The Aztec
Civilization
A report on the rise and fall
of the Aztecs
Fraser Dawson
Aztec Report
Where and When the Aztec civilization existed
The Aztecs were a civilization that spanned many centuries and many kilometres around the Gulf of
Mexico. The civilization originated from the
north, so the legends state, and proceeded south
in search of more fertile lands. They eventually
reached the Toltecs, who offered them an island
home. The legend states that the island was
covered in snakes. The Aztecs unknowingly
accepted the offer, and were taken on boats to
the island where they were left to live with the
snakes. The Toltecs had, once again unknowingly,
given the Aztecs, as they would soon be known, a [Fig. 1] A map of Mexico with sizes of the Aztec
source of food, as the Aztecs ate these Empire at different times.
dangerous snakes. Another important piece of the legend states that their voyage was due to the
priest having a dream of a vulture on a cactus eating a snake. When they arrived on the island, the
dream came true. This is also the origins of the symbol of Tenochtitlan, a vulture standing on a
cactus. The legend is probably more or less true, but the priest’s vision of the future was most likely
coincidence or mere construction.
The Aztecs arrived at their island home circa 1200AD. There they grew in power until they were
finally defeated by the Spanish. They began by conquering the Toltecs, and then moved on to the
surrounding areas until they controlled an area of almost the size of Mexico. The Aztecs, from
humble beginnings, grew to be the governing force of Central America.
[Fig. 2] A timeline showing Mesoamerican civilizations.
The Social and Political Structure of the Aztec Society
All Mesoamerican political structures were precise, clean, and ruthless in their execution. All
Mesoamerican city-states were ruled by a royal family, much like the Greeks. These rulers had three
jobs. They had to command the force of the city, create the
laws for the citizens, and be an important religious figure in the
community. These rulers often claimed that they were
descended from the gods, and were almost always men. The
first Aztec leaders were sourced from the army, and
commanders were promoted to leaders of the community. In
the later years of the Aztec civilization, hereditary rule was
[Fig. 3]A display of an Aztec peasant
woman’s attire.
introduced. The women played a major part in religious
ceremonies, but had nothing to do with the other aspects of control of the community.
Children had, again, a very controlled role in the Aztec Empire. A female teenager was able to
commit to a life solely in the Church at around the age of sixteen, but the males did not have this
option. Children would assist in tasks in the farm of their family, including at around the age of 2-4
helping with the smaller animals. The older children would assist the men in the fields, or the
women in the house, weaving baskets or rugs. As the children became older, they would have more
important tasks to complete. Children were very controlled from a very early age, leading to
complete obedience from them as adults.
Emperors had absolute power over the Aztec civilization. He ruled the whole of the Aztec civilization,
but was rarely seen by the public, and treated as a god. When he died, a hereditary successor was
chosen by a small group of priests, and was usually chosen for his military prowess. To help the
emperor, there was Cihuacoatl, meaning snake woman. She would deal with the day to day running
of the empire, and was a deputy emperor. Beneath her were the four generals, each in command of
one of the sections of Tenochtitlan. Beneath them was the emperor’s council. Below them, there
were the Tlatoani, the major nobles of their civilization. They would govern the provinces of the
empire. The lesser nobles, or Techhtlis, were referred to in the previous paragraph, and governed
the city-states within the provinces. It was possible to prove skill in battle to become a noble, but
most inherited their wealth hereditarily. These people only made up a very small fraction of the
population. Below the nobles were the normal people. If one of these people were born into the
world a female, they were condemned to a life of caring for the family at home or joining the
temples. If one was born into the world a male, they would have the choice of fishing, farming of
craftwork. There were thousands of peasants, and large numbers of slaves. These slaves were
criminals, enemy captives or poor people that wanted food and water in return for slavery.
