We explain everything about the Aztec civilization, its origin and its main characteristics. In addition, your social organization and your contributions.
What was the Aztec civilization?
The Aztec civilization was One of the most important Mesoamerican cultures. The Valley of Mexico inhabited between 1345 d. C. and 1521 d. C., and became the dominant culture of the region until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
Through military expansion to neighboring towns and the imposition of paying taxes, the Aztecs They created a theocratic empire from Tenochtitlán city. They were recognized for the ferocity of their warriors and the wealth of their cities. In addition, they developed their own writing system with which they registered their stories, the genealogy of their kings and religious beliefs.
Aztec civilization is one of the best documented pre -Columbian cultures. At the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, the Aztec Empire was in its boom. Although many cities, objects and codices were destroyed during the conquest, archaeological findings still appear that allow specialists to learn better the Aztec past.
See also: Tlatelolco Matanza
Characteristics of Aztec civilization
- They inhabited the Valley of Mexico for 200 years: from 1325 d. C., until the conquest of the Spaniards in 1521 d. C.
- From the alliance of the Tenochtitlán, Texcoco and Tlacopan cities, they created a centralized and theocratic empire, governed by a Tlatoani.
- They had a stratified society, divided into three groups: Pipiltin (noble), Macehualtin (common people) and slaves.
- They developed an economy based on the imposition of taxes, agricultural technology and trade.
- They had a polytheistic religion that influenced all aspects of social and political life.
- They deepened the knowledge in astronomy and created their own writing system.
Origin and History of Aztec civilization
The origin of the Aztec people is uncertain, but The vestiges of their tradition suggest that they were hunters and collectors On the Northern Mexico Plateau, before establishing itself in the Central Valley of Mesoamerica, towards the 12th century d. C.
The word “Aztec“ It comes from Nahuatl language and means “people who came from Aztlán.” According to their legends, The Aztec people left Aztlán (a mythical place) and migrated for decades until you find the ideal place to settle and build your capital.
Actually, the term “Azteca” refers to a set of villages of diverse origin that inhabited the valley of Mexico between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries d. C.: Mexica, Acolhua, Chalca, Xochimilco, Tepanec, among others. The Mexicans were commonly known as “Aztecs.”
Archaeological evidence indicates that Around 1325 d. C. The Mexicans settled on an island inside Lake Texcoco and founded the city of Tenochtitlan. Towards the fifteenth century, they formed an alliance with the neighboring peoples of Texcoco and Tlacopan, achieved dominance over the rest of the peoples of the region and, thus, formed an empire.
Social Organization of the Aztecs
The Aztecs had a stratified society in three groups:
- Pipiltin. The nobility constituted the privileged group that controlled the government and religion. The nobles did not pay taxes and possessed land that were worked by the peasants Macehualtin. They could dress with clothes and jewels that were prohibited to the rest of the population: feathers, cotton fabrics, gold jewels and precious stones.
- Macehualtin. This group was made up of artisans, merchants and peasants. In addition to paying taxes in kind to the State, they had to work in 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 the wars carried out by the Aztecs to conquer territories. They could also be people who had committed some crime and slavery was their punishment. They had to work for their masters and could be victims of human sacrifices in religious rituals.
In addition, 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 descent and had a temple, farmland and a boss or Calpullec. The city of Tenochtitlan was organized in four sectors and each of them included several Calpullis.
Political organization of the Aztecs
The Aztec Empire was a theocracy governed by a monarch, called Tlatoani. The Aztecs believed that the monarch’s power was sacred and came from the gods. In practice, Tlatoani was chosen by a council composed of representatives of each of the twenty Calpullis (kinship group in which the Aztec society was divided).
He Tlatoani elected ruled for life and became the supreme chief of the State, the army and religion. In addition, he was advised by government officials such as Cihuacóatlwhich replaced him in cases of absence and helped him deliberate on important decisions.
Throughout their history, the Aztecs had 11 Tlatoanis:
- 1375-1395 d. C. Acamapichtli“Ward of reeds”
- 1396-1417 d. C. Huitzilíhuitl“Colibrí pen”
- 1417-1426 d. C. Chimalpopoca“Smalling shield”
- 1427-1440 d. C. Itzcoatl“Obsidian snake”
- 1440-1469 d. C. Moctezuma Ilhuicamina“The angry, the arrow to heaven”
- 1440-1469 d. C. Axayacatl“The water mask”
- 1481-1486 d. C. Tizoc“He who makes sacrifices”
- 1486-1502 d. C. Ahuízotl“The thorny of water”
- 1502-1520 d. C. Moctezuma Xocoyotzin“The angry, the young man”
- 1520 d. C. CUITLÁHUAC“Divine excrement”
- 1520-1521 d. C. Cuauhtémoc“Descending sun”
Economic Organization of the Aztecs
The richness of the Aztec economy was due to several factors:
- Control over neighboring peoples He provided them constant labor to perform all kinds of works, such as the construction of temples, palaces, roads, irrigation works, hauling of commercial merchandise or agriculture. In addition, the submitted peoples had to pay taxes in kind, so Pipiltin (noble) had abundant raw materials and products.
