INTRO TO AZTECS 1325 – 1521AD

THE MEXICA• The Aztecs started as a nomadic tribe,

according to their own legends, from a place called Aztlan, somewhere to the north of present-day Mexico.

• They left Aztlan in about the 12th century AD, the word Aztec derives from this place

• Their own name for themselves is the Mexica, which subsequently provides the European names for Mexico City and Mexico.

Boturini Codex. Aztecs leave Aztlan on 1116 AD. Huizilopochtli on right.

CHICOMOZTOCChicomoztoc is the name for the mythical origin place of the Aztec Mexica, Tepanecs, Acolhuas, and other Nahuatl-speaking of central Mexico.Chicomoztoc: “the place of the seven caves”Every tribe was aided by a patron god for their final destination. The Mexica were led into the Valley of Mexico by the war god HuitzilopotchliThe seven tribes of the Nahua were the Acolhua, Chalca, Mexica, Tepanecs, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalan, and XochimilcaPlease Note: The Caves are symbolized as being alive, having either teeth or some sort of movement

FOUNDING OF TENOCHTITLAN• The Mexica/Aztec were said to be guided by

their god Huitzilopochtli, meaning "Left-handed Hummingbird" or "Hummingbird from the South."

• At an island in Lake Texcoco, they saw an eagle holding a rattlesnake in its talons, perched on a nopal cactus.

• This vision fulfilled a prophecy telling them that they should found their new home on that spot

• The Aztecs built their city of Tenochtitlan on that site, building a great artificial island, which today is in the center of Mexico City.

CREATION MYTHAccording to legend, when the Mexicas arrived in the Anahuac valley around Lake Texcoco, they were considered by the other groups as the least civilized of all but the Mexica decided to learn, and they took all they could from other people, especially from the ancient Toltec. To the Aztec, the Toltec were the originators of all culture; "Toltecayotl" was a synonym for culture.

TENOCHTITLAN :

• After two centuries of migration and warfare, the Aztecs finally settle within the area now covered by Mexico City.

• They choose an uninhabited island in Lake Texcoco and settled in 1325 AD. They would call their settlement Tenochtitlan.

Although surrounded by enemy tribes, Tenochtitlan would be the center of a widespread empire.

• Stretching rapidly across Mexico down to Central America within a century.

• Unlike European empires, the Aztec empire was not based on territory or trade but on their cult of war.

CREATION MYTH OF THE

FIFTH SUN Because the Aztec adopted and combined several traditions with their own earlier traditions, they had several creation myths. One of these, the Five Suns describes four great ages preceding the present world, each of which ended in a catastrophe, and "were named in function of the force or divine element that violently put an end to each one of them“Our age (Nahui-Ollin), the fifth age, or fifth creation, began in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. According to the myth, all the gods had gathered to sacrifice themselves and create a new age. Although the world and the sun had already been created, it would only be through their sacrifice that the sun would be set into motion and time as well as history could begin.

CREATION OF HUITZILOPOCH

TLI Coatlicue was the mother of Centzon Huitznahua ("Four Hundred Southerners"), her sons, and Coyolxauhqui, her daughter. She found a ball filled with feathers and placed it in her waistband, becoming pregnant with Huitzilopochtli. Her other children became suspicious as to the identity of the father and vowed to kill their mother. She gave birth on Mount Coatepec, pursued by her children, but the newborn Huitzilopochtli defeated most of his brothers, who became the stars. He also killed his half-sister Coyolxauhqui by tearing out her heart using a Xiuhcoatl (a blue snake) and throwing her body down the mountain. This was said to inspire the Aztecs to rip the hearts out of their victims and throw their bodies down the sides of the temple dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, who represents the sun chasing away the stars at dawn.

RELIGION • The patron deity of the Aztecs is

Huitzilopochtli, god of war and symbol of the sun.

• This is a lethal combination. Every day the young warrior uses the weapon of sunlight to drive from the sky the creatures of darkness - the stars and the moon.

• Every evening he dies and they return. For the next day's fight he needs strength. His diet is human blood

•Thus, it is the obligation of humans on earth to feed the Sun god the most precious element on earth- human blood.

• Huitzilopochtli is the creator of man of the sun, the reciprocity of human blood for life is the definition of our concept of duality.

RELIGIONAztec religion is composed of a pantheon of gods. Gods exists for almost every spectrum and stage of life. Water gods, fertility gods, gods for the celestial bodies, gods for the underworld, god for festivities, gods of flowers and plants etcs. Gods are also adopted for groups of people. Example: Huehuecoyotl is the god of dance and music and is the patron god for feather workers.

EMPERORS (TLATOANI)The Aztec Empire is an autocratic, absolute and hereditary monarchy. The emperor of the Aztec Empire is worshipped as a living god, son of the gods and supreme ruler of the empire. The emperor rules the nation with an iron fist. He and his family reside in the Palace of Tenochtitlan, in the heart of the city. The emperor has infallibility, inviolability and his word is law.

*The emperor (Tlatoani) Acamapichtli was a direct descent of the Toltecs! The Aztec empire will have a total of 13 emperors.

ECONOMY The Aztec empire existed through a system of tribute and trade. Every ethnic group, town, social group, and producers of goods had to pay tribute to the emperor.

These goods were then distributed throughout their society.

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION The Aztecs followed a strict social hierarchy in which individuals were identified as nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), or slaves. The noble class consisted of government and military leaders, high level priests, and lords (tecuhtli).

AGRICULTURE Chinampas: is a method of Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.

CURRENCY Cacao: Just like the Maya, the cacao was considered highly precious and valuable and was used for currency.

ART & ARCHITECTURE To fully understand Aztec art and architecture, an extensive examination of Aztec cosmology, mythology and culture is required because most Aztec structures were religiously charged. Because the empire was built through conquest, the Aztecs had to find ways to intergrade various dominated ethnic groups. Thus, the Aztecs relied on their architecture and artwork to promote their worldview. The massive structures reflected the military might of the empire.