The Great City of Tenochtitlan
The great City of Tenochtitlan was a city of wonder and amazement. The city was founded in the
middle of Lake Texcoco, around 1325 AD. This lake is in the central valley of Mexico, and is currently
the site of Mexican capital Mexico City. It is estimated that
over 200,000 people lived in the city by 1500AD, as opposed
to only 50,000 in London at the time. Throughout the Aztec
civilization, hundreds of thousands of people were sacrificed
in front of The Great Temple. The four zones of the city, and
the mainland, were connected by canals. Fresh water was
[Fig. 4] An artist’s impression of the great city
Tenochtitlan, with the four zones of the city
clearly visible.
brought in for the city by a huge stone aqueduct. Tenochtitlan was a city incredibly advanced for its
time.
Aztec construction was efficient and locally sourced. All houses were built from resources found in
the vicinity of the construction site, but the actual resources depended on the wealth of the
commissioner. Stone was the strongest material it was practical to build with at the time, and was
particularly expensive. It was only used for the most important buildings, like temples and palaces.
The homes of peasants were often made of sun dried bricks, or mud smeared on a supporting wood
frame. It is possible that these buildings had stone foundations, but this has not yet been proven.
Hall houses were simply furnished. The Emperor slept on straw mats, as did peasants and slaves. All
citizens used but a few jars and baskets, and had maybe one or two shelves for storage. Most houses
were in the shape of an L, or built around a courtyard with a bathroom outside and a small shrine to
the gods in the main room. This style was efficient, clean and cheap, and provided many houses for
the people of the civilization.
The Religion of the Aztecs
The Aztecs were zealously fond of their beliefs, and would murder in the thousands to keep their
gods happy. The Aztecs consistently believed that their world would soon come to an end. Ancient
Aztec legends told of this happening four times before, and each time the world had been said to
return. This was not to happen the next time the apocalypse came about, or so the Aztec priests
said. The first time this came about, the world was destroyed by water.
The second world was destroyed by wind, and the third fire. The fourth
time the world was destroyed by a rain of fire and blood. Each time the
world was reincarnated. This was not to happen this time, and a sacrifice
was made every fifty-two years to postpone this apocalypse. When this
happened, all people, good or bad, would be transported the the
underworld. After this, everyone would vanish after reaching Mictlan, or
the second underworld. The Aztecs also told of bizarre signs that would [Fig. 5] The 5th sun god
herald the end of the world. In 1519AD, these prophecies appeared to be Tonatiuh, in the centre of
coming true. They included three rings around the moon, thought to be the Aztec Calendar Stone.
the emperor’s mother, and the emperor experiencing strange phenomena. Montezuma did
experience strange phenomena, in the shape of dreams. Aztec astronomers observed eclipses of the
sun and a comet with a fiery tail. The religious zeal of the Aztecs was to be the final nail in the coffin.
In the war against the Spanish, the Aztecs managed to capture Cortes, but attempted to return him
to Tenochtitlan to be sacrificed, and was subsequently rescued by a Spaniard. The Aztecs’ religious
zeal, while comforting to them, was ultimately their downfall.
How the Aztec Empire expanded
War was essential to Aztec life. Without war, the Aztecs would have not been able to leave their
humble island and continue to conquer southern Mexico. War was an integral part of the Aztec
economy, and without it the civilization would have quickly collapsed. The tribute gained from other
Mesoamericans wanting peace was used to feed the citizens in the big cities. The Aztec religion
required that thousands of people were sacrificed every year to appease the gods, and war was a
source of many captives. Each new Aztec leader had to begin his reign with a battle, and had to win
his fame and glory for himself. In the 1400s, the Aztecs owned a region almost the size of modernday Mexico. The cities within this region were often governed by garrisons of Aztec soldiers and a
large number of officials, including tax collectors and scribes, linked
these cities to Tenochtitlan. The armies of the Aztecs were very large.
