Aztec Essay

Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003

All of the Aztecs were brainwashed to think that the success of their culture was more important than their own lives. Some may argue that they were showing loyalty to their community and religion. In reality, killing a myriad of people for the purpose of pleasing the gods and cannibalism in order to be rewarded, is not justified by religious beliefs. The Aztecs teach us good lessons today about government and countries competing to be the best. From these examples modern world society leaders can learn how selfish actions can impact the entire community in a negative way. It’s conspicuous that Aztecs were doing many things wrong that led to the death of thousands of innocent lives and the suppression of people under their

The Aztec were a powerful group but did not have an imperialistic worldview like the Spanish. The Spanish expanded their empire and travelled across to the America’s. Here they explored and conquered many groups of people. As they fought the Spanish army grew with more slaves being taken in. This was very different from the Aztec people who fought only for control. They were not focused on expanding their religion and allowed conquered areas to keep their religion and way of life. They did not take slaves and used the captured men for human sacrifice. The Aztec thought that sacrifice would keep their gods happy and increased the amount of before they were conquered. Thus the Aztec worldview was based on religion and the gods. The Aztec and Spanish worldviews were different. The Aztec respected their gods and only conquered land to not be destroyed while the Spanish conquered land to expand their empire. These factors helped contribute to the fall of the powerful Aztec

Leon-Portilla based the stories told in this book upon old writings of actual Aztec people who survived the Spanish massacres. The actual authors of the stories told in this book are priests, wise men and regular people who survived the killings. These stories represent the more realistic view of what really happened during the Spanish conquest. Most of the history about the Aztec Empire was based on Spanish accounts of events, but Leon-Portilla used writings from actual survivors to illustrate the true history from the Indians’ point of view.

     The Aztecs were an American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico from the 1400's to the 1500's. The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas and built cities as large as any in Europe at that time. They also practiced a remarkable religion that affected every part of their lives and featured human sacrifice. The Aztecs built towering temples, created huge sculptures, and held impressive ceremonies all for the purpose of worshipping their gods. The Spaniards destroyed their magnificent empire in the year 1521, but the Aztecs left a lasting mark on Mexican life and culture .

The Aztecs should also be remembered for their strong army and expert tactics. Aztec warriors were some of the most “fierce fighters” in Mesoamerica, conquering almost all of southern Mexico in a span of about 100 years (Doc. 1). This extraordinary success came from not only the Aztecs’ expert fighting skills, but the fear they instilled within their enemy. As previously stated, the Aztecs are most known for their human sacrifices; most of which were captured enemies. In The History of the Indies of New Spain, Friar Diego Duran describes a sacrificial ritual he witnessed where 2,300 prisoners from Teuclepec were killed in the name of the Aztec religion (Doc. 6). However, some historians believe that these sacrifices were not performed for

The ancient Aztec civilization is usually thought of as a barbaric, unintelligent people throughout modern society. This could be an ideal carried down from the Spaniards that concord the native lands or even something as simple as today’s society creating overblown stereotypes because of conjoined lack of understanding and overall knowledge. But, because of the extensive research and studies done by Miguel León-Portilla we are able to discover the true nature of the Aztec peoples way of life. Within the book “Aztec Thought and Culture” the author explains the develop of the Aztec civilization through education and philosophy as well as describing the Aztec people as an advanced society rather than the popular belief of a savage people and culture.

The Aztecs were a ancient civilization who ruled an empire in the region of mesoamerica between 1325 A.D and 1521 . From their capital city of tenochtitlan, presently the site of modern - day Mexico City, the Aztecs had many achievements. Two things they were most know for is Agriculture and Human sacrifice, which was very unique. However, historians should emphasize the role of Human Sacrifice in Aztec culture."

Miguel Leon-Portilla author of Broken Spears- The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico, tells the story of the Spanish conquest over the Aztecs from the Aztec point of view. It is more familiar in history that the Spanish led by Hernan Cortez defeated the Aztecs with a powerful army and established an easy victory all while having intentions to gain power and greed. However, Leon-Portilla focuses on the Aztec Empire and their story. Leon-Portilla does a great job giving readers the real occurrences and events from Aztec members. This paper argues that history must be told from all sides. It is more common to hear about the Spanish conquest

The Aztecs have two remarkable qualities about their culture; human sacrifice and agriculture. While both of these qualities holds an importance in their history, historians should emphasize human sacrifice more. The Aztecs human sacrifice is more notable than the Aztecs agricultural ability, because they left land unoccupied for later sacrifices, it resulted in many’s death, and even the finest were sacrificed.

