Home » Travel » World Cultures » The Aztecs

The Aztecs

© P Jerome Jayanth

The Aztecs were the native Americans who dominated northern Mexico during the 16th century. The Aztecs, who refer to themselves as 'Mexica' or 'Tenochca', originated from a place called Aztlan in northwest Mexico. They were a small nomadic group of people who, after nearly a century of wandering, settled in the small islands of the Lake Texcoco. In the year 1325, the Aztecs built their capital city Tenochtitlan

The Aztecs used the hunting, fishing and gardening techniques for their subsistence in the valley near the lake. The rivers in the valley were rich in fishes and other aquatic animals which were used for food.

The Aztecs were excellent engineers who built causeways that linked the island city of Tenochtitlan with the mainland, aqueducts, sewers and dams. They also conquered many other tribes and, by the 15th century, created an empire that was surpassed in size in America only by that of the Incas.

The Aztecs spoke a language called Nahuati which did not have a written script. The Aztecs were polytheists but their principal God was Huitzilpochti.They offered human sacrifices to honor the gods and perpetuate human existence on special occasions, every year. Their symbolic art and architecture suggest an awareness of the interdependence of nature and mankind.

The Aztecs continue to be the most extensively studied of all the American civilisartions at the time of the European contact in the 16th century. The findings of modern archaeology continue to reveal the wonders of this great civilisation that continues to fascinate us in many ways.

The copyright of the article The Aztecs in World Cultures is owned by . Permission to republish The Aztecs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.