Lucille de Carmoy

Lucille.decarmoy@glion.ch
Class H423

Ancient empire

Aztec empire
INTRO (page 2 of ppts)
What do you know about Aztecs? make the class participate
Many of the tribes (notably the Toltecs) that populated the central plateaus had the same origin,
the Chicomoztoc ('place of the seven caves') from where they would have left one after the other.
The Aztecs would also have come from this cave, but they would have left Aztlan, a mysterious
city built on an island that gave its name to this people. Their departure seems to have been in the
year 1116. Guided by Huitzilopochtli, they wandered for several generations before settling on the
shores of Lake Texcoco, in Chapultepec.
Settled in Chapultepec, the Aztecs fell under the domination of the Colhuacas. They soon rebelled
and saved their lives by taking refuge in the marshy areas of the lake. In a place designated by
Huitzilopochtli, a rock bearing a cactus where an eagle was perched, they founded their capital
Tenochtitlán, in the year 2 house (1325).

A hierarchical society (p.3 ppt)

Aztec civilization is hierarchical. In first position there is the Emperor "Tlatoani".
The Emperor commands and fulfils the will of the gods. The only way to become emperor is by
heredity, he is considered a quasi-divine man by his people.
After the Emperor there are the 'nobles' of the Aztec civilisation: the Pilli. Most of the time these
belong to the royal lineage.
Almost the entire population is called Macehualli, they are divided into different social categories
according to their wealth, some of them can be "promoted" to the rank of nobles, in most cases
this concerns the richest. And the last ones, the peasants belonging to the lords are called the
Mayques.

The Aztecs, a powerful empire (p.4 ppt)

Do you have any idea of WHY Aztecs became that important and powerful? Because of their
culture? Religion?  make the class participate Good answer of the power point: 2 & 3
The Aztecs had reached one of the most advanced levels of civilisation in America and, together
with the other members of their Triple Alliance, dominated the largest empire in post-classical
Mesoamerica. Their only real rival was the Tarascan kingdom.

The fall of the Aztec empire (p.5 ppt)

 Hernan Cortes and his troops landed in Mexico in April 1519 on the Veracruz coast
Thus the Indians and Cortes' men fought, but Cortes being more far-sighted and organised, the
Indians suffered a defeat. Following this defeat the Indians offered tribute to Cortes and made an
alliance with the natives of Tlaxcala, Cempoala and Texcoco. Moctezuma (Aztec emperor) was
informed of this and sent his 'foreign minister' called Calpixque to convey Moctezuma's greetings
to Cortes and to offer him gifts. When Calpixque revealed and described Cortes to Moctezuma,
this provoked the curiosity and excitement of the emperor who wondered if Cortes was not the
reincarnation of the God Quetzalcoatl.

 Between Cortes' arrival in Mexico and his meeting with Moctezuma, Cortes and his men
continued to make rapid advances towards Mexico City

 The first step in the fall of the Aztecs was the meeting of Moctezuma and Hernan Cortes on 8
November 1519 (remember that a decade earlier a bad omen predicted the arrival of the
conquistadors). Capture of Moctezuma by Cortes after a battle between the Aztecs and the
Spanish in which Cortes annexed the royal palace.

1521: death of Moctezuma

 July 1521 – August 1521: After eliminating a large part of the Indian aristocracy, Cortes
suffered heavy reprisals. However, with the help of dissident tribes (Tlaxaltecs, Tontones,
Texconans and Calchas), Cortes managed to retake the capital and killed all the members of the
Indian aristocracy.

Extra: The Aztec religion (p.6 ppt)

Huitzilopochtli : Huitzilopochtli (left-handed hummingbird, from huitzilin, hummingbird and left-

handed opochtli) represents the triumphant sun at its zenith. He is the tribal god of the Aztecs who
guided them in their migrations.

Ometeotl represents all the dualities encountered in nature: Masculine and Feminine; Order and
Chaos; Light and Darkness; Matter and Spirit...

Quetzalcoatl, whose name means "