Embedded Files
Aztec Civilization.mp4
The Aztec were a people who created one of the most powerful civilizations in the early Americas. Historians call this civilization the Aztec Empire.
A lost civilization
The Aztec found the ruins of an ancient civilization near the area where they settled. The Aztec were so impressed with the magnificent ruins that they called them Teotihuacán (teh-aw-tee-wah-KAHN), which means "the city where gods are born."
The civilization of Teotihuacán existed hundreds of years before the Aztec. Their ruins inspired Aztec culture.
The Aztec established their empire in present-day Mexico. Mexico is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.
Historians can learn about the Aztec Empire by studying a type of primary source called a codex.A codex is a handwritten book used to record information. People from Mesoamerica, the region in Central America where the Aztec lived, used drawings when they wrote a codex.
One famous Aztec codex tells the story of how the Aztec left their home in a place called Aztlán and migrated to the Valley of Mexico.
Where is the Valley of Mexico?
The Valley of Mexico is located in present-day Mexico. It is located on a plateau that is more than 7,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by even taller mountains. Together, the mountains and plateau form the valley. In the time of the Aztec, there was a lake at the bottom of this valley.
There were many different groups of Aztec people, and they migrated to the Valley of Mexico at different times. Each group had its own history, traditions, and way of governing. But all of the groups came from Aztlán.
Historians use a source called the Boturini Codex to learn about the Aztec migration. Today, researchers believe that the eight people on the left side of this codex page each represent a different Aztec group.
History books used to look very different
Historians have not always recorded history in books. In ancient times, people used to record information on scrolls, which are long rolls of paper, papyrus, or parchment. Scrolls allowed people to write long texts, such as historical accounts of an important event. But scrolls were not perfect. For example, it could be hard to find pieces of information within a scroll.
Many civilizations developed the codex to overcome some of the challenges of scrolls. Like modern books, a codex is made up of individual pages that are all numbered and bound together. This organization makes it easier for readers to find information by page number and to remember where information is in the text.
There were many different groups of Aztec people. Each Aztec group created its own city and government. But things changed when one group of Aztec people called the Mexica started to organize the Aztec Empire.
When the Aztec moved to the Valley of Mexico, the Mexica were the last group to arrive. Other groups had already claimed most of the land, so the Mexica were left with few choices for where to build their homes.
The eagle, the snake, and the cactus
According to legend, the god of the sun ordered the Mexica to leave Aztlán. The god told them they would find an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake. This would be the sign they had found their new home.
The Mexica wandered for many years looking for the god's sign. One day, the Mexica were wandering in the marshes of Lake Texcoco. There, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake. At that place, the Mexica founded a city called Tenochtitlán, which means "the place of the prickly pear cactus."
The Mexica decided to build their permanent settlement on an island in Lake Texcoco. The Mexica settled on this island because it protected them from attacks by other Aztec groups. But living on this island came with many challenges. The Mexica came up with several creative solutions to address these challenges.
Floating roads
In order to grow their society, the Mexica had to be able to trade with other societies. But living on an island in the middle of a lake surrounded by marshes made trade difficult.
The Mexica transported goods using canoes. But transporting large quantities of goods in canoes was slow. So, the Mexica built three causeways, or roads built over water, that connected their island to the shores of the lake. The causeways were miles long, and they had floating bridges that could be raised to allow boats to pass.
As the Mexica transformed their island in Lake Texcoco into a place where they could live, their population began to grow. The Mexica needed a way to produce food to feed all the people in their community. To do this, they changed the way they farmed. Read the text. Then answer the question below.
The Mexica people living in Lake Texcoco changed the swampy areas of the lake to make it possible to farm. They dug soil from the shallow areas of the lake to build raised mounds above the water. These mounds were called chinampas. When the chinampas were finished, they looked like miniature islands. The Mexica people used these islands, or floating gardens, to farm crops like corn and chilli peppers.
Master farmers!
Using chinampas was one of the most productive agricultural practices in the early Americas. Crops were fertilized by the mud from the chinampas and by the lake's brackish water, or mix of salt water and fresh water from the lake. The chinampas soil was so fertile that the Mexica were able to grow seven different crops every year on the same plot of land!
By the 1500s, the Mexica had turned the island where they settled into a city called Tenochtitlán (teh-nawch-tee-TLAHN). The city had the biggest market of any of the early American civilizations. People from all over the Valley of Mexico came to the market in Tenochtitlán to buy and sell goods.
The biggest market in the Americas!
The market of Tenochtitlán was the biggest market in the Americas in the 1500s. Here are some of the goods you could have found in the market:
Quetzal feathers that were often used in ceremonial garments
Cocoa beans that could be used to make drinks
Obsidian, a volcanic rock that could be used to make weapons
The Mexica organized Tenochtitlán as a city-state. Many other Mesoamerican cultures had city-states, too. A city-state was made up of a city and its surrounding territory. Each city-state had its own government and made decisions about agriculture and trade.
