History of Aztec Civilizatiion, Culture and Simbol
The Aztecs were a group of people who belonged to one of the major ethnic groups in central Mexico.
They were the dominant inhabitants of Central America from the 14th to the 16th century before the arrival
of the Spanish. They spoke the Nahuatl language and the name Aztec actually means “people from
Aztlan”. The Aztecs and other Náhuatl-speaking indigenous peoples of ancient Mexico all belong to the
Uto-Aztecan Linguistic Group. Aztecs dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th
centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.
Aztec civilization was formed in the Valley of Mexico, but Aztec history dates back to the time when
they were still in Central America, in a mythical island called Aztlan which they referred to as “the place
for Herons.” The Aztecs migrated from Central America to Mexico because they were driven out by the
Spanish. This is why they also call themselves Mexica, though they are not originally from Mexico. The
Aztecs were part of a tribe called Chichemeca, who migrated southwards in Northern Mexico and
southwest United States.
The Valley of Mexico was where the Aztec empire was established and has become the core of ancient
Aztec civilization. Their first home was an island in the middle of Lake Chapultepec (Place of the
Grasshopper), which is now in Downtown Mexico City. This is where the Aztec Triple Alliance was
formed, which consisted of the city-states of Texcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlan. These three formed an
alliance to fight a war with the state of Azcapotzalco to claim the Valley of Mexico. The alliance was
headed primarily by the Aztecs, who extended Aztec civilization through military and trade conquest. The
Aztecs did not force their way into city states through the use of force; but rather, they established leaders
to rule the city-states that were turned over to them. These states all paid tribute to one emperor—the
Aztec emperor, Huey Tlatoani. The emperor extended Aztec civilization by strategically limiting
communication and trade in the conquered city-states to make the citizens dependent on the empire.
Aztec culture is very rich and diverse. Iconography or the use of symbols dominated their literature and
their art. They also took religion seriously as they worshipped over a hundred Aztec gods, each god
having their own Nahuatl name. Aztec religion is a Mesoamerican religion combining elements of
polytheism, shamanism and animism within a framework of astronomy and calendrics. One of the
cultural traits of the Aztecs, which they have in common with other cultures, is the agricultural basis of
maize cultivation. They also had a social hierarchy that separated the noble class from the common man;
their noble class was called “pipiltin” and the lower class was called “macehualli.” The Aztecs also had
their own Aztec calendar, which had symbols for every day and every occasion of the year. Human
sacrifice was practiced to some extent by many peoples of difference religious beliefs, including Aztecs in
Mesoamerica (and for that matter, around the world) for many centuries.
The Aztec empire was purely hegemonic. While it did not have supreme authority over all of its city
states, as the empire did not rule each individual state directly, they did have hegemony over trade and
communication. Since the Aztec emperor assigned rulers for each city-state, he did not interfere in local
politics and local affairs; all he required of them was to pay tribute.
The Aztec people supplied and traded feathers, greenstone beads, cloth, food, and firewood. People from the
conquered city states were required to pay tribute at least twice to four times in a year. This tribute is a burden to
most of the lower class population as they were forced to work harder just to be able to give their share of tribute at
least twice a year.
The Aztec society generally had a class-based economy, where most of the lands were owned by the noble class,
while the lower class rented lands either by direct payment through goods or payment through slavery. The economy
was also divided into two parts: the political sector and the economic sector. The political sector was ruled by the
kings and the noble class, and the commercial sector was a different economy altogether as it was completely
independent from the political sector. The commercial sector employed the barter system, where people traded
goods for other goods.
Aztec Civilization
The Importance of Aztec Symbols
The Aztecs were a group of people belonging to one of the ethnic groups in Mexico. They spoke the
Nahuatl language and a lot of them resided in Mesoamerica in the 14th to 16th centuries. The Aztecs
worshipped a lot of Gods, there are about 114 gods all used as Nauhatl names. The Valley of Mexico is
considered the core of Aztec civilization because this is where the Aztec Triple Alliance was formed, a
very important branch of the Aztec civilization.
The Aztecs were famous for their symbols, which were usually attributed to their gods, to war, to politics
and to Aztec art. Aztec symbols were a very important part of their civilization. The Aztecs used
symbolism for a lot of their day to day activities. They used it for the Aztec calendar, for name, titles, in
writing and in clothing.
Aztec symbols were also used to tell fortune. Anyone who wants to study Aztec symbolism should know
that much of it was focused on war and religion. Most of the symbols portrayed the Aztec gods while in
battle.
Aztec civilization revolved around the Aztec empire. The empire was created in the year 1427 and
consisted of the Triple alliance which involved the city-states, Texococo, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan.
These city states became allies to defeat the state of Azcapotzalco.
Since the civilization itself was built around the prospect of war, it is no wonder that most of the Aztec
symbols were used to represent war and religion. These symbols were created to look like real life
people and forms of nature. The most common of these symbols were snakes, dogs, jaguars, birds and
even some insects. These things were not mere animals portrayed through symbols, they represented
something bigger. More than their appearances, there were meanings behind them. It would take awhile
and perhaps someone who is highly knowledgeable about the culture of the Aztecs to dissect these
symbols and explain what they really meant. As these symbols were usually intertwined and combined to
mean something, rather than a single entity, they were very much correlated with each other.
One of the most common uses for Aztec symbols was for writing. The Aztecs were highly creative people
and they employ not just one, but several methods for writing their literature. One such method is writing
through the use of symbols, also known as ideograms or iconography. These essentially involved the use
of various Aztec symbols to convey the messages they want others to know. The Aztecs understood
symbolism more than anything else and perhaps more than any other culture. One example would be a
warrior in battle who is brandishing his weapon. This means that the warrior has defeated his enemy.
There are many other symbolisms, and those that were related to their religion is perhaps the most
complicated to interpret.
The Aztecs had symbols for everything, even regular events and most especially celebrations. Rituals for
their gods had different symbols associated with each god, a birth of a new baby had a corresponding
symbol and the conquest in battle also had its corresponding symbol. Perhaps one of the most famous
symbols in the Aztec culture is the sun stone. This stone represents the Aztec calendar and had many
different symbols on it. Most of the Aztec symbols in the Aztec calendar symbolized each of their gods.
For example, the flower represented Huehuecoyotl, the god of stories and the rabbit represents
Mayahuel, the god of fertility.
Aztec symbols can be found everywhere. Aztec temples are filled with them, and these temples are also
representations of something. Most of their temples were designed to represent mountains and hills. The
Aztec had a very rich and diverse culture and their symbolism is just one aspect of it.
Tenochititlan The Capitol City of Aztecs – Pyramids
Aztec Calendar