Aztecs

At the height of their power, the Aztecs controlled a region stretching from the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico all the way east to the Gulf of Mexico and south to Guatemala. The term Aztec describes the culture that dominated the Central Valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries after the Triple Alliance. The people before the Triple Alliance are referred to as the Mexicas.

During the 12th century the Mexicas, a hunter gatherer people, left their homeland of Aztlan in search of a new place to call home. According to historians and anthropologists, Aztlan is suggested to be a place only existent in myths. Even the meaning of Aztlan translates into "place of the origin". By the middle of the 13th century, the Mexicas had migrated to the Valley of Mexico and settled along the western shore of Lake Texcoco, one of five lakes in the area. Upon arriving at the swampy site, their priests proclaimed the area as the place where they would become a great civilization according to omen. They believed Huitzilopochtli, one of their "gods", would direct them to found a city where they would see an eagle devouring a snake perched on a fruit bearing cactus plant. The site turned out to be a strategic location, with abundant food supplies and waterways for transportation. In 1325, they founded the city of TenochtitlÐ"ÐŽn. During the first 100 years at Lake Texcoco, they paid tribute to the stronger neighboring groups, especially to the Tepanecs of the city-state of Azcapotzalco. In 1428, however, the Mexica king Itzcoatl allied with two other states, Texcoco and Tlacopan, in order to defeat the Tepanecas of Azcapotzalco. This partnership laid the foundation for what would be later known as the Triple Alliance.

Over the next 100 years, the three states waged a series of conquests, eventually establishing an empire that included many different states and ethnic groups extending from central Mexico to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific shore. Gradually over time, the territories of the Triple Alliance became known as the Aztec Empire and TenochtitlÐ"ÐŽn became the dominant power.

Aztec society was an agricultural economy guided by a religion that pervaded every aspect of life. The Aztecs worshiped manifestations of natural forces which were vital to their agricultural market. Temples where human sacrifices took place were located atop of the stone pyramids which towered above the cities. Aztec art was primarily an expression of religion. Even warfare, which increased the empire's wealth and power, served the religious purpose of providing captives to be sacrificed.

The Aztec believed the supernatural manifested into both Tēōtl, the impersonal force, and Tēixiptlam, the physical representation. Most important was their patron deity, Huitzilopochtli, the personification of the sun and war. Huitzilopochtli was central to religious, social, and political practices. In order to prevent the evil gods from destroying the world, the Aztec fueled their benevolent gods with human sacrifices. Victims of sacrifice were usually prisoners of war, although Aztec warriors would sometimes volunteer for the more important sacrificial rituals. As four priests suppressed the victim on an altar at the top of a pyramid, another made an incision below the rib cage and pulled out the beating heart. The heart was then thrown into the fire and the corpse pushed down the steep steps; in contrast, a very brave or noble victim was carried down the steps. The Aztecs strongly believed in the afterlife. If a person passed away "normally", his or her soul would have to pass through the nine lives of the underworld before reaching Mictlan, the realm of the dead. As opposed to a warrior who died in battle or a woman that died in childbirth would go straight to the sun god in the sky.

Most of the art produced by the Aztec expressed aspects of their religion. Brilliantly colored paintings produced mainly on walls depicted religious ceremonies and stiff, angular gods. According to historians, poetry is where we find the real thoughts of the Aztecs independent of "official" Aztec ideology. A poet was the only occupation worthy of an Aztec warrior in peace times. Stone sculptures were often made to represent gods and sacrificial victims. One of their most famous surviving Aztec sculptures is the calendar stone, which weighs 22 metric tons and measures 3.7 m in diameter. The calendar stone represents the Aztec universe: the face of the Aztec sun god in the center, representing past and present eras, surrounded by circular bands denoting the cycles of the days and the heavens. According to their calendar, each day was controlled by two gods, each of which had a benevolent and a malevolent aspect. The calendar consisted of a 365 day calendar cycle and a 260 day ritual cycle. These two cycles together formed a 52 year "century", sometimes called the "Calendar Round".

The basic unit of Aztec society was the calpulli. In early Aztec history, it was thought of as a clan of families who claimed descent from a common ancestor. Each calpulli regulated its own affairs such as electing a council and officers to keep order. Over time, as TenochitlÐ"ÐŽn increased in size and power, the calpulli became political divisions of the city and were no longer based on family relationships. A tribal council composed of the leaders of each calpulli elected four chief officials. One of these four officials was selected as the tlatoani or ruler. After TenochtitlÐ"ÐŽn became the center of Aztec civilization, the tlatoani became the supreme ruler of the entire empire. This ruler was considered semi-divine, a descendant of the Aztec gods, and served as both military leader and high priest. His title was huey tlatoani, meaning "great lord" or "great speaker."

Aztec rulers and nobles owned the land on private estates. Most land for commoners was owned by a calpulli, which assigned its members plots to use. All able-bodied men owed military service to the empire and citizens could be drafted to work on public lands such as building temples, dikes, aqueducts, and roads. The high class, pilli, was supported by a noble class of priests, warriors, and administrators. Below these nobles were the common people, including merchants, artisans, soldiers, peasant farmers, and laborers. The traveling merchants who were often employed as spies were called pochteca. Slavery, not racially motivated, was common among the Aztecs. One became a slave by being captured in war, committing certain crimes, entering voluntarily, or by being sold by one's parents.

Although Aztec society had strict classes, a person's status could change based on his or her contribution to society. Commoners could improve their rank by performing well