In the book Daily Life of The Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest by Jacques Soustelle you are walked through what life was like for the Aztecs. You are in 16th Century Mexico, or to them Mexico-Tenochtilan. Soustelle does an excellent job immediately putting you in character with the introduction of the book. The book is broken down into seven different main chapters detailing major aspects of the Aztecs lives in the late 1500’s. You learn about where they lived, to the wars they fought, and what life was like for them from birth to death. In this paper I will further discuss four topics that were very crucial in the daily lives of the Aztecs. I will help you find a better understanding in their daily life as well as the many changes they migrated through over time. The four topics I will be discussing are: 1. Culture and Customs of the Aztecs 2. Civilization vs Barbarism 3. Art and Architecture 4. Education and Home Life.

Representation” by Michael Schreffler argues that “ . . . early modern rhetoric and iconography . . . constructed a distorted view of painting in Aztec Mexico and entangled it in the conventions of colonial historiography” (407). This essay is effective because of its thorough examination of the accounts that explain a painting made by the Aztec’s at San Juan de Ulúa on Easter Sunday of 1519.

Everybody has a dark side, and a bright side. This was definitely true for the Aztec's. Through Aztec culture two main things were emphasized; agriculture and human sacrifice, but which should historians emphasize more? Historians learn many things about Aztec culture through studying their agriculture. The Aztec's were Native American people who, around the times 1350-1519, dominated most of the region of what is today's modern day Mexico City (Background Essay). Agriculture was a very important part of the everyday lives and culture of the Aztec's, as well as human sacrifice. Although human sacrifice was important, their success in agriculture had more of a positive impact on their society and what has evolved into our society today. The Aztec's had conquered vast regions of land entailing many people to feed (Document A). Historians should emphasize the Aztec's agriculture because of its importance to society and everyday life, their intelligence and advanced farming techniques, and the importance of religion to their culture.

Through the reading of Temples and Ceremonies we are informed that all people engage in sacrifice. In fact “All people engaged in auto sacrifice at some point in their lives, usually to petition the gods for agricultural or human fertility” (MAI Reader, 77). This connects to the theme in the myth of people committing acts of sacrifice in order to fill obligations for their well being we can deduce that since “all people engaged in...sacrifice”(MAI, 77) that people within the Aztec society viewed sacrifice as a duty and the norm . Carassaco’s text elaborates on the concept of the reasoning and act of sacrifice. “Ancestors carrying out sky watching, prayer, ceremonies, and ritual sacrifices to their gods. (Carrasco, 26)” This imposes that the Aztecs sacrifices were solely for their gods and their benefit. When the Spanish came to conquer the Aztecs they too realized the sacrifice occurring within the society. Bernal de Castillo one of Hernan Cortez’s men recorded in a journal his personal experience with asking about sacrifice. “Then Diaz del Castillo added a provocative and enigmatic passage about human sacrifice and cannibalism in relation to the feast” (Carrasco, 6). This shows that people (even outsiders) were well aware of the significance of sacrifice within the Aztec society. We also see record from another first hand account of the Aztecs and their relationship to sacrifice. Bernardino de Sahagun writings states that “the Aztecs carried out human sacrifice within a large, more complex ceremonial system in which a tremendous amount of energy, wealth and time was spent” (Carrasco, 63). This shows how crucial sacrifice was within the Aztec

The roles of women are useful to historians because they provide an insight into the life experiences, cultures, thoughts, and every day life of a historical period. Similarly this essay will examine the roles of women, which provide insight into the Aztec civilization’s many strengths. The Aztec child bearer/warrior, priestess and sexual being will be analyzed to display that gender relations were complementary that produced equality. The midwife and weaver reveal that the Aztec’s specialization proved successful through fields like medicine and the market. Finally the Aztec daughter and mother will be examined to show that the Aztec’s had a strong socialization system established through education and the family. For these reasons