The Aztec People

When: The Aztec people first arrived in the Valley of Mexico in about AD 1250. They later moved to the west side of Lake Texcoco in 1325 and built the Aztec Empire there. The empire reached its height in 1486-1502. By 1519, most people have died out in the Aztec Empire from various hunger and diseases. The Aztec was finally conquered by Spain in 1521 and fell.

Where: The Aztec people lived in the Valley of Mexico, by the Lake Texcoco, covering most of the central Mexico.

Religion: Religion of the Aztec is really called the Aztec Religion. It combined polytheism, shamanism, and animism based on astronomy and such. They believed that their kings were the descendents of gods. Human sacrifices were seen as an essential act in order to get to their after lives and to keep peace between the gods and the people.

Language: The Aztec's books, written to record their religion and history, are referred to as codicices by the historians. Most groups of the Aztec spoke the Nahuatl language.

Society/ Family: The Aztec society pyramid goes from the highest position, the king, to the lowest rank, the enslaved people. In between are the nobles below the king, the commoners- which held the most people of the civilization-, and the unskilled laborers. The society was dominated by men. The man was the head of the family, but women had power in this society, too. They could control business, and widows were greatly appreciated. Boys and girls both went to school. The schools were divided into a commoner's school and the school of nobles.

Economy: Agriculture was the main source of the Aztec economy. The Aztecs knew the value of money, even though they were of simple things today like cacao beans. Only some markets actually sold products in the ancient times. Most work was done through trade.

Warfare: War was very important to the Aztecs. They partly fought for prisoners because they needed them to sacrifice. They were skilled warriors who fought with bows, arrows, and even wooden spears. They carried wicker shields for protection. All men in this society were expected to become warriors when they became old enough. The purpose of the war was not to kill the enemy, but to take as many captives as possible.

Technology: The Aztec people mostly used obsidian and chert for their weapons because they had no iron or bronze. They also used stone and copper. They developed the use of wheels, but only used them for toys. Therefore, they created the canoes for transportation. They had a complex number system, and relied heavily on math and astronomy. They created a 260-day calendar and a 365-day calendar to create their own period called the Calendar Round. The Aztec was also advanced in medicine. Their medicine took many forms such as ointments, drinks, and salves.