The Aztecs

Kevin Eckert

November 7, 2007

NAMS 200

The Aztecs

According to Aztec legend, the tribe originated from Aztlan, somewhere in the north of modern Mexico. At that time the Indigenous peoples, who called themselves the Mexica or Tenochca or Acolhuas, were a small, nomadic, Nahuatl-speaking concretion of peoples living on the margins of civilized Mesoamerica. Sometime in the 12th century they embarked on a period of wandering and in the 13th century settled in the central basin of MÐ"©xico. The Mexica finally found refuge on small islands in Lake Texcoco where, in 1325, they founded the town of Tenochtitlan and would later form the triple alliance among all of the Indigenous populations . The three city-states all wanted to expand so as a result they fought one another with shifting alliances over land and control. The pre-Hispanic past was filled with wars that, like the conquest, were waged by warrior elites for control of a peasant population not directly involved2. After the triple alliance was implemented the Indigenous peoples became known as the Aztecs and the Empire was created.

Before the triple alliance was founded among the Aztecs there was still a religious presence. “When we die, it is not true that we die; for still we live, we are resurrected. We still live; we awaken. Do thou likewise1.” The builders of TeotihuacÐ"ÐŽn believed in the immortality of ones soul, however this belief soon faded when wars raged among the Aztec territories. Religion was most prominent when the triple alliance was formed between the Mexica, Texcoco, and Tlacopan in 1428. Huitzilopochtli in his original role was just one of many gods who represented the eternal trinity of seed, earth and water but when the alliance formed he became the main god. (Padden, Pg. 11) Now, Huitzilopochtli was the god who represented the sun and war and much tribute was paid to him. “Hundreds of captives were taken back to Tenochtitlan and sacrificed Huitzilopochtli. Their breasts slashed open and their beating hearts wrenched from their bodies.” (Padden, Pg. 23) Human sacrifice was practiced in order to recognize and pay homage to Huitzilopochtli but it was directed towards people who did not devote their lives to the Empire and it’s God. The new God of the Aztec people would remain as the driving power behind the Aztec people until the Spanish conquest came.

The Aztec peoples also had a valued culture that carried some of the basic elements we see through out most Indigenous populations. One of the most appreciated aspects of life for the Aztecs was the importance of family. A family unit was the basis of their community so all families were segmented into different categories so the community was more system-serving rather than self-serving. The base family unit consisted of two parents and their unmarried children. The main functions of the base family unit were education of the children and food preparation. Many base family units banded together to form extended families. The households of extended families were usually composed of several brothers and their families. The primary functions of the extended families were to coordinate land use and food production (such as growing crops). In most cases, extended families contained just a few base family units but in large cities they had many.

Although extended families farmed the land, they usually did not own it. They were allowed to use it by the calpulli to which they belonged. Calpulli were groups of families that controlled the use of the land and performed other territorial functions, as well as social ones. The majority of calpulli had a telpuchcalli, a school for young men. Another function of the calpulli was a taxation unit. The empire collected taxes from each calpulli, which in turn collected taxes from its member families4.

The Aztecs social and economic systems were based on three categories nobility, priesthood, and military and merchants. The priesthood was a powerful political as well as religious force. The religion of the Aztecs had much influence on the peoples and became the driving power for wanting to expand the empire. The Aztec government was relatively centralized, although many conquered chiefs retained political autonomy; they paid tribute and kept commerce open to the Aztec. The government did not exert supreme authority over all of the conquered lands; it merely expected tributes to be paid. The Aztec had a large and efficient army that was used to expand the empire5. Like stated before the military would capture Prisoners of war and use them for human sacrifice to satisfy the many gods of the Aztec religion,