8/12/2019 Azteken

1/11

DefinitionsAztec peopleWhen used about ethnic groupsthe term "Aztec" refers to severalNahuatlspeaking peoples ofcentral Mexico in the postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology, especially the ethnic group thathad a leading role in establishing the hegemonicempire based at Tenochtitlan, theMexica !therethnic groups associated ith the Aztec empire are theAcolhuaand Tepanecethnic groups and some

of the ethnic groups that ere incorporated into the empire, and the term is also sometimes usedabout them #n older usage the term as commonly used about modern Nahuatl speaking ethnicgroups, as Nahuatl as previously referred to as the "Aztec language" #n recent usage these ethnicgroups are rather referred to as the Nahua peoples$%&$'&(inguistically the term "Aztecan" is still usedabout the branch of the)to*Aztecan languages+also sometimes called the yuto*nahuan languagesthat includes the Nahuatl language and its closest relatives -ochutec and -ipilTo the Aztecs themselves the ord "aztec" as not an endonym for any particular ethnic group.ather it as an umbrella term used to refer to several ethnic groups, not all of them Nahuatlspeaking, that claimed heritage from the mythic place of origin,Aztlan #n the Nahuatl language"aztecatl" means "person from Aztlan" #n /0/1Alexander von 2umboldtoriginated the modern usageof "Aztec" as a collective term applied to all the people linked by trade, custom, religion, and languageto the Mexica state and the Triple Alliance#n /0%3, ith the publication of the ork ofWilliam 2-rescott,it as adopted by most of the orld, including /4th century Mexican scholars ho sa it as a

ay to distinguish present*day Mexicans from pre*con5uest Mexicans This usage has been thesub6ect of debate in more recent years, but the term "Aztec" is still more common

Aztec cultureAztec culture is the culture of the people referred to as Aztecs, but since all ethnic groups of centralMexico in the postclassic period shared most basic cultural traits,many of the basic traits of Aztecculture cannot be said to be exclusive for the Aztecs 7or the same reason the notion of "Azteccivilization" is best understood as a particular horizon of a general MesoamericancivilizationThe culture of central Mexico includes maize cultivation, the social division beteennoblepipiltinand macehuallicommoners, a pantheon+featuring Tezcatlipoca, Tlaloc and 8uetzalcoatl, and the calendric systemof axiuhpohualliof 39'days intercalated ith atonalpohualliof :91 days -articular to the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan as theMexica patron ;od 2uitzilopochtli, tin pyramids, and the ceramic are knon as Aztec # to ###

Aztec EmpireTheAztec asin of Mexico?oon Texcocoand Tlacopan became 6unior partners in the alliance hich as de facto led by the Mexica ofTenochtitlan The empire extended its poer by a combination of trade and military con5uest #t asnever a true territorial empire controlling a territory by large military garrisons in con5uered provinces,but rather controlled its client states primarily by installing friendly rulers in con5uered cities, byconstructing marriage alliances beteen the ruling dynasties, and by extending an imperial ideology toits client states @lient states paid tribute to the Aztec emperor, the 2uey Tlatoani, in an economicstrategy limiting communication and trade beteen outlying polities making them depend on theimperial center for the ac5uisition of luxury goods The political clout of the empire reached far southinto Mesoamerica con5uering cities as far south as @hiapas and ;uatemalaand spanning from the-acific to the Atlantic oceans The empire reached its maximal extent in /'/4 6ust prior to the arrival ofthe ?panish con5uistadors led by @orts ho managed to topple the Aztec empire by allying ithsome of the traditional enemies of the Aztecs, the Nahuatl speakingTlaxcalteca

