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Aztecs
The Aztecs were active in Mexico from the 14th through 16th centuries. They are most famous for their practice of human sacrifice.
6,012 Questions
How did the spanish and Aztec war start?
The Spanish and Aztecs fought because the Spanish wanted the gold and natural resources. It was actually the Spanish who had started the battle. Plus the Aztecs fought because the Spanish killed Montezuma.
Why were the Spaniards able to conquer the Aztec empire?
One reason for Don Hernando Cortes to be able conquer the Aztec empire was because of his military power. His army possessed superior weapons and armors. They also trained horses and dogs to their advantage. The Aztecs also confused Cortes as one of their gods and thus trusted him. In addition, Spaniards spread smallpox and other European diseases which killed and lessen the number of the Aztec people.
What events led to the decline of Aztec empire?
The major event was the invasion of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (aka Hernando Cortez 1485-1547), who tricked the Aztecs into them worshipping him, and then attacked with his superior military and destroyed them.
There was also the exposure to European diseases and the lack of national unity, as many of the people of the region disliked the rule of the Aztecs (under Moctezuma II). These factors also led to the decline of the Incas in Peru.
The Effect of An Indigenous Disease
The "Cocolitzli" sickness ultimately caused the demise of the Aztec society. Cocolitzli appeared immediately after long, severe periods of geographic drought. Contemporary research suggests a mutated variation of the Hantavirus, carried by rodents ultimately caused the Cocolitzli which in essence wiped out 80% of the indigenous populations. In fact, the disease ravaged Spanish clergy as well, who had a high degree of exposure to native populations, by virtue of their close association with the peoples as part of the conversion process. Contemporary research suggests European disease had limited impact on decline of the Aztec empire.
After periods of drought, followed immediately by a torrentially wet year, rodent populations exploded because of the newly abundant sources of food. This created huge numbers of Hanta carriers, exposing the human population to the virus. Research also suggests that the Hantavirus mutated, and was subsequently able to jump the species barrier-from human to human, similar to that of the "Swineflu (H1N1)" virus and the "Birdflu" virus. The tenacity of the virus caused the rapid spread from person to person, decimating the population in the process. Drought in the New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and the Colorado area caused a spat of Hanta in 1993 which caused the deaths of 58 Americans before the CDC was able to isolate the rodents and contain the virus through culling. Forensic disease researchers believe the same environmental factors in 1993 which caused the Hanta outbreak also were responsible for the Aztec Cocolitzli and conquest of the culture.
Certainly the musket and the cannon played a part in the demise of native populations, though ultimately it was disease that decimated the Aztecs. It wasn't smallpox, nor measles, mumps, rubella, or plague. But a highly dangerous and virulent strain of the Hantavirus- a bug which is as dangerous today as it was 500 years ago.
What were some of Aztecs achievements?
These are only a few:
- Built one of the largest city's in the world
- According to one of the first European visitors, it was the most magnificent and largest ever seen
- Were the best warriors in the country
- It also had achievements in astronomy, writing
- Aztec's invented chewing gum
- The first to notice that sap from trees could be chewed
- Human sacrificing to be forward thinking as to ensure that children got a good grounding in their culture
- Discovered popcorn, chocolate, and invented mathematics and their own calendar
- Although this was around way before Aztecs, it's the Aztec who brought gold to the attention of the Spanish
- The city's island location also limited land available for farming. To create more land for farming, they built "floating gardens" called chinampas (chee-NAHM-pahs). They made the gardens by putting soil on rafts anchored to trees in the water. The chinampassurrounded a central island that was the heart of the city.
Did the Mayans and Aztecs coexist?
The coexistance of the two cultures is thought to have spanned less than 100 years during the time that the Aztec Empire ruled much of what is now Mexico from about 1428 until 1521. The Maya culture was most successful from about 300 to 900 AD, and continues to exist on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and south to Guatemala.
How did the Aztecs and incas build cities without the wheel?
they used sacks to carry on backs for lighter loads, and for heavier loads, they cut the stone they were using with obsidian tools and then proceeded to roll it on top of logs
What was the Aztec culture like?
Aztec culture is the culture of the people referred to as Aztecs, but since all ethnic groups of central Mexico in the postclassic period shared most basic cultural traits, many of the basic traits of Aztec culture cannot be said to be exclusive for the Aztecs. For the same reason the notion of "Aztec civilization" is best understood as a particular horizon of a general Mesoamerican civilization.
Among the cultural traits that the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan shared with many other cultures of central Mexico are the agricultural basis of maize cultivation, the basic social organization dividing society into classes of noble pipiltin and macehuallicommoners, the complex religious beliefs and practices including most of the pantheon (e.g. gods such as Tezcatlipoca, Tlaloc and Quetzalcoatl), the calendric system of a xiuhpohualli of 365 days intercalated with a tonalpohualli of 260 days. Cultural traits particular to the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan was the veneration of the Mexica patron God Huitzilopochtli, the construction of twin pyramids, and the ceramic ware known as Aztec I to III.[
When did the Aztec civilization start and end?
The Aztec civilization lasted from the 14th century to the 16th century, so roughly 200 years. According to the legends, they society was built starting in 1323. The fall of the Aztecs began with the Spanish coming and bringing with them disease and warfare. After two outbreaks of smallpox and one of typhus, the population of the Aztecs was only 20% of what it once had been.
When the Western Hemisphere was originally colonized, perhaps 40,000 years ago, a group of Asians crossed the (then frozen) Bering Strait from Siberia into Alaska, and then they and their descendants gradually explored North America, Central America, and South America, over the millennia. Various cultures gradually evolved from that original tribal migration, including the Aztecs.
What was the Aztecs' currency?
Cocoa and gold were the main forms of currency in Aztlan (Aztec's country).
Montezuma, usually spelled Moctezuma, was the most well-known emperor in Aztec history. he was the emperor right before the Spanish conquered the Aztecs.
The Aztecs Believed in all kinds of diffrent gods and godesses
Punishments for naughty Aztecs childrens?
children were pinched on the ear or arm, pricked with a maguey cactus, held over a pot of boiling chillis and made to breath in the smoke or tied up and left outside in the cold and mud.
they also were threatened to be dead. Did it work. for some. JK420
What was the name of the lake where the Aztecs finally saw the symbol?
The name of the lake is Lake Texcoco. The now dried up lake is located in present day Mexico city. The Aztecs settled on an island in the middle of the lake. The sign was an eagle perched on a nopal (prickly pear cactus) holding a snake.
When were the Aztecs defeated?
The Aztec were defeated against the Spanish troop es led by Hernan Cortes.
What was Montezuma most known for?
Montezuma was best known as a Aztec leader at the time of the Spanish conquest.
What did the Aztecs use for money?
The Aztecs used cocoa beans as their form of money to trade for goods.
How was the Aztec empire organized?
The Aztec empire was organized into a series of nominally independent city states. These states all had degrees of autonomy as long as tribute was paid and loyalty to the emperor remained unquestioned.
