The Aztec Empire

768 Words4 Pages
The Aztec is a major tribe living in Mexico. Many theories and myths have been used to explain the existence and origin of the Aztec. The formation of the Aztec empire was as a result of gradual evolution caused by the interaction between social entities and political influence in Northern Mexico, in the Valley of Mexico. This research paper explains the origin of the Aztec, their fluoresce and fall. Mythically, it is believed that Aztlan was the original home of the Aztecs. However, archaeologists and scientists have not yet identified the geographical location of Aztlan, perhaps because Aztlan was destroyed around 1428 C.E. according to myths originating from Aztlan, the land was sacred and the indigenous people attached special significance…show more content…
Chinampas were raised grounds surrounded by water on which farming was carried out. The chinampas provided the Aztecs with an opportunity to create their infrastructure and expand their rule in the Valley of Mexico and far. Additionally and importantly, the chinampas played a great role to support the Aztec in the conquest and sustenance of their empire (Aghajanian, 2007). Before the empire came into existence, the Valley of Mexico had approximately 40 city-states. The distinct polities territories were called city-state, commonly known as senario in Spanish. As the empire absorbed the city-states, it was faced with administrative problems brought about by the number of growing dependency and the large amount of information originating from the city-states. (Berdan, 1998). The rulers in Aztec made regular pilgrimages to Teotihuacan, a city they believed to been built by giants. The city was very important to the Aztecs as it was where their government and legal systems came into existence. Teotihuacan was a source of inspiration for the Aztecs and the culture was passed on from one generation to…show more content…
One of the Aztec gods was Tlaloc; the god responsible for rain and Tezcatlipoca; the god for smoking mirror. They believed Tezcatlipoca engaged in a fight with his brother Quetzacoatl and cast him on earth. Tezcatilopa later on changed into a jaguar and ate every form of life on earth. Tlaloc then turned himself into the Sun and created the world of the third Sun. The Aztecs believed that the if sacrifices were made, appeased the gods who put the Sun in the sky and ensured it journeyed from east to west, and the sacrifices included human and livestock (Bingham,
Open Document