- The development of agricultural techniques It allowed them to cultivate all kinds of land. As the city of Tenochtitlán had been founded on an island in the center of Lake Texcoco, the Aztecs created a technique that allowed them to cultivate about water: the chinampas. They built land balsas, branches and aquatic plants; They anchored them with sticks, covered them with land and then cultivated on them. In addition, on the slopes of the mountainous areas they built cultivation terraces using animal and plant fertilizers.
- The productive variety He gave great dynamism to his economy. The Aztecs cultivated corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin and cocoa. They also produced tobacco, cotton and collected diversity of fruits such as cayote, fig and ananá. From the maguey plant they took advantage of their thorns to make needles, their fibers to make roots, their roots as food and its juice to produce pulque, an alcoholic beverage.
- The extensive commercial network It allowed them to exchange food and crafts in both local markets and in remote regions. The merchants, in turn, brought information about other peoples, about their military organization or their wealth.
Aztec religion
The Aztec religion included elements that came from different Mesoamerican cultures. The Aztecs believed in the myth of “The five suns”according to which in the past there were four worlds (which they called “soles”) with different types of inhabitants. Each world had succumbed for its own defects. In the last creation, called “Fifth Sun”, the gods made the earth and created human beings, plants and animals. For the Aztecs, this world would also fall and have the same destination as the previous ones.
Among the main gods of the Aztec pantheon, are:
- Ometecuhtli and Omecíhuatl. The couple of creative gods.
- Tezcatlipoca. “Lord of the smoking mirror”, the main God of the cult related to the unpredictable, the mysteries of the world, power and darkness.
- Tláloc. “Lord of Water”, central God of worship on fertility, abundance and survival.
- Quetzalcoatl. “Feathered snake”, God of wind and knowledge, also associated with the cult of fertility and abundance.
- Huitzilopochtli. God of war. It was also the protective God of the city of Tenochtitlán and related to the daily appearance of the sun.
According to Aztec beliefs, the divine forces were crossed by the duality of good and evil. Although the gods had created humans and could protect them, they could also get angry and destroy them. Therefore, the Aztecs considered essential for their survival to venerate the gods to avoid their anger. 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 made ceremonies that included human sacrifices. They considered that people’s life was 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 placate the anger of the gods and achieve their protection.
In this sense, the war had a sacred role: to obtain prisoners of war that served the gods as a sacrifice to maintain the balance of the universe and avoid the end of the world.
Cultural elements of the Aztecs
The Aztecs developed their own artistic and architectural style that was linked to their religious beliefs and practices. In addition, they created writing and numbering systems, which allowed them to register their stories, their myths and organize their society.
Among the main cultural elements of the Aztec civilization are:
- Architecture. Influenced by the Toltec culture, stone pyramids composed of staggered platforms, a central staircase and a temple at the top.
- Art. They performed colossal stone sculptures to represent their gods and kings, and other small sculptures that incorporated semi -precious stones and represented animals or objects of everyday use. In addition, they made jewels that combined precious stones (turquoise, amethyst and jade) with silver and gold.
- Astronomy. They developed astronomical knowledge from the observation of the stars, especially of the movements of the sun, the moon and the planet Venus. They registered the passage of comets and numerous eclipses. They created a calendar of ritual use with 260 days, and another of a civil nature based on the movement of the Sun, with 365 days.
- Writing. The Aztecs created a system that combined pictographic, ideographic and phonetic elements: each glyph could represent a concept, an idea or a sound. They wrote in paper codices made of tree bark or animal skin. They used writing for various purposes, such as registering history, religion, genealogy of their kings, geography and economy.
- The numbering system. They developed a vigesimal system based on the counting of units of 20 represented through a series of symbols, such as the point, the rhombus, the flag, the sun and a corn sack.
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References
- “Aztec Civilization” at https://www.ancient.eu/
- “Who were the Aztecs and who the Mexica? At http://www.mexica.net/
- “Aztec” at https://www.britannica.com/
- “Aztecs” at https://www.history.com/
- “Aztec calendar or stone of the Sun, useful data that you should know” at https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/.
- Adams, R., & Macleod, M. (eds.). (2000). The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Duverger, Christian (1999): Mesoamerica, Art and Anthropology. Country: Conaculta-Landucci editors.
- Witschey, WRT, and Brown, C. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Mesoamerica. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