All men in the empire were taught how to fight and were prepared to
be moved to the front lines at very short notice, namely the beating
of the war drum in Tenochtitlan. The only armour an ordinary soldier
would receive was a tunic and leg guards of padded cotton, but the
army commanders of the Aztecs wore decorated uniforms with gold,
silver, feathers and fur. The leg guards of padded cotton were soaked
in saltwater, which was a cheap way of making armour that was very strong. The Aztecs, like the
Maya, greatly admired bravery, and the armies were led by nobles that had been promoted for a
brave deed in battle or taking many captives. It was a disgrace for a soldier to attempt to save his
own life, as it was more honourable for him to be killed in battle or sacrificed than survive. Aztec
men were required to keep their hair long, and only when they had captured their first prisoner
would they be allowed to shave it off. The Aztecs were a society based heavily on warfare, and their
entire society would have collapsed without it.
[Fig. 6] an artist’s impression of 3
different Aztec warriors.
What happened to the Aztecs?
The Aztec civilization was ravaged by disease and invasion all through the second half of the 14th
Century. When the Spanish invaded Mesoamerica, all hell broke loose. Montezuma greeted the
colonists as friends, seeing them as gods. Their calendar stone predicted the
return of Quetzalcoatl. He was described as a white person, even before Cortes
arrived. The Aztecs even predicted the year in which he would arrive correctly.
Today, it is mostly believed that this was pure luck on the Aztec’s part, but
some modern theorisers believe that this is a sign of the Aztec’s, and indeed, all
Mesoamerican civilizations’, ability to predict the future. The Spaniards toured
the Great City for 6 days. In their palace, they discovered a doorway that had
been bricked up. In a moment of boredom, they broke it down and discovered [Fig. 6]Hernan Cortes
riches beyond compare. Behind it there were several rooms filled with gold, in his prime
silver and jewels. Shortly afterwards, Cortes decided to seize the emperor as a
hostage. The Spaniard then proceeded to smash statues of Aztec gods and ordered Montezuma to
halt all human sacrifices. The Aztecs watched in horror as the Spanish had a chief burned alive for
killing his messengers, as they had not seen a burning before. The Spanish caught wind of another
Spanish expedition that had arrived to arrest Cortes and his men, and he quickly departed from the
city to conquer the threat. He left some Spanish behind to guard the city, and they attempted to halt
an important Aztec ceremony. In return, the Aztecs revolted and retook the city. When Cortes
returned, victorious over the threat, he found his men trapped by Aztecs in the palace. The Spaniard
sent Montezuma to deal with the crowd, but the Aztec Emperor was stoned to death in the furore
by his own people. Cortes then realized that his men would have to escape by night. As they crept
away, they were attacked by a huge, revenge-seeking Aztec Army and were handicapped by the
broken bridges. Many Spaniards, after hoarding so much gold on their person, drowned after
attempting to cross the rivers. In the retreat from Tenochtitlan, half of the Spanish were lost and
thousands of his Mesoamerican allies. Despite this, he still managed to reach the coast. With the
treat wiped out with almost no casualties, he waged war on the Aztecs. He returned to the city, and
when arriving at the lake, he constructed boats with cannons to
besiege the capital. The Aztecs fought desperately and for every
centimetre of the terrain, and each Spaniard that was captured
was immediately sacrificed. The Spanish could only watch as
their comrades were executed above The Great Temple. At one
stage of the battle, Cortes was captured and dragged away for
sacrifice. A Spaniard noticed the plight and quickly the Aztec was
slain, and Cortes rescued. Eventually the Great City could hold
[Fig. 7] The Spanish naval force coming
out no longer. Tenochtitlan had fallen and almost no resistance
to arrest Cortes. (Not all shown)
was met after the fall of The Great Temple. The Aztecs were
ravaged by disease, and without this the civilization would not have fallen. The Aztecs’ thriving
society had collapsed, and the remaining Mesoamerican civilizations would surely soon follow.
Bibliography
Websites:
Latin-American Studies http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/aztecs/aztecs21.gif
Mayan Aztec Prophecies http://www.apocalypse-soon.com/mayan_aztec_prophecies.htm
Books:
Detrates, J. (1992). What Do We Know About the Aztecs, Simon & Schuster, London.
MacDonald, F., (1998). Step Into the Aztec World, Lorenz, New York.
Wood, T. (1992) The Aztecs, Hamlin, London