Aztec Calendar Stone used to predict solar cycles and indicate when religious ceremonies occurred.

When, in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, he was searching for a trade route to Asia because of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, an event that effectively closed the silk road. When the intrepid Italian first explored the Western Hemisphere, he thought South America was China, Hispaniola was Japan, and the Caribbean was Indonesia. This sparked a surge in exploration, which revealed to those in the Old World that what Columbus had discovered was most definitely not Asia. Hernan Cortes, an explorer sent from Spain, landed on the Central American mainland in 1519, and to his surprise, discovered an expansive and advanced civilization: the Aztec Empire. Cortes and the Aztecs were friendly at first, as they believed he was their god Quetzalcoatl, and he received many gifts from emperor Montezuma II. Unfortunately, Cortes was a greedy scumbag, so, like the British in India, Cortes allied with city-states who were rivals of the Aztecs, and with the help of cannons, steel, and disease he demolished the natives and seized their wealth for himself.

Artistic depiction of Cortes fighting the Aztecs on top of Templo Mayor.

The first step leading to an Aztec empire was when the Mexica people founded the city-state of Tenochtitlan in 1325. Originally, they had been nomads somewhere in North America, a region they referred to as Aztlan, and had migrated down to Central America. In 1428, the Aztec Empire was officially formed when the Mexica allied with the Texcocans and the Tacubans in order to defeat and conquer the rival Tepanecs. Following this initial conquest, the territory controlled by the Aztecs continued to expand through war and trade, and by the time Cortes landed in America the Aztec Empire controlled up to 500 city-states. Tenochtitlan was the capital of the of the empire where the emperor, or Huey Tlatcani (which sounds way cooler), presided over a city council that exerted much influence throughout the realm. Each city in the empire had their own council and tatclani, and was fairly autonomous in government as long as it paid tribute to Tenochtitlan. The capital city was able to maintain control because of its military prowess, with numerous warriors who were legendary for their skills in battle. Additionally, the emperor was worshipped as a god and the cult of human sacrifice kept the populace in awe, terror, or some combination of the two.

Artistic representation of the Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlan.

The Aztec empire had many examples of brilliant infrastructure and architecture. Tenochtitlan was a marvel because it was built on a lake (what a great idea), and had to have multiple causeways, canals, and flood dikes as well as a grand agricultural system to support its 200,000 residents. Within the city was the Templo Mayor, a gigantic pyramid that stood approximately 90 feet high and housed nasty human sacrifices like the one in Indiana Jones as well as ritual celebrations. Aztec warriors used razor-sharp obsidian swords known as the maquahitl to cut their enemies to bits, as well as clubs, bows and arrows, and the deadly  atlatl spear thrower. The Aztecs also used a calendar with 365 days in a year and four seasons, similar to the Julian calendar, and dabbled in astronomy, although they were not as advanced in these studies as the Mayans.

Depiction of Aztec eagle and jaguar warriors.

Today, many influences of the Aztec Empire remain. Ruins of their great temples and pyramids are extremely popular tourist attractions, and beautiful mosaics and sculptures are admired in museums all over the world. The language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, is still spoken by a significant number of people in Mexico and the Mexican flag has a picture of the sign that according to legend led the Mexica to settle Tenochtitlan, the eagle atop a prickly pear cactus. Speaking of Tenochtitlan, the current capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built upon the ruins of this grand metropolis of the past. Like many empires throughout history, the Aztec Empire’s legacy  is an integral part of understanding the world today.

The Flag of Mexico, complete with the eagle and prickly pear imagery.

Sources:

http://www.aztec-history.com/

http://www.history.com/topics/aztecs

http://www.ancient.eu/Aztec_Civilization/

http://www.livescience.com/34660-tenochtitlan.html

http://www.ancient.eu/article/648/