed an empire.
Social organization of the Aztecs
The macehualtin They carried out agricultural and construction work.
The Aztecs had a society stratified into three groups:
- Pipiltin. The nobility was the privileged group that controlled the government and religion. The nobles did not pay taxes and owned lands that were worked by the peasants. macehualtin. They could wear clothes and jewelry that were prohibited to the rest of the population: feathers, cotton fabrics, gold jewelry and precious stones.
- Macehualtin. This group was made up of artisans, merchants and farmers. In addition to paying taxes in kind to the State, they had to work on the lands of the pipiltin and in the construction of public works (roads, bridges, palaces and temples). Some artisans who stood out for their works managed to access the nobility.
- Slaves. They were prisoners of wars waged by the Aztecs to conquer territories. They could also be people who had committed a crime and slavery was their punishment. They had to work for their masters and could be victims of human sacrifices in religious rituals.
Furthermore, the entire Aztec society was divided into twenty clans called calpullis (Nahuatl word that means “big house”). Each calpulli was made up of families of common ancestryand had a temple, farmland and a chief or calpullec. The city of Tenochtitlan was divided into four sectors and each one had several calpullis.
Political organization of the Aztecs
For the Aztecs, the tlatoani They were intermediaries between men and the gods.
The Aztec Empire was a theocracy ruled by a monarch, called tlatoaniThe Aztecs believed that the power of the monarch was sacred and came from the gods. In practice, the tlatoani was elected by a council made up of representatives of each of the twenty calpullis (kinship group into which Aztec society was divided).
He tlatoani The elected ruler ruled for life and became the supreme head of the state, the army and religion. He was also advised by government officials such as the cihuacoatlwho replaced him in cases of absence and helped him deliberate on important decisions.
Throughout their history, the Aztecs had 11 tlatoanis:
- Acamapichtli“Handful of Reeds” (1375-1395 AD)
- Huitzilihuitl“Hummingbird Feather” (1396-1417 AD)
- Chimalpopoca“Smoking Shield” (1417-1426 AD)
- Itzcoatl“Obsidian Serpent” (1427-1440 AD)
- Moctezuma Ilhuicamina“The angry one, the arrow to the sky” (1440-1469 AD)
- Axayacatl“The One with the Water Mask” (1440-1469 AD)
- Tizoc“He who makes sacrifices” (1481-1486 AD)
- Ahuizotl“The Water Thornberry” (1486-1502 AD)
- Moctezuma Xocoyotzin“The Angry, the Young” (1502-1520 AD)
- Cuitlahuac“Divine Excrement” (1520 AD)
- Cuauhtémoc“Descending Sun” (1520-1521 AD)
Economic organization of the Aztecs
The wealth of the Aztec economy was due to several factors:
- Control over neighboring towns provided them with a constant workforce to carry out all kinds of work, such as the construction of temples, palaces, roads, irrigation works, the transport of commercial goods or agriculture. In addition, the subjugated peoples had to pay tribute in kind, so the pipiltin (nobles) had abundant raw materials and products.
- The development of agricultural techniques This allowed them to cultivate all kinds of land. Since the city of Tenochtitlán had been founded on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, the Aztecs created a technique that allowed them to cultivate on water: the chinampas. They built rafts of earth, branches and aquatic plants; they anchored them with sticks, covered them with earth and then cultivated on them. In addition, on the slopes of mountainous areas they built cultivation terraces using animal and vegetable fertilizers.
- The productive variety The Aztecs grew corn, beans, tomatoes, chili peppers, squash and cocoa. They also produced tobacco and cotton and collected a variety of fruits such as squash, figs and pineapple. The thorns of the maguey plant were used to make needles, its fibers to make ropes, its roots as food and its juice to produce pulque, an alcoholic beverage.
- The extensive commercial network This allowed them to exchange food and crafts both in local markets and in distant regions. The merchants, in turn, brought back information about other peoples, about their military organization or their wealth.
Aztec religion
In the Aztec calendar, the center represents the “fifth sun,” the world in which we live.
The Aztec religion included elements that came from different Mesoamerican cultures. The Aztecs believed in the myth of “the five suns”according to which there had once existed four worlds (which they called “suns”) with different types of inhabitants. Each world had succumbed due to its own defects. In the last creation, called the “Fifth Sun,” the gods made the Earth and created human beings, plants, and animals. For the Aztecs, this world would also fall and suffer the same fate as the previous ones.
Among the main gods of the Aztec pantheon are:
- Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. The couple of creator gods.
- Tezcatlipoca. “Lord of the smoking mirror”, main god of the cult related to the unpredictable, the mysteries of the world, power and darkness.
- Tlaloc. “Lord of water”, central god of the cult of fertility, abundance and survival.
- Quetzalcoatl. “Feathered serpent”, god of wind and knowledge, also associated with the cult of fertility and abundance.
- Huitzilopochtli. God of War. He was also the protective god of the city of Tenochtitlán and was related to the daily appearance of the sun.
According to Aztec beliefs, divine forces were permeated by the duality of good and evil. Although the gods had created humans and could protect them, they could also become angry and destroy them. For this reason, the Aztecs considered it essential for their survival to venerate the gods in order to avoid their wrath. In this sense, the Aztec religion had a strong influence on laws and customs.
To maintain the path of the sun and the life of the universe, the Aztecs performed ceremonies that included human sacrifices. They considered human life to be sacred because it had been granted by the gods. However, they also believed that through rituals with offerings of blood and human hearts they could appease the wrath of the gods and gain their protection.
In this sense, war had a sacred role: to obtain prisoners of war who would serve as sacrifices to the gods to maintain the balance of the universe and prevent the end of the world.
Cultural elements of the Aztecs
In the codices, the Aztec priests wrote the history of their tlatoani.
The Aztecs developed their own artistic and architectural style that was linked to their religious beliefs and practices. They also created writing and numbering systems that allowed them to record their stories, their myths and organize their society.
Among the main cultural elements of the Aztec civilization are:
- Architecture. They took features of the architectural style of the Toltec culture; They built stone pyramids, made up of stepped platforms with a central staircase and a temple at the top.
- ArtThey made colossal stone sculptures to represent their gods and kings, and other small sculptures that incorporated semi-precious stones and showed animals and everyday objects. They also made jewelry that combined stones…