HistoryMigrational periodThe Nahua peoplesbegan to migrate into Mesoamerica from northern Mexico in the 9th century Theypopulated central Mexico dislocating speakers of !to*Manguean languagesas they spread theirpolitical influence south As the former nomadic hunter*gatherer peoples mixed ith the complexcivilizations of Mesoamerica, adopting religious and cultural practices, the foundation for later Aztecculture as laid Buring the -ostclassic period they rose to poer at such sites as Tula, 2idalgo#n the/:th century the Nahua poer center as inAzcapotzalco, from here the Tepanecs dominated thevalley of Mexico Around this time the Mexica tribe arrived in central Mexico

1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groupshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acolhuahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahua_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uto-Aztecan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochutec_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipil_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamericahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezcatlipocahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlalochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huitzilopochtlihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamericahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(altepetl)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacopanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalcohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basin_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiapashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahua_peopleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oto-Manguean_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tula_(Mesoamerican_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalcohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groupshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acolhuahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahua_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uto-Aztecan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochutec_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipil_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamericahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezcatlipocahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlalochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huitzilopochtlihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamericahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(altepetl)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacopanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalcohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basin_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiapashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahua_peopleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oto-Manguean_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tula_(Mesoamerican_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalco

8/12/2019 Azteken

2/11

Rise of the Triple AllianceThe true origin of the Mexicas is uncertain According to their legends, the Mexica tribe place of originasAztlCn#t is generally thought that AztlCn as somehere to the north of the Dalley of MexicoEsome experts have placed it as far north as the?outhestern )nited ?tates>ased on these codices as ell as other histories, it appears that the Mexicas arrived

at@hapultepec in or around the year /:%0At the time of their arrival, the Dalley of Mexicohad many city*states, the most poerful of hichere @ulhuacanto the south andAzcapotzalcoto the est TheTepanecs of Azcapotzalco soonexpelled the Mexicas from @hapultepec #n /:44, @ulhuacan ruler @ocoxtli gave them permission tosettle in the empty barrens of Tizapan, here they ere eventually assimilated into @ulhuacan cultureAccording to Aztec legend, in /3:3, the Mexicas ere shon a vision of an eagle perched on apricklypear cactus, eating a snakeThis vision indicated that this as the location here they ere to buildtheir home #n any event, the Mexicas eventually arrived on a small sampy island in (ake Texcocohere they founded the ton of Tenochtitlanin /3:' #n /3=9, the Mexicas elected their first HueyTlatoani,Acamapichtli, ho as living in Texcocoat the time7or the next '1 years, until /%:=, the Mexica ere a tributary of Azcapotzalco, hich had become aregional poer, perhaps the most poerful since theToltecs, centuries earlierMaxtla,sonof Tezozomoc, assassinated@himalpopoca,the Mexica ruler #n an effort to defeat Maxtla,

@himalpopocaFs successor, #tzcoatl, allied ith the exiled ruler ofTexcoco,NezahualcoyotlThiscoalition as the foundation of theAztec Triple Alliance,hich defeated Azcapotzalco in /%:0The triple*alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, andTlacopanould, in the next /11 years, come todominate the Dalley of Mexico and extend its poer to both the ;ulf of Mexicoand the -acific shore!ver this period, Tenochtitlan gradually became the dominant poer in the allianceTo of the primary architects of the Aztec empire ere the half*brothers TlacaelelandMontezuma #,nephes of #tzcoatl Moctezuma # succeeded #tzcoatl as Hueyi Tlatoaniin /%%1 Although he as alsooffered the opportunity to be tlatoani, Tlacaelel preferred to operate as the poer behind the throneTlacaelel reformed the Aztec state and religion According to some sources, he ordered the burning ofmost of the extant Aztec books claiming that they contained lies 2e thereupon rerote the history ofthe Aztec people, thus creating a common aareness of history for the Aztecs This reriting leddirectly to the curriculum taught to scholars and promoted the belief that the Aztecs ere alays apoerful and mythic nationE forgetting forever a possible true history of modest origins !ne

component of this reform as the institution of ritual ar +the floer ars as a ay to have trainedarriors, and created the necessity of constant sacrifices to keep the ?un moving

