The Aztecs
Contents Introduction .................................................................................................. 3 Origins ........................................................................................................ 3 Religion ......................................................................................................... 4 Why Did The Aztecs Sacrifice Humans? ........................................................ 4 Education ...................................................................................................... 5 Law ............................................................................................................... 5 Writing .......................................................................................................... 6 Farming ......................................................................................................... 6 Culture .......................................................................................................... 7 Dress .......................................................................................................... 7 Sport .......................................................................................................... 8 Warfare ......................................................................................................... 9
Introduction The Aztecs were a race of people who lived in what is now known as Central America. Sealed off from Europe by the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, they did not develop in the same ways as the European and Asian countries in terms of culture. The Aztecs’ daily life was based heavily around their polytheistic religion. The Aztecs are sometimes compared to the Ancient Egyptians, in terms of gods and architecture. It is however, extremely unlikely that they ever met. The Aztecs are probably best known for their human sacrifices, which occurred at a steady and bloodthirsty rate that amazed the Spanish Conquistadors who later conquered the Aztec Empire.
Origins The Aztecs believed that one of their ancestors had eaten from a certain god’s tree, and that god punished them by making them move to another area. Their gods then sent them a vision of an eagle on a prickly pear cactus eating a snake, which the Aztecs interpreted as a sign to settle down where they found the eagle. Eventually, they reached a snake infested swamp called Lake Texcoco, and here they made their home town – Tenochtitlan. Later, the nearby Culhuacans killed hundreds of the Aztecs, and enslaved the rest. The slaves were then sent to fight a fierce enemy of the Culhuacans. When they returned from battle, the King of the Culhuacans believed they must have fled in fear, but the slaves opened their sacks and revealed the ears of their opponents.
Did you know? The Aztecs wanted a goddess of war, so they asked the King of the Culhuacans (Achicometl) to give one of his daughters for the job. When he later came to visit his daughter, he was horrified to find that she had been sacrificed, in a way that actually originated in his country.
Did you know?
Religion
The Aztecs had very strong religious views, and these influenced their daily lives and politics to a very large extent. They had many extravagant festivals for their gods, during which hundreds of prisoners would be sacrificed in an appallingly brutal manner. At the top of the pyramid shaped temple, a priest would use a knife made of obsidian (volcanic glass) and plunge it into the body of the victim. The priest would then reach into the hole and wrestle out the heart that was still beating. He would then turn around and place it in a special bowl for the relevant god. Although this type of sacrifice is the most noted one, the Aztecs did sacrifice animals more often than humans. During the 4 day long consecration of the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan, an average of 14 people were sacrificed in this manner every minute. Not even the horrors of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp managed to kill so many at such a rate.
Why Did The Aztecs Sacrifice Humans? The Aztecs were of the belief that when the sun (thought to be a god) set in the evening, it was fighting a battle with the moon and stars. If it was fed with the blood of humans, it would have enough strength to rise in the morning. Also, they believed time was split into ‘ages,’ and that at the end of each age there was a terrible disaster and only 2 people would survive to carry on the human race. They thought that at the beginning of the 5th age (the current one), there was no sun in the sky. One god volunteered to become the sun. When he rose however, he stood still, and refused to move unless the other gods made sacrifices. When the Aztecs made (relatively) larger sacrifices, it was usually because of an event or festival. The gods were supposed to control the seasons and rainfall, so if they failed, more sacrifices were made.
Every 52 years the Aztecs would hold a large ceremony, as they believed that if they had not sacrificed enough in the past years the gods would destroy them. On the last day, at midnight, all the houses would extinguish their lights. After seeing A priest would take a prisoner and sacrifice him by ripping out his heart and replace it with a block of wood.
The priest would then light a fire and spread the fire throughout the town to light its citizens’ hearths.
Education There were two major schools an Aztec child could go to, and the choice was largely decided by their gender and social status. A nobleman’s children would go to calmecacs. The calmecacs were single-sex to teach the different genders their places in society. Whereas a boy was told his home was the battlefield, a girl was taught to stay in the house of her family / husband and to take care of it. Boys would learn astronomy, writing, weapon making and history, whereas girls would learn embroidery and weaving. The schools for the commoners were called telpochcalli. These taught boys citizenship, religion, warfare and history.
Law The Aztec judicial system, although similar to ours, had much stricter punishments. Crime Drunkenness
Adultery Kidnapping Cutting down a tree
Modern Punishment No Punishment
No Punishment Jail term for up to 8 years Fine
Aztec Punishment 1st occasion head shaved and house destroyed 2nd occasion - death Death Sold into Slavery Death
The Aztecs had judge and jury systems. If the ruler suspected any judge was being bribed or biased, he had the power to imprison him.