What is Tenochtitlán like today?
Today, Tenochtitlán and other Aztec city-states are gone, and Lake Texcoco is dried up. In their place is Mexico City, one of the biggest cities in the world!
By the 1500s, Tenochtitlán was one of the most important city-states in Mesoamerica. Read the text. Then follow the instructions below.
As Tenochtitlán became stronger, its leaders wanted to make the city-state more wealthy. So, they formed alliances with two other city-states, and the three city-states agreed to work together to gain more territory. To gain territory, the members of the alliance invaded weaker city-states. Then, they forced the people there to pay taxes. The alliance conquered territory all over Mesoamerica and Tenochtitlán became wealthy from the taxes it collected.
Today, we call the government that the Mexica and their allies created the Aztec Empire. Many historians also call this empire the Empire of the Triple Alliance because it started when three Aztec city-states worked together.
alliances: partnerships
Creating an alliance through marriage
At first, the two other city states in the alliance did not think that the Mexica were wise enough to rule. They believed that the Mexica did not have important history or traditions.
In order to form the Triple Alliance, the Mexica had to prove that they were wise and important. So, the Mexica leaders married descendants of the ancient Toltec civilization. The Toltec were considered to be very important. These marriages convinced the other two city-states that the Mexica were worthy to be a part of building an empire.
The ruler of the Aztec Empire lived in Tenochtitlán and was called the tlatoani (tlah-TOH-ah-nee), or king. The tlatoani was the most powerful person in Aztec society. But the city-states that made up the Aztec Empire had their own local rulers, too. Read the text. Then follow the instructions below.
The tlatoani was in charge of holding the empire together. He made sure that people from all social classes and all city-states across the empire paid their taxes. He also was in charge of responding to crises such as foreign invasions, natural disasters, or rebellions.
Local leaders were the most powerful people within a single city-state. They controlled all the land surrounding the city. Local leaders made laws and sometimes worked as judges.
Why did Aztec people have to pay taxes?
The city-states within the Aztec Empire were given a lot of freedom as long as they paid their taxes. The Aztecs did not use coins or paper money. So to pay taxes, each person would give the tax collector textiles or other items they grew or made.
Taxes were important because they gave the government resources like stone for building projects and textiles for the uniforms of warriors. If a city-state refused to pay taxes, the tlatoani would send an army to scare the local leaders. If a local leader kept refusing to pay taxes, the tlatoani would appoint a new local leader.
In all of the city-states in the Aztec Empire, society was organized in the same way. Each person in the empire belonged to one of four social classes.
Did Aztec people go to school?
Education was important to the Aztec. All children in Aztec society received an education regardless of their social class or gender! Children were taught Aztec history, philosophy, and cultural practices like how to perform certain religious rituals.
Unlike commoners, nobles went to special schools. In these schools, boys learned to be either priests or warriors, and girls were taught crafts, singing, dancing, and medicine. Commoners that proved to be very smart could attend the schools for nobles.
In Aztec society, the tlatoani and nobles were wealthy because commoners paid them taxes. Commoners used things they made, hunted, traded, or harvested to pay these taxes. Look at the page of a codex. It shows the taxes paid by people from a city-state in the Aztec Empire.
The Aztec used algae to pay their taxes!
Living in a saltwater lake had its advantages. For example, the Aztec people could harvest algae, a plant that grows in water. Algae became an important part of the Aztec diet because it is rich in nutrients. The Aztec even used algae to make a type of cake!
Do people still eat algae?
Yes! In fact, today you can buy the algae that the Aztec harvested, spirulina, in the vitamins section of some supermarkets! It can also be bought as a powder to add to smoothies.
The Aztec lived in Central America between the 1300s and 1500s. An Aztec group called the Mexica founded the city of Tenochtitlán on an island in Lake Texcoco. The Aztec had to adapt to their environment. So, they adopted a style of farming using chinampas. The founders of Tenochtitlán became more powerful by creating an alliance with two other city-states. Over time, they created the Aztec Empire and gained a lot of territory in Mesoamerica.
We still don't know everything about the Aztec!
In 1978, an ancient Aztec monolith, or large rock that served as a monument, was uncovered in Mexico City. This discovery prompted Mexican authorities to conduct an archaeological excavation in the heart of the city. The ruins were discovered during the time of this excavation.
Have all Aztec ruins been found?
We don't know! Many archaeologists believe there are many more Aztec towns and ruins that are yet to be discovered. Maybe you will find one of them!
Page updated
Report abuse