16.3 – Aztecs Control Central Mexico
Valley of Mexico
• Mountainous basin high above sea level
• Large shallow lakes & the center
• Large quantities of accessible resources
• Very fertile soil• Attractive area for
people to develop a civilization
“City of the Gods” • 1st major civilization = city-state of Teotihuacán (~200k people)
• Contained 20+ pyramids dedicated to the gods
• Apartment-block housing for the people
• Center of a trade for Central America– Obsidian = weapons
• Conquer & influence much of Mesoamerica
• City mysteriously abandoned in 750 A.D.
Toltecs• ~900 A.D. – Toltecs rise to power
• Rule from Tula (capital)• Warlike people centered on
conquest = practice human sacrifice
• After 1000: Topiltzin tries to follow Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent)– Warriors revolt & he is
exiled• Toltecs decline afterwards
& lose power by early 1200s
Empire• 1200: Aztecs enter valley• Poor nomadic people
from Northern Mexico– Adapt culture & work
as mercenaries• Huitzilopochtli (God of
Sun) tells Aztecs to found own city (p. 454)
• 1325: Found Tenochtitlán on Lake Texcoco
Aztec Power• 1428: Form the Triple Alliance w/ Texcoco & Tlacopan
• Early 1500s: Empire stretches 80k sq. miles & contains 5-15m people
• Power based on military conquest & tribute– Gold, cotton, jade, etc.
• Often allowed local rulers to maintain power
• Brutally put down resistance – slaughter villages
Society • Emperor = absolute power
• Noble Class – military leaders, government officials, & priests– Ruled as lords of estates
• Commoners – merchants, artisans, farmers, & soldiers– Own land– Merchants – elite, travel
as spies, gain wealth
• Enslaved Persons – low
Tenochtitlán• Early 1500s: 200-400k
people• 3 causeways connected city
w/ mainland• City connected by vast
network of roads• Tlatelolco (market): traded
all goods of the empire• Food supplied by chinampas
(raised land on marshes)• Center: Palaces, temples, &
the Great Temple (Sun & Rain Gods)
Chinampas
Religion • Religion ruled Aztec life– Worshipped ~1,000 gods
• Adopt many gods from other cultures (i.e. Quetzalcoatl)
• Practiced elaborate public ceremonies– Win favor of the gods
• Offerings, dances, songs, & plays made up ceremonies
• Calendar include festivals to honor specific gods
Sacrifice• Huitzilopochtli (Sun God) =
most important = most important rituals– Made the sun rise & had to
fight evil to do it each day
• Practiced human sacrifice to give him strength to fight
• Belief: Sun would not rise w/o offerings & plunge world into darkness
• Victims: slaves, criminals, tributes, & prisoners-of-war (main source)
Problems• 1502: Montezuma II crowned emperor
• Provinces rebel due to greater demands of tribute & sacrifice
• Reforms fail & bad omens occur– Ex. Lightning striking the
Great Temple
• Greatest Threat = The Spanish:– Bring disease, guns & horses– The return of Quetzalcoatl
Conquest of Mexico
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