Spanish conquestThe empire reached its height duringAhuitzotlFs reign in /%09G/'1: 2is successor, MotehcuzHmaIocoyotzin +better knon asMoctezuma ## or Moctezuma, or Montezuma, had been Hueyi Tlatoanifor/= years hen the ?paniards,led by2ernCndo @orts,landed on the;ulf @oastin the spring of /'/4Bespite some early battles beteen the to, @orts allied himself ith the AztecsJ long*time enemy,the @onfederacy of Tlaxcala,and arrived at the gates of Tenochtitlan on November 0, /'/4The ?paniards and theirTlaxcallan allies became increasingly dangerous and unelcome guests inthe capital city #n Kune /':1, hostilities broke out, culminating in the massacre in the MainTemple and the death of Moctezuma ## The ?paniards fled the ton on Kuly /, an episode latercharacterized as (a Noche Triste+the ?ad Night They and their native allies returned in the spring of/':/ to laysiege to Tenochtitlan, a battle that ended on August /3 ith the destruction of the cityBuring this period the no crumbling empire ent through a rapid line of ruler succession After thedeath of Moctezuma ##, the empire fell into the hands of severely eakened emperors, suchas @uitlChuac,before eventually being ruled by puppet rulers, such asAndrs de Tapia Motelchiuh,installed by the ?panishBespite the decline of the Aztec empire, most of the Mesoamerican cultures ere intact after the fall ofTenochtitlan #ndeed, the freedom from Aztec domination may have been considered a positivedevelopment by most of the other cultures The upper classes of the Aztec empire ere considerednoblemen by the ?paniards and generally treated as such initially All this changed rapidly and thenative population ere soon forbidden to study by la, and had the status ofminorsThe Tlaxcalans remained loyal to their ?panish friends and ere alloed to come on other con5uestsith @orts and his men

2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztl%C3%A1nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapultepechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culhuac%C3%A1n_(altepetl)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalcohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eaglehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear_cactushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear_cactushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acamapichtlihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(Aztec_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toltechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxtlahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezozomoc_(Azcapotzalco)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpopocahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(Aztec_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezahualcoyotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacopanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_oceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacaelelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montezuma_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuitzotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moctezuma_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaniardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1ndo_Cort%C3%A9shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_massacre_in_the_Main_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_massacre_in_the_Main_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Tristehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuitl%C3%A1huachttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_de_Tapia_Motelchiuhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_(law)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztl%C3%A1nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapultepechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culhuac%C3%A1n_(altepetl)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azcapotzalcohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tepanechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eaglehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear_cactushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear_cactushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Tlatoanihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acamapichtlihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(Aztec_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toltechttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxtlahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezozomoc_(Azcapotzalco)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpopocahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texcoco_(Aztec_site)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezahualcoyotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Triple_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacopanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_oceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlacaelelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montezuma_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahuitzotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moctezuma_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaniardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1ndo_Cort%C3%A9shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxcala_(Nahua_state)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_massacre_in_the_Main_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_massacre_in_the_Main_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Tristehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tenochtitlanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuitl%C3%A1huachttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_de_Tapia_Motelchiuhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_(law)

8/12/2019 Azteken

3/11

Colonial period population decline#n /':1G/':/, an outbreak of smallpoxsept through the population of Tenochtitlan and as decisivein the fall of the city#t is estimated that beteen /1L and '1L of the population fell victim to thisepidemic?ubse5uently, the Dalley of Mexico as hit ith to more epidemics, smallpox +/'%'G/'%0,andtyphus+/'=9G/'0/ The ?paniards, to consolidate the diminishing population, merged the

survivors from small tons in the Dalley of Mexico into bigger ones This broke the poer of the upperclasses, but did not dissolve the coherence of the indigenous society in greater MexicoThe population before the time of the con5uest is unknon and hotly contested, but disease is knonto have ravaged the regionE thus, the indigenous population of the Dalley of Mexico is estimated tohave declined by more than 01L in the course of about 91 yearsCultural patterns

