The Aztec empire thrived in central Mexico from the 13th to 16th centuries. In the early 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors overtook the Aztecs as part of the “Age of Exploration.” Since then, historians have struggled to define how history should remember the Aztecs. The Aztecs were a sophisticated civilization because of their innovative technology, complex religion, and balanced economy. Some of the many ingenious ideas used by the Aztecs were the calendar stone and the chimpanas. In Chimpana’s Agriculture, the author states,”...an ingenious system for irrigating agriculture called chimpanas. These floating islands approximately seventeen feet across and one hundred to three hundred thirty feet wide that rested in reed framed that were anchored to the …show more content…
This quote articulates the idea that because they had strong fighters, they were able to keep their economy safe, stable and constantly be able to fight for land to expand it. Another contribution to the economy was the fact that they had their own goods and services to live off of. In the document note for the drawing Matricula de Tributos, it states, “This document...inscriptions along the bottom all represent the different provinces that were required to submit things on the bill.” (Document M). This quote shows that even having their own source of currency which was goods rather than money, they demonstrate the qualities of being sophisticated and nimble with trades like any civilization would. On the whole, the ability to conduct a powerful army, as well as initiate trades with their own form of ‘currency’, it truly demonstrates how sophisticated of a civilization they
It was clear through the human sacrifice that the Aztecs practiced that they had no regard for the quality of human life and did it for the benefit of their society. First of all, they would kill thousands of people at a time, and then they ate the arms, thighs, and heads leaving the bodies to feed to the wild animals (Document G). This shows that the Aztecs did not care about the people that they were killing, only about sacrificing to the gods. Secondly, many say that the Aztecs sacrificed human beings for the sole purpose of pleasing the gods. In the eyes of the Aztec religion, if then gods were happy with the Aztecs, then that they would be blessed. It is clear the Aztecs sacrificed to make their civilization the most successful of their time. In contrast, it is also a popular belief that the reason for human sacrifice was for cannibalism. It is a possible that since they had no animals such as cattle or lamb, they had to resort to eating human beings (Document J). This theory demonstrates that the Aztecs valued the well- being of their society over human life. Regardless of what approach regarding human
The Aztecs, part of modern day Mexico, were once the epitome of fine culture. They began their rule of southern and central Mexico during the 14th century and practiced an incredibly wealthy lifestyle. Nonetheless, this rule began to deteriorate when Spanish explorers disembarked at Tabasco and Vera Cruz on April 21st 1519. When the Spanish voyagers first arrived, they were welcomed warmly, respectfully and received Godlike treatment. Montezuma, the ruler at that time, believed that the Spanish military leader, Hernán Cortés, was the great god Quetzalcoatl. The Spanish took advantage of this Aztec belief and conquered Mexico within two years. By 1521, the Aztec culture was officially eradicated and a new culture, consisting of a
The Aztecs were a remarkable civilization. Th is civilization were distrusted and disliked because they tended to push others out of their way. They ruled an empire in Tenochtitlan in the time of 1350 to 1519. They also were known for their agriculture and human sacrifices. Agriculture was a very important part of their h istory because without their farming method the Aztec couldn't have created such great civilization. According to Document A of the Aztec DBQ, states that the Aztec empire grew more than 200 miles west to east, and north to south. Th is means that with the growth of the empire the population also grew and more effective agriculture techniques were needed to feed the people. They created the method of ch inampas because they
The Aztecs were an ancient civilization found in the Valley of Mexico in Mesoamerica. Two aspects of their culture that their are known for human sacrifice and agriculture. However, historians should emphasize human sacrifice in Aztec culture
The Aztecs lived in Mexico city. They lived from 1350- 1519. Human sacrifice was very important to them and even though this ritual was crude and vulgar, it was very important to the Aztecs.
Did you know that the Aztecs believe in human sacrifices? They use human sacrifices as their liberal use of sacrifice. They use it in honor of their gods, in this essay you will learn about how many different ways sacrifice was used by the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that if they didn't sustain the sun with blood, the world would come to an end. It was kind of like feeding the gods.
The ancient Aztec civilization is usually thought of as a barbaric, unintelligent people throughout modern society. This could be an ideal carried down from the Spaniards that concord the native lands or even something as simple as today’s society creating overblown stereotypes because of conjoined lack of understanding and overall knowledge. But, because of the extensive research and studies done by Miguel León-Portilla we are able to discover the true nature of the Aztec peoples way of life. Within the book “Aztec Thought and Culture” the author explains the develop of the Aztec civilization through education and philosophy as well as describing the Aztec people as an advanced society rather than the popular belief of a savage people and culture.
Between 1350 BCE and 1519 BCE the Aztecs dominated the area around Mexico City. When the spaniards invaded Mexico and ended the era of the Aztecs they were surprised and impressed. The Aztecs migrated to the shores of Lake Texcoco in 1100 BCE. They were distrusted and disliked because of their domineering nature. Eventually they came to power and began demanding military support and labor by 1434 BCE.
According to Document B, the Aztecs made a very advanced agricultural system that used “floating islands” as plots called Chinampas. This shows how smart they really were to take advantage of the swampy but great soil. Then, they were able to make a food surplus and then create a civilization with religion and other traditions. That meant without farming, they couldn’t even do human sacrifice. Also, in Document B, it states “ Approximately twenty thousand acres of chinampas were constructed [around Tenochtitlan] and the yield from them was high: four corn crops were possible. This shows how agriculturally advanced the Aztecs were, when the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s, the Spanish could only receive three corn crops per year unlike the Aztecs. Although, the Aztecs were able to make their system of chinampas centuries before the Spanish came. The Spanish then invaded the Aztecs Document C also shows very interesting information as well. IN document C, it states “ THe men at the right plant and harvest the maize, while the women on the left grind and roll it into tortillas. Behind them, there is a person dressed as a corn goddess.” This shows the importance of the agriculture to the Aztecs and how they are working so hard at it. They also pray to the goddesses, who would supposedly give them good luck during farming. The Aztecs really cared about their farming and spent enough time to make a great
The Aztec’s created over 20,000 Chinampas that were not only used for growing crops but were also used to provide shade for the people. These wooden agricultural wonders were a vital part of the Aztec’s survival.
As mentioned in the past paragraph, the Aztecs had many temples and houses for their idols. The architectural structures of the Aztecs were of great sophistication. First, let me mention that their Province was built in the shape of a circle surrounded by rugged mountains. It is not stated in Cortes’ letter but it may have strategically been located there to be
The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. They were a civilization with a rich mythology and cultural heritage. Their capital was Tenochtitlan on the shore of Lake Texcoco. From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate religious.
Maya culture is one of the oldest and most intelligent tribal races. The flourishing period of Maya was between 300 and 900. The principal food in Maya was maize, which was also called “the maize culture”. They had no livestock such as sheep and horses. Also, they made the calendar and divided a year to 18 months. In addition, they built huge stone temples and held bloodletting ceremonies in order to sacrifice
The Aztec was a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mexica. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City wanted to be called “Mexica”. I chose this culture because The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to have ever existed on earth. Nearly every part of the
Horticulture, as an industry, is divided on the basis of crop and plant use. Horticulture can be divided into two groups including edible plants and aesthetic plants which means those grown for their beauty. Floriculture is the cultivation and management of cut flowers, flowering plants, and foliage plants. When the horticulture or intensive agriculture performed by women, they are recognized as less important. However, historically women’s roles were equally if not more important than those of men. Women were given high respect and equality in horticulture ancient societies like Trobriand & Kapauku. Aggregate data shows that women comprise