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