GovernmentTheAztec

8/12/2019 Azteken

4/11

of 5uachtli, ranging in value from 9' to 311 cacao beans !ne source stated that :1 5uachtli couldsupport a commoner for one year in Tenochtitlan A man could also sell his on daughter as a sexualslave or future religious sacrifice, generally for around '11 to =11 beans A small gold statueapproximately 19: kg +/3= lb cost :'1 beans Money as used primarily in the many periodicmarkets that ere held in each ton A typical ton ould have a eekly market +every ' days, hilelarger cities held markets every day @orts reported that the central market of Tlatelolco,

TenochtitlanFs sister city, as visited by 91,111 people daily ?ome sellers in the markets ere pettyvendorsE farmers might sell some of their produce, potters sold their vessels, and so on !ther vendorsere professional merchants ho traveled from market to market seeking profits The pochtecaerespecialized merchants organized into exclusive guilds They made long expeditions to all parts ofMesoamerica, and they served as the 6udges and supervisors of the Tlatelolco market Although theeconomy of Aztec Mexico as commercialized +in its use of money, markets, and merchants land andlabor ere not commodities for sale

TransportationThe main contribution of the Aztec rule as a system of communications beteen the con5ueredcities #n Mesoamerica,ithoutdraft animalsfor transport +nor, as a result, heeled vehicles, theroads ere designed for travel on foot )sually these roads ere maintained through tribute, andtravelers had places to rest and eat and even latrines to use at regular intervals, roughly every /1 to

/' kilometres +9 to 4 mi @ouriers +paynani ere constantly travelling along those ays, keeping theAztecs informed of events, and helping to monitor the integrity of the roads

ytholo!y and reli!ionThe Mexica made reference to at least to manifestations of the supernatural ttlandtixiptla Ttl,hich the ?paniards and

8/12/2019 Azteken

5/11

Tlahuicole as freed by the Aztecs but eventually returned of his on volition to die in ritualsacrifice Tlaxcala also practiced the human sacrifice of captured Aztec @itizens

Class structureThe highest class ere theppiltinor nobility !riginally this status as not hereditary, although thesons ofpillishad access to better resources and education, so it as easier for them to becomepillis

(ater the class system took on hereditary aspectsThe second class ere the mcehualtin, originally peasants

8/12/2019 Azteken

6/11

Tenochtitlan as built according to a fixed plan and centered on the ritual precinct, here the ;reat-yramid of Tenochtitlanrose '1 m +/9%1% ft above the city 2ouses ere made of ood and loam,roofs ere made of reed, although pyramids, temples and palaces ere generally made of stoneAround the island, chinampabeds ere used to gro foods as ell as, over time, to increase the sizeof the island )hinampas, misnamed "floating gardens", ere long raised plant beds set upon theshallo lake bottom They ere a very efficient agricultural system and could provide up to seven

crops a year !n the basis of current chinampa yields, it has been estimated that / hectare ofchinampa ould feed :1 individuals and 4,111 hectares ofchinampascould feed /01,111Anthropologist

8/12/2019 Azteken

7/11

Most modern*day Mexicans +and people of Mexican descent in other countries are mestizos,of mixedindigenous and ernal Baz del @astilloaccompanied @ortes, and he later rote a book namedThe -iscovery and)on,uest o. *exico#n his book, @apitan >ernal Baz del @astillo provides his account of the@on5uest of Mexico, in hich he describes the events leading up to the con5uest of Mexico, includingaccounts of the human sacrifices and cannibalism that he itnessed first hand 2oever, >ernal Baz

rote several decades after the fact, never learned the native languages, and did not take notes 2isaccount is colorful, but his ork is considered by historians to be erratic and exaggeratedAlthough 7rancisco (pez de ;mara as @ortesF chaplain, friend, and confidant, he never visited theNe World so his account is based on hearsay

