Cultural Influences Of Mexico And Aztecs

The Aztec empire thrived in Mexico from the 13th to the 16th centuries. In the early 16th century, Spanish Conquistadors overtook the Aztecs as a 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 organized government, intricate religious rituals and memorable traditions.

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.

The Aztec and Spanish were both some of the strongest nations in the place they inhabited. The Spanish went to war to collect territory for their homeland in Spain. The Aztec went to war to please their gods and collect prisoners to sacrifice. The Spanish war strategies were for taking over the land they desired without war, but if it came to it they would fight. The weapons that both nations used were very dangerous, but were well suited for what they nation needed them for. The Aztec weapons were mostly for capturing prisoners. The Spanish weapons were used mostly for killing and were very durable. The Aztec and Spanish both had different reasons for going to war and the types of tactics they use

In the book Daily Life of The Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest by Jacques Soustelle you are walked through what life was like for the Aztecs. You are in 16th Century Mexico, or to them Mexico-Tenochtilan. Soustelle does an excellent job immediately putting you in character with the introduction of the book. The book is broken down into seven different main chapters detailing major aspects of the Aztecs lives in the late 1500’s. You learn about where they lived, to the wars they fought, and what life was like for them from birth to death. In this paper I will further discuss four topics that were very crucial in the daily lives of the Aztecs. I will help you find a better understanding in their daily life as well as the many changes they migrated through over time. The four topics I will be discussing are: 1. Culture and Customs of the Aztecs 2. Civilization vs Barbarism 3. Art and Architecture 4. Education and Home Life.

The Aztecs were a marvelous civilization that were located in the Americas, from 1350 to 1519. Their main city was tenochtitlan , in a geological basin of modern day central Mexico.Two things the Aztec culture is known for are their complex farming methods and their somewhat disturbing religious beliefs. However historians should emphasize the role of agriculture in the Aztec civilization .""The Aztecs farming methods helped them expand their territory and empire. Document A shows that the Aztec empire grew to more than 200 miles west to east and north to south . As the empire started growing , the Aztecs needed a efficient method of farming . This means that the growth of the empire meant that the population also grew and since they had an effective

“Although it has often been stated that the nations of Western Europe were far superior to the rest of the world at the same time of their initial contacts, this, in fact, is not true.”

The Aztecs were an ancient civilization found in the area known as Mesoamerica, which is now presently the city of modern-day New Mexico. Two aspects of their culture that they are known for is agriculture and use of human sacrifice. However, historians should emphasize human sacrifice. "It was human sacrifice that led to the Aztec expanding their empire. There is a connection between territorial expansion and human sacrifice.

The Aztec lifestyle changed significantly because of the religion change and with a new religion came a new culture and with culture came with new food. Before the Spanish conquest, the Aztec practised Mesoamerican. They had many gods and one for everyday they had. They had lots of temples to worship gods. After the conquest there were more christians than Mesoamericans and the religion was growing.

Representation” by Michael Schreffler argues that “ . . . early modern rhetoric and iconography . . . constructed a distorted view of painting in Aztec Mexico and entangled it in the conventions of colonial historiography” (407). This essay is effective because of its thorough examination of the accounts that explain a painting made by the Aztec’s at San Juan de Ulúa on Easter Sunday of 1519.

Aztec is civilization created by the ancient Indian, which was mainly distributed in central and southern Mexico. Aztecs were a tribe with a lower level of development at first, but they absorb and fuse with other outstanding cultural traditions of Indian in the region that they rose rapidly. Aztec had developed agriculture and the main crops were corn, beans, squash, potatoes. Religion played an important role in the life of the Aztecs. The inhabitants believed in the immortality of the soul and Supreme domination. They adored the natural god that one of the peculiar was to use the living person for 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

The Aztecs were considered an empire and ruled land along the Valley of Mexico. Their land stretched coast to coast between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and was continually expanding (Tangen). They had a powerful army and alliances with fellow tribes. They ruled more than 500 small states, and were populated with about five or 6 million people. In the middle of it all was their beloved capital city, Tenochtitlan. The city alone was home to 140,000 of the Aztec people and so popular that it was the densest city that has existed in Mesoamerica. The people of the Aztec Civilization were advanced socially. Their society was structured in classes of nobles, indentured servants and slaves, in descending order of social status. Each class had an important role to creating a fully developed society (History.com). The Aztecs valued art, and spent a large amount of time and expensive resources to make it. The art was so special that only the upper class Aztecs were allowed to own it. They made things like jewelry, pottery, statues, and painted walls (Ancient Aztec Art). The economy of the Aztecs had to be successful to supply their whole civilization. Trade was a main part of their economy that made most of their money. In addition, trade was important for them to have a way to receive materials they would not be able to obtain in their own land. The Aztecs were also skilled farmers and were able to sell all of their crops also. The main marketplaces were also located in the main and busy cities to make sure everyone could have access to it (Aztec Economy Trade and Currency). The Aztec’s religion was important among the people and they built temples, palaces, and statues for worship towards their gods. Another notable aspect of their religion is their practice of human sacrifice

     The Aztecs were an American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico from the 1400's to the 1500's. The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas and built cities as large as any in Europe at that time. They also practiced a remarkable religion that affected every part of their lives and featured human sacrifice. The Aztecs built towering temples, created huge sculptures, and held impressive ceremonies all for the purpose of worshipping their gods. The Spaniards destroyed their magnificent empire in the year 1521, but the Aztecs left a lasting mark on Mexican life and culture .

The Aztecs were one of the last tribes to arrive in Mexico, in 1195 CE, when they arrived in the Valley of Mexico other tribes had taken the best land so the Aztecs were left with the swampy shores. They soon adapted and began to conquer their neighboring tribes. They continued to expand until they had their very own empire. The empire continued to thrive, until the Spanish arrived and had a fixed mind set on wanting the empires region of land.

The Mexican culture is a mixture of Spanish and Aztec roots dating back to the 19th and 20th century when Spain had rule over Mexico. Their rich heritage and inhabitance formed their culture today with pride and unbreakable traditions. Back before the Spanish had power over Mexico, it was first occupied with an enormous number of Indian groups that varied in social as well as economic systems. Mexico was shared with the Mayans, Totonac, Huastec, Otomi, Mixtecs, Zapotecas, and Tlaxcala’s, Tarascans, and Aztec tribes. Before the Spanish arrived, the Aztec tribe ruled most of Mexico. They built most of what is known as Mexico City due to a tribe prophecy that demanded the city to be established where there was an eagle with a snake in its beak resting on a cactus. That became a national symbol of Mexico and embellishes on the country’s flag