Writing The Aztecs spoke N’ahuatl, although it is now commonly known as ‘Aztec.’ Nouns were relatively simple - they drew a cat symbol for a cat, and a dog for a dog. This way of writing was used by the scribes and priests, who would write about religion, history and poetry. Writing was considered a delicate art; first, the words would be drawn with charcoal, then filled in with colourful hues, obtained from vegetables, minerals and insects. Instead of paper, they used parchment made from either the bark of fig trees, or animal skin.
Farming The Aztecs at first did not have substantial amounts of land, so they created ‘chinampas’. They wove huge reed mats and laid them on lakes, covering them with soil, rotting vegetables and mud from the lake. On either side, willows were planted to prevent the
erosion of the ‘chinampa.’ On the chinampa, crops were grown in the mineral rich soil. Digging was much harder , as all they used was a simple stick. Nevertheless, the fertile soil grew food very effectively. If however, a farmer was considered to be lazy, he was stripped of his land and it was given to someone else. On coming to Central America, the Europeans found a number of strange foods that are now a popular part of our diet. These included:
Tomatoes Potatoes Chicle ( for chewing gum)
Pumpkin Turkey Chocolate
Did you know? The Aztecs believed a dog with a spot the size and colour of a cocoa bean was a sign of good luck from the gods, and would be responsible for a substantial harvest.
Although the latter is most commonly known as a sweet throughout the world, the Aztecs used cocoa in a bitter beverage, drunk only by warriors and noblemen, as it was said to increase strength. The Aztec chocolate, called xocoatl, was not the sweet milky drink it is today. It was a savoury drink, flavoured with spices and chilli pepper! The fishermen demonstrated knowledge of certain knockout drugs, one of which was scattered on the surface of a lake which was then left until the unconscious fish rose to the top and were swept up.
Culture Dress The Aztecs gave the rest of the world cotton, which is now used in all kinds of clothes. However, if a peasant in Tenochtitlan was seen wearing extravagant garments made of cotton, he could be sentenced to death for wearing a nobleman’s clothes. Noble women could wear jewellery made from jades, obsidian, amber and gold. For commoners, a necklace of clay beads was permitted. In this way, social classes could easily be identified, and people sorted into four main groups:
1. Noble – Wore cotton clothes adorned with gold, feathers and brightly coloured garments 2. Commoner – A woman could wear simple cotton clothes, while a man would wear a loincloth and a cloak, occasionally with a few decorations 3. Serfs – As above, but with no decorations 4. Slaves – A simple loincloth - the clothing was for modesty, and to aid work
Sport Tlachtli resembled basket ball. It was played on an shaped court, with a stone ring at each end. The object of the game was to place the ball in the ring before the other team, using only hips and knees (but not hands or feet). There were no rules to prevent players from actually killing each other, so this often happened. The player who scored in the hoop had the right to claim a piece of jewellery from someone in the crowd, so long as he could catch them!
Warfare The Aztecs’s religious beliefs and warfare were tied closely together. An attacking army was required to bring home at least 20 opponents alive so they could be sacrificed to the gods. At birth, boy’s umbilical cord would be severed and laid on a battlefield, symbolising that all males had to fight for their country and gods, for all their life. A boy’s transition into manhood would socially occur when he brought home his first prisoner. Prisoners were not treated as would be expected today, with disrespect and violence. They were kept in the home of their captor and looked after until it was time for them to be sacrificed. War was actually treated with revere, and the warriors would look forward to getting a chance to show their prowess. They believed that 4 years after dying, they would return to earth as hummingbirds or butterflies. War occurred often when the Aztecs demanded to rule a foreign city, yet violence was not the first route. Ambassadors were sent to the city, spreading word of how the Aztecs would benefit the city. However, these bribes soon turned to threats if the city refused. Just before war, the opposing side was given extra weapons, to demonstrate the Aztecs’ confidence in winning. If this failed to tip the balance, war ensued. The warriors would walk through many towns and cities, relying on the civilians to feed them. If they attacked or stole from the civilians however, the punishment was death. When the army arrived at the battlefield, spies were sent out to locate the position of the enemy and get an idea of their strategy. Then the battle began. Before the sides met, they yelled abuse at each other before charging into combat. The Aztecs would wear elaborate animal costumes that they hoped would give them the spirit of the animal, or at least scare the opposition. Their weapons were coated in shards of obsidian glass, which, when fresh could shatter steel swords. At their disposal, the Aztecs had spears, bows and arrows, slings and clubs. These however, was not enough to stop the Spanish conquistadors invading on their second voyage, in 1521.