$riests and scholarsThe accounts of the first priests and scholars, hile reflecting their faith and their culture, are importantsources 7athers Biego BurCn,Motolinia, and Mendieta rote ith their on religion in mind, 7atherBuran rote trying to prove that the Aztec ere one of the lost tribes of #srael >artolom de las@asas rote apologetically about the #ndians, accusing the ?panish con5uistadors of committingunspeakable atrocities in their sub6ugation of the Aztecs and other indigenous groups ?ome authorstried to make a synthesis of the pre*2ispanic cultures, like "!viedo y 2errera", Kose de Acosta,and-edro MCrtir de Anghiera

7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestizohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xocolatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_cuisinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_codiceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Mendozahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_R%C3%ADoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistadorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernal_D%C3%ADaz_del_Castillohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_L%C3%B3pez_de_G%C3%B3marahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Dur%C3%A1nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_de_Benavente_Motoliniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geronimo_d_Mendieta&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_de_Acostahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pedro_M%C3%A1rtir_de_Anghiera&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestizohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xocolatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_cuisinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_codiceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Mendozahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_R%C3%ADoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzcoatlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistadorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernal_D%C3%ADaz_del_Castillohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_verdadera_de_la_conquista_de_la_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_L%C3%B3pez_de_G%C3%B3marahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Dur%C3%A1nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_de_Benavente_Motoliniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geronimo_d_Mendieta&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_de_Acostahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pedro_M%C3%A1rtir_de_Anghiera&action=edit&redlink=1

8/12/2019 Azteken

8/11

The most significant source about the Aztec are doubtless the manuscripts of >ernardino de ?ahagVn,ho orked ith the surviving Aztec ise men 2e taught Aztec tlacuilosto rite the original Nahuatlaccounts using the (atin alphabet >ecause of fear of the ?panish authorities, he maintained theanonymity of his informants, and rote a heavily censored version in ?panish )nfortunately theNahuatl original as not fully translated until the :1th century, thus realising the extent of thecensorship of the ?panish version The original Nahuatl manuscript is knon as the 7lorentine @odex

%ative authors!ther important sources are the ork of native and mestizo authors, descendants of the upperclasses These authors include Bon7ernando Alvarado Tezozmoc, @himalpahin@uauhtlehuanitzin,Kuan >autista de -omar,and 7ernando de Alva @orts #xtlilxochitl #xtlixochitl, forexample, rote a history of Texcoco from a @hristian point of vie 2is account of Netzahualcoyotl,anancestor of #xtlilxochitlFs, has a strong resemblance to the story of ing ?olomon and portraysNetzahualcoyotl as a monotheist and a critic of human sacrificeBiego MuXoz @amargo+/':/ G c /9/:, a Tlaxcalan mestizo, rote theHistory o. Tlaxcalasixdecades after the ?panish con5uest ?ome parts of his ork have a strong Tlaxcala bias

8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardino_de_Sahag%C3%BAnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florentine_Codexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Alvarado_Tezoz%C3%B3mochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpahin_Quauhtlehuanitzinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpahin_Quauhtlehuanitzinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Bautista_de_Pomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_de_Alva_Cort%C3%A9s_Ixtlilxochitlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netzahualcoyotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Mu%C3%B1oz_Camargohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestizohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tlaxcalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tlaxcalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardino_de_Sahag%C3%BAnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florentine_Codexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Alvarado_Tezoz%C3%B3mochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpahin_Quauhtlehuanitzinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimalpahin_Quauhtlehuanitzinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Bautista_de_Pomarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_de_Alva_Cort%C3%A9s_Ixtlilxochitlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netzahualcoyotlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Mu%C3%B1oz_Camargohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestizohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tlaxcala

8/12/2019 Azteken

9/11

9

8/12/2019 Azteken

10/11

10

8/12/2019 Azteken

11/11

A painting of Tlaloc, as shon on page :1. of@odex .ios

11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlalochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Rioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlalochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Rios