Aztec

The last pre-Columbian civilization to enter the Valley of Mexico after the collapse of the Toltec civilization in c 12 AD, who built a magnificent capital at Tenochtitlán and were later conquered by the Spaniards (1521). They called themselves the Mexica or Tenochca and were the dominant political group of the Late Post-Classic Period. The people spoke Nahuatl. Their origin is obscure, partly because of the deliberate destruction of their own records, but tradition says that in 1193 AD the last of seven Chichimec tribes left Aztlan , a mythical birthplace somewhere north or west of Mexico, and filtered south. For a while they lived around Lake Texococo, but in 1345 they were allowed to found Tenochtitlán (under present-day Mexico City) on some unoccupied islands. By 1428 Tenochtitlán, Texococo, and Tlacopan formed an independent state which controlled most of present-day Mexico from the desert zone in the north to Oaxaca in the south, with extensions as far as the Guatemalan border - all through military expansion. By inclination and training the Aztecs were militaristic, and a person's status depended on his success as a warrior. The chief god of the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli, was a war god who required the blood of sacrificial victims, and only constant warfare supplied the altar of the god. Human sacrifice was necessary also to ensure the daily rising of the sun. Other major deities were Huitzilpotchtli (the warrior god and chief deity of Tenochtitlan), Texcatlipoca (god of night, death and destruction), Xipe Totec (god of spring and renewal), and Quetzacoatl, the plumed serpent (god of self-sacrifice and inventor of agriculture and the calendar). Tenochtitlán became a great imperial city, so large that it could not be self-sufficient but had to rely on tributes from its provinces. Luxury goods and necessities were brought to the city, and craftsmen produced jewelry, turquoise mosaics, featherwork, and carved stone. Mold-made clay figurines were common, and the black-on-orange pottery was decorated with geometrical designs and stylized creatures. Little architecture or painting survived the Spanish conquest of 1521. Copies of several books have been preserved (as the Dresden Codex). Aztec society was set in a clearly defined hierarchical class system. At the top was the ruling class (pipil) from whom and by whom the emperors were chosen. The mass of the population were freeman (machuale) and under them were the serfs (mayeques) and then at the bottom the slaves. Most people were of the landholding group called the calpulli, which had its own internal hierarchy. Change of social class was possible through state service in the military and sometimes through merchant activity. The merchants (pochteca) served as early-reconnaissance and espionage groups. The arrival of the Spaniards and the fall of Tenochtitlán after a 90-day siege marked the end of Aztec dominance.

Centred on the Basin of Mexico, the NAHUATL-speaking Aztec, also known as the Mexica, were the dominant polity of the Late Post-Classic Period. Their origin is obscure, partly because of the deliberate destruction of their own records, but tradition holds that in 1193 ad the last of seven Chichi-mec tribes left Aztlan, a mythical birthplace somewhere north or west of Mexico, and filtered south. They founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, on an island on Lake Texcoco cl345, having subsisted in the area for most of the intervening years. The rise of Aztec power is marked by the victory at Azcapotzalco and the formation and ultimate domination of the Triple Alliance. By the early 16th century the Aztec had established hegemony over most of presentday Mexico. The empire was maintained through a system of tribute rather than direct administrative control, and some city-states, such as the Tarascans and Tlaxcalans, managed to maintain their independence despite persistent pressure. Aztec society was characterized by a clearly defined hierarchical class system. At the top was the ruling class (Pipil) from whom and by whom the emperors were chosen. The mass of the population were freeman (machuale); under them were the serfs (mayeques) and at the bottom the slaves. Most members of society also belonged to a kin-based landholding group called the Calpulli, which itself had an internal hierarchy. Social mobility seems to have been possible through state service in either military or mercantile activity. Most prestige was gained through military service, possibly because blood and sacrifice had great religious significance. However, the merchants (pochteca) also served as early-reconnaisance and espionage groups, whose members were both plebeian and aristocratic. Religious activities were to a great degree regulated by the calendar. Ritual human sacrifice was a common event, necessary in ensuring the daily rising of the sun. The Aztec pantheon is dominated by gods of multiple aspects, usually of a stern or warlike attitude. Of the major deities Huitzilpotchtli (the warrior god and chief deity of Tenochtitlan), Texcatlipoca (god of night, death and destruction), Xipe Totec (god of spring and renewal) and Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent (god of self-sacrifice and inventor of agriculture and the calendar) only the last-named seems not to have been involved in rituals of blood sacrifice. The arrival oftheSpaniardsin!519andthe fall of Tenochtitlan in 1520 after a 90-day siege marks the end of Aztec dominance.