Government in the Aztec Empire:
The Aztec Empire was not an ‘empire’ in the classic sense of the word. They did not dictate every aspect of life for the conquered city states. In most cases, conquered cities were allowed to keep their original rulers and ways of life. This was usually a form of monarchy or dictatorship where there was a king who ruled over the city with a structure of government officials below them. The only thing required of the city states by the empire was a form of tribute. This varied from location to location. Thus, the real structure of the empire was held up with a tribute system payed to the heads of the members of the Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance was an alliance between the Mexica, the Acolhua in the
The Aztecs were a remarkable civilization. Th is civilization were distrusted and disliked because they tended to push others out of their way. They ruled an empire in Tenochtitlan in the time of 1350 to 1519. They also were known for their agriculture and human sacrifices. Agriculture was a very important part of their h istory because without their farming method the Aztec couldn't have created such great civilization. According to Document A of the Aztec DBQ, states that the Aztec empire grew more than 200 miles west to east, and north to south. Th is means that with the growth of the empire the population also grew and more effective agriculture techniques were needed to feed the people. They created the method of ch inampas because they
The Aztec empire was located in central Mexico. In approximately 1200 A.D. is when the civilization was started. Their capital was the city called Tenochtitlan. Their economy wasn’t very good in the beginning. The Aztecs weren’t able to support themselves since their village was so small. The Aztecs did their farming in a method of agriculture called chinampa. This was a method of agriculture used throughout all of Mesoamerica. Soon their population grew began to grow. Their economy depended on the areas that were surrounding them because they still couldn’t fully support themselves. Most of the Aztec’s population were farmers and another good part of their economy depended on the extensive trade of important luxury items. Their
When thinking of ancient, urban centers many think of ancient capitals such as Rome, Athens, or Cairo. However, across the Atlantic Ocean in Central and South America, there were a number of growing urban centers being built by the Aztec, Mayan, and Incan civilizations. An example of a Central American urban center is Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the capital of the ancient Aztec capital which is located in present-day Mexico-City, Mexico. The development of this ancient city was dependent on three important factors: favorable ecology, advancing technology, and social organization. With these three preconditions, the growth of Tenochtitlan as a major urban center and as the capital of the Aztec’s civilization was able to flourish.
The Aztecs had one of the most successful and advanced empires of all time. They had a dwelling culture The Aztec civilization was located directly in the middle of two mountain ranges in the central valley of Mexico ( Platt 10). Although the Aztec empire eventually came to an end they were able to do well as an empire. Contributing factors that led to the rise of the empire was their political structure, social components, and religious traditions which they preformed earnestly.
The Aztec empire was made up of many tributary city-states called Altepetl, each one was ruled by a supreme leader, supreme judge, and administrator. The tatoloni of the capital city of the empire, Tenochtitlan, ruled as the emperor of the empire. The tatoloni was the ultimate owner of all the land in the city-states. He had power, and control over the whole of the Aztec empire. Leadership
During the 15th century, there were two leading empires of Mesoamerica. The Inca Empire, which was located in what is now Peru and the Aztecs, whose area was located in what is now Mexico. Both the Aztec and Inca empires were advanced civilizations with a good economy, agricultural developments, and religious practices that spread across the region of Mesoamerica.
The Aztecs and the Incas both unified their empires through central cities, shared language, centralized government, national religion, and military force. These subjects all require the people in the empires to be loyal to the emperor. By establishing a capital with one language, and one religion, a ruler gave the members of the empire a sense of belonging and safety. This sense of belonging unified the empire and the emperor gained the loyalty of their people. The building of Cuzco and Tenochtitlan, the capitals of the Inca and Aztec empires, was the first step for each empire to officially becoming an empire. Through the native languages of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, and the Incas, Quechua, the rulers were able to communicate within the empire and form alliances with neighboring empires. The Aztecs formed a triple-alliance with Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. The two empires had strong centralized governments
After landing on the coast of Mexico in the early 1500’s in what is now Veracruz, Cortés caught word of the possibility of much wealthier land if he were only willing to travel more inland. The Aztec empire centered around it’s powerful capital city of Tenochtitlán, and Cortés wanted it for himself and Spain. After arriving in the great city he said to have gasped at the sight of the large buildings, beautiful design, and overall substance. While the accounts written by him and his men are the only known surviving writings of the late empire, we are able to get a pretty clear glimpse into its beauty by the way he spoke. Built on a sizeable lake, the Tenochtitlán was only assessable by four very large bridges. Cortés was quite impressed by the way in which 10 of his men could ride side by side while crossing. The actual size of the city was not what impressed him most, seeing as it was comparable to the city of Seville that he had seen at home, but instead he found it intriguing how the people had developed roads that worked around the grand body of water.
Inside any atrocious act committed by a group of people onto another for the sake of greed there’s a message they must spread to justify their actions, for the Spanish onto the Aztec it was ridding the world of heretics worshiping Gods of blood. The Aztec and Inca Empires fell with relative ease to the Spaniards due to a variety of contributing factors. Hesitate action from leadership may have played a role at least for the Aztecs as according to Hernan Cortez; Moctezuma believed that he possibly was a God. Superior weaponry such as steel based weapons/armor played a significant role, as both the Inca and Aztec empires still relied on weapons made from stone and wood. European diseases like small pox also played a heavy hand in the decimation of the native population, as the natives had no immunities to such ailments. The Spanish who arrived with very few men to fight also utilized subject people to fight on their side due primarily to the irritation of the Native Empires long dominance of them. This was mainly utilized in the Aztec Empire’s conquest as they had long sacrificed large portions of their subjects to their Gods in order to appease them. Along with sacrifices, the Aztec required large payments of goods & labor from their subjects further creating tensions.
For centuries we have been taught about different ancient civilizations. Civilizations that individually give us genuine reasons and facts which we remember them by. Whether it'd be for their customs or agriculture each civilization has contributed to our technology in the way we grow our food and the way we build. Today I would like to remember the Aztecs. They have been famous for their agriculture, their cultivation of land and creating artificial islands in the lakes.
The Aztecs believed that war was for captives and tribute. Although the Incas tried to create an overarching political state and to integrate their empire as a unit, both empires recognized local ethnic groups and political leaders and allowed variation from one group or region to another as long as Inca or Aztec sovereignty was recognized and tribute paid. The empires were created by the conquest of a sedentary agricultural peoples and the extraction of tribute and labor from them.
The events that occurred between the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors have many sides and opportunities for debate. One of the most debated topics being; Who was more savage and who was more Civil? Both the Aztecs and Spanish had powerful and thriving empires. These empires displayed their dominance through their advanced technology and flourishing military. Though it may seem that the Spanish were more advanced than the Aztecs, the Aztecs and Spanish were actually quite close to being equal in technological advancements.
In the Aztec government, most of the land was owned by a few families. The city council had more power than the families. They had four members that did a lot of the ruling, and then the leader in the Tenochtitlan was called the Huey Tlatcani.
The Aztec civilization during its peak was the strongest civilization in the western hemisphere. When the Spaniards first set foot in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, they could not believe that a civilization so primitive in their minds could have been so culturally developed and powerful. However, before making it to Tenochtitlan, they had discovered that all was not well in the Aztec empire. From many native Indians that had tension with the Aztecs, they learned of internal and pre-existing problems that existed. This investigation examines to what extent where those internal and pre-existing factors to blame for the downfall of the Aztec Empire. The investigation was undertaken using some of the only primary
During this time period the western exploration was set forth to find new trades routes and wealth along with trade. People who called themselves conquistadors were those of which who were looking for a new adventure and a place to discover that was new. They also wanted to spread knowledge of Christianity.