Maize, a type of corn, was the Aztec's main food source. The Aztecs also ate tomatoes, avocados, atole (a type of porridge), tortillas made from maize, and tamales, a kind of envelope made from steamed maize stuffed with vegetables or meat.

The Aztecs had an alcoholic drink called octli. An octli gatherer would take the sap out of the maguey plant and put it in a large jug. Then they would let the sap rot and then they would drink it. Octli was reserved strictly for nobles, royalty, and warriors.

http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/food.html

The Aztecs were the first to serve chocolate as a drink, but they also mixed it with hot chili pepper to make a really special beverage. Try something exotic with your hot chocolate today. You can always reduce the amount of chili if it's too hot for you.

Ingredients:1 2/3 cups milk1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise1 red chili pepper, split with seeds removed1 cinnamon stick, around 3-4"1 1/2 oz chocolate (bittersweet)

Preparation:Simmer milk in a saucepan with vanilla bean, cinnamon and chili. Heat through for about a minute. Whisk in grated chocolate, and continue to simmer until melted. Remove from heat and let 'steep' for another 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and serve. Serves 2.

This "Aztec invention" really came along long before the time of the Aztecs.  However, it was the Aztecs that introduced it to the rest of the world. Groups such as the Zapotec (of Mexico) and Moche (of Peru) popped their own corn long before the days of the Aztecs.  But when the Spanish arrived, Hernan Cortes saw popcorn for the first time.  It was used as an ornament on headdresses, and to adorn their god Tlaloc, the god of maize and fertility.  The Spanish wrote that the Aztecs had "a kind of corn that bursts when parched and discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower".  

Identifying the Aztec temples has been a tricky job at times. It's been easy to simply assume that large, monumental structures such as pyramids are all either palaces or temples, but that may not be the case. Still, we do have a good understanding of what happened in the religious areas and how the many of the buildings looked hundreds of years ago.

MaquahuitlPerhaps the best known ancient Aztec weapon is the maquahuitl (macahuitl).  This is sometimes compared to the sword, and it was a powerful, close contact weapon.  Like the European sword, they came in two varieties - one handed and two handed.  Made from wood (usually oak), they were about 3-4" wide and 3-4' long.  The two handed versions might be slightly wider and as tall as a person.  Embedded in the edges was obsidian (volcanic stone) or flint.

The Aztec civilization was a highly advanced and filled with unique customs, a comprehensive language, and amazing technology. The history of the Aztec civilization is one that has long been admired and studied by people around the world.

Games and sports were an important component of the Aztec culture. Beyond providing the Aztecs with a means of entertainment and activity, ancient Aztec

games had a religious meaning and were often played as a part of their ritualistic ceremonies or during

sacrifice.

The Aztec economy was very specialized and intricate. A variety of goods were produced within the Aztec empire, including tools, pottery, figurines, jewelry, cloth, and baskets. These goods were either made specifically for the ruler or sold in the local markets.

As the empire grew and became strong, many peoples became a part of the Aztec system.  In the

world of the Aztecs, the gods had power over people, through the leadership of the emperor and

nobles, and of course through the priests.  Interestingly, though, when it came to law, religion was less of a factor than in most of Aztec daily life.

 Practicality played a larger role.

There are many different forms of attire worn by the aztec and other Mesoamerican peoples that lived in the Aztec empire. The clothing styles preferred by the Aztecs were  similar to the clothing that was worn by many other groups in Mexico and lots of Mesoamerica. Like any other culture the Aztecs were influenced by their environment which makes there style of clothing very noticble! The most basic form of clothing that an Aztec could wear was breechcloth, which was called "maxtlatl."

-The breechcloth was a type of Loincloh which is a type of  material.

-This piece of material would normally be in the shape of a rectangle, and it would be placed between the thighs of the person who wore it.

-It was held together by either a belt or string.

-The primary purpose of the breechcloth was to conceal the genitals.

-The Aztecs would often wear the breechcloth under a cloak or cape, and this cloak would be called the tilmatli.

-The tilmatli was important to the Aztec, it was worn to determine the staus of a person who wore it in society.

- Most of these cloths above were worn by aztec men. The women wore blouses which was called the huipilli, and they also wore a skirt called the cueitl.

- Another form of clothing that was very important to the Aztec was sandals. The type of sandals you wore determined your overall status in Aztec society. In most cases, only the men of the nobility would wear sandals, and many of the commoners didn't wear much foot wear.

Feathers played an important role to the Aztec. The rich feathers worn by the ancient Aztecs have become world famous. Jewelry was of very important and a large amount of gold worn by the Aztecs is testament to the power and strength of their empire. The clothing worn by the Aztecs is very distinct, and it is one of their most best characteristics.

-Religion was a very important part in the Aztecs life.

-They believe that there everything they do and their actions could either please or displease the Aztecs gods.

-In cases where they displeased the gods, they would capture people and offer them as sacrifices.

-These people believed that if they made human sacrifices that it would make the Gods happy and they would be rewarded with nourishment.

-The Aztecs were very committed to their beliefs; their beliefs were huge and varied in many different ways.

-The Aztecs believed in heaven and hell. In fact, they believed in multiple heavens and hells, 9 hells and 13 heavens to be exact.

-The Aztecs named and worshipped nearly 1000 Aztecs gods. However, the most important god to the Aztecs was the sun god.

-One of the most celebrated religious days was the O'Nothing Days. During this time, priests would get dressed up like gods and go to an extinct volcano to perform human sacrifices.

-These sacrifices would occur when the evening star raised high in the sky. The sacrifice would be placed over either a stone chosen just for this purpose or an altar. -The victims' hearts would be set on fire and torn out of their chests. Once removed from their bodies, it would be lifted toward the sun and placed in a dish that was believed to be sacred.

-The bodies would be pushed down the stairs of the temple. Lots of people easily gave up their bodies, because they believed that it was an instant ticket to heaven.

In the Aztec culture, their belief of having an afterlife was very strong. However, in many Western religions they believe that it depended on how you lived. On the other hand the Aztecs believed that how you died determined where you would end up. Individuals would immediately go to the sun god after death if they died fighting in a war. Women who died while giving birth to a child also enjoyed this privilege. Individuals, who died for any other reason, had to travel through the underworld before reaching the resting place of the dead.

-Languages similar to the Aztec language have existed in Central Mexico for perhaps 1400 years.  -As early as 600AD, languages known as Nahuan were spoken by people in the area.  They believe that the people that spoke these languages came from the north in groups, settling in Mexico. -Speakers of languages such as Nahuatl (the Aztec language) began to gain power, and by 1000AD (CE) it is likely that Nahuatl speakers were the dominant power.

-One of the last Nahuatl speaking groups to come to the area was the Mexica, who would become a powerful force in the founding of the Aztec empire.

-As the empire grew, so did the influence of Nahuatl (also called Classical Nahuatl, Mexicano or Aztec).  -It was a language of trade, and a language of prestige.  It was used in literature extensively.

The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.

Just a few of the Aztec accomplishments have been the development of mathematics, the canoe, the highly specialized Aztec calendar, and remarkably helpful forms of medicine, hot chocolate, popcorn, mandatory education.

The Aztecs where very important to us today, they showed us many thing like , boats , popcorn , calendars , and hot chocolate. These may not seem like important things today , but just think what would happen if we didn’t have these basic things in life.

As Aztecs grew in people. So did it’s military. But they still knew they couldn’t be the most powerful alone. So they would team up with other tribes in the area. By doing so they would form an alliance and in time created an empire that extended from Central Mexico to the Guatemalan border.

Religion in Military

The Military power was due in part to religious belief in warfare then opposed to war as being part of their duty. They took warfare as serious business to not just expand but to bring prisoners for sacrifice to their gods and goddesses.

The prisoners were used for less important rituals. Where as for major rituals they would use one of their own warriors (Who would volunteer himself) since it would be ultimate honor for him to either be slain in battle or sacrificed. As for Prisoners….they are less fortunate and forced into such where they are stretched upon a convex stone and had their heart cut out with a very sharp knife.

Battles and wars For fights to commence between armies loud shouting and pounding of drums are heard first. Aztec warriors wore costumes to scare their enemies away. Jaguars and eagles are only two of the costumes worn. But the costumes also stated spiritual status that these warriors had. Capturing prisoners In battle the Aztecs would not kill their enemies in battle but slice at the opponents legs so they could be easily captured. And thus they were sacrificed. Armor

It was easy to tell rank by the amount of time put into the armor the warrior wore. Higher ranks wore more ornate while common warriors wore normal armor. One common shield was chimalli it was made of different kinds of materials and often had feathers or other features in front. Another common shield is called Ichahuipilli. The shield was about to fingers thick and was resistant to obsidian clubs and the Atlatl. It was used by the warriors of higher ranking.

Training Aztecs from birth are treated as future warriors. A baby boy was cut from it’s umbilical cord where it was dried and buried in a battlefield. It was meant that the boy would grow up dedicated to war and training to be a warrior. The right for passage was capturing their first prisoner.

Weapons

In order for the Aztecs to be great warriors they needed weapons. They’re weapons consisted of slings, bows and arrows, knives as the most common however noble warriors had different weapons from common warriors that were sometimes harder for the opponent to recover. However darts and spears were the most common of their weapons.

The art of the Aztecs like any other culture and religion came from it’s history. Techniques and themes of the art was influenced by hundred/thousands of years of artistry in that part of the world.

Owning art

The commons were not allowed to even own works of art. If only you were creating or selling art were you allowed, but some of the art would have to go to the higher classes. They were generallly the keepers of precious objects in the Aztec empire.

Themes

The themes were mostly reflected around the variety of creatures of the areas. Some common themes were jaguars, ducks, monkeys, snakes, deer and dogs. Another theme of their art was reflected around their religion where the gods were often depicted and they often resembled that of animals. The drawings of gods were often sharp, angular and brightly colored.

Of course, a lot of the art that has been preserved was religion related. The gods were often depicted, and they themselves often resembled animals of various kinds. The drawings of the gods were often sharp and angular, brightly colored. Art would often show gods, or priests dressed as gods in a ritual, or Aztec warriors in their finery.

Aztec music and highly specialized dance were an important part of religious ceremonies. They were creative and made a wide variety of instruments. Their music and dance were heavily based on their religion.

http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-language.html

http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_religion

http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_clothing

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_Are_Some_Aztec_Accomplishments

http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_military

http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-music.html

http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-art.html