Guide Note:

The Aztec Civilization, really an alliance between three powerful city-states, flourished in "Mesoamerica," mainly in an area now labeled central Mexico, in the 15th and 16th Centuries, until being conquered by the Spanish. Most of what is now known of the Aztecs comes from archaeological evidence and first-hand accounts from Spanish conquistadors and missionaries.

Fast Facts:

Region: Mexico, Central America
Duration: 1428 - 1521
Capital: Tenochtitlan
Language: Nahutl
Population: ~20,000,000
Government: Autocracy
Aztecs also referred to as as "Mexica"

Key Events:

1248: "Mexica" people arrive in Chapultepec

1325: City of Tenochtitlan founded

1428: Aztec Triple Alliance formed, collecting three city-states into the Aztec Empire

November 8, 1519: Cortes arrives at Tenochtitlan

August 13, 1521: Tenochtitlan destroyed

Aztec Religion

Many of the specifics of Aztec religion or mythology were borrowed or adopted from other Mesoamerican cultures, including the adoption of specific gods and the central significance of solar and lunar cycles.

The Aztecs believed that the universe was locked into a 52-year cycle, and feared that if they did not please the gods, the world would cease to exist when the present cycle came to an end.

Famously, human sacrifice played a role in Aztec religion, and was reported on by Spanish explorers and writers who witnessed some of these ceremonies first-hand. Animal sacrifice and self-sacrifice (sometimes involving bloodletting) were also common.

Categories

History | Mexican History

View Note History

Aztec Civilization

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Aztec
Aztecs at Mexilore: Aztec Information
Aztec-History.com: Aztec History and Information
Tarlton Law Library: Law in Mexico Before the Conquest
PBS: Montezuma and the Aztecs
PLU: Music in the Daily life of the Aztec
AncientScripts.com: Aztec

Aztec Civilization History

World Civilizations: The Mexica/Aztecs
Corelight: Ancient Mexican History
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: The Aztecs: A Pre-Columbian History
Wikipedia: History of the Aztecs
UCSD: Aztec Chronology
Food Timeline: Aztec, Maya, & Inca Foods and Recipes

Aztec Civilization Art

Famsi.org: Aztec Art (5mb)
Crystalinks: Aztec Calendar
Missouri State University: Aztec Religious Ritual/Ceremonies Art
The DeLange Homepage: Tenochtitlán Photos

Aztec Civilization Religion

Wikipedia: Aztec Mythology
Crystalinks: Aztec Gods and Godesses
The Aztec Gateway: Aztec Spirituality and Religion
Wikipedia: Human Sacrifice
Brigham Young University: The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice(48kb)

Aztec Civilization Architecture

Think Quest: Aztec Architecture
Arizona State University: Teotihuacan The City of the Gods
CCDS: Ancient Aztec Architecture

Aztec Civilization Timeline

1100: Aztecs left Aztlan in search of a new home, arrive in the Valley of Mexico in 1195.
1250: Aztecs settle near Lake Texcoco.
1325: Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan built the first temple and connected the land with causeways and canals.
1370: Priest-Ruler Tenoch died and Aztecs were ruled by Tepanecs.
1375: Acamapichtli became the ruler of the Aztecs and defeated Tepanecs and expanded to rule the whole valley.
1428: The Triple Alliance was formed and Atzcapotzalco was conquered.
1440: Moctezuma I became the ruler, after Tenochtitlan was destroyed by flood and famine he sent armies to conquer new lands.
1469: Moctezuma I died.
1486: Ahuitzotl became the new ruler.
1487: The temple at Tenochtitlan was dedicated and the Aztecs expand south into Mayan territory.
1502: Moctezuma II became the new ruler.
1519: Cortes comes to Mexico and Monctezuma II was killed.
1520: Cuitlahuac was elected to be ruler
1521: Tenochtitlan was destroyed.
1522: Tenochtitlan rebuilt and renamed Mexico City and declared the capitol of New Spain.

Aztec Civilization Major Events

Mexico Connect: Post-Classic Period: Aztecs
University of Chicago: Official Meeting of the Tenochtitlan Calpulli Council(2 mb)
Mexico Connect: Spanish Conquest
Ambergris Caye History: The Aztec Account of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
Wikipedia: Fall of Tenochtitlan

Aztec Civilization Major Historical Figures

Aztec Civilization Maps and Media

AncientMexico.com: Ancient Mesoamerica Interactive Map
HyperHistory: Map
Discover: "Megadeath in Mexico"(2006)
Msnbc: "Archaeologists Find Important Aztec Ruins"(2006)
Guardian Unlimited: "Archaeologists in Mexico City find first tomb of Aztec ruler"
LaRaza: "The Quest for the Mysterious Aztlan: The Aztecs in Mexican History"(2005)
PBS: Aztec Youth: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Aztec Civilization Books and Research

Amazon.com: Books
Stanford University Press: Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest
University of Virginia Library: History of the Conquest of Mexico (E-Text)

Aztec Civilization Blogs and Message Boards

Ancient World: The Americas: Aztec Message Board
Bonitanews.com: Aztec Dance
All About History Ancient and Modern: Aztecs
Brnrd.net: Mexico: Tenochtitlan

Aztec Civilization Criticism

Live Science: "Evidence May Back Human Sacrifice Claims"(2005)
Blue Corn Comics: Were Aztecs Murdering Animals?(2000)

Aztec Civilization Satire and Humor

Timothy McSweeney's: Do You Have an Aztec Problem? What Every Homeowner Should Know
Godchecker.com: The Gods Of Aztec Mythology
The Phrase Finder: Montezuma's Revenge
The Washington Pox: Aztec Policitcal Satire

Related Searches

Mayan Civilization | Inca Civilization | Hernán Cortés | History of Mexico | Fall of Tenochtitlan | Moctezuma II

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