Aztecs: a brief summary of the pre-Columbian civilization born in Mexico in the 1300s. Activities, culture, language, religion, birth and fall of the civilization.The Aztec civilization was born in the 14th century, when it settled in the central part of Mexico, together with another population: the Toltecs .
This population gave rise to a vast empire, which the Spanish later destroyed.
The name “Aztec” comes from Aztlan , a mythical homeland.
ztec Civilization: Activities
The Aztecs were skilled farmers, they knew fallow land and practiced irrigation ; they built floating gardens and divided up the land. Their main products were: corn, beans, melons, peppers, vanilla, tomatoes, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, etc. However, corn and beans were the basis of their diet, not yet known to Europeans.
The Aztecs also practiced livestock herding , which was limited to a particular breed of hairless dogs intended for consumption.
The Aztec population knew the methods of working metals , especially gold, silver, copper and tin, but they were ignorant of iron and the use of the wheel.
At the beginning, since there were no coins, trade took place through barter; when its use was discovered, cocoa beans.
Aztecs: Culture, Religion, Language and Civilization
The Aztecs’ writing was pictographic . The Aztecs used manuscripts made of paper or animal skins. Their complex calendar was of Mayan origin.
Their religion was polytheistic : the gods influenced the daily life of the Aztecs. Human and animal sacrifices were very important.
The Aztec language was part of the Nahuatlan branch of the Utoazteca family.
Aztec society was divided into three classes:
- slaves
- Common
- noble.
Slaves , who were such by birth, could buy their freedom, or gain it by fleeing and taking refuge in the royal palace.
The communes owned for life the plots of land on which they built their houses. The nobility included those noble by birth, the priests and those who had earned rank, primarily the warriors.
Decline of the Aztec civilization
In 1519 Ferdinand Cortés landed in Mexico ; he was mistaken for a deity and was warmly welcomed by the Aztec king. However, Cortés, once he reached the capital, exterminated the population during a celebration.
This civilization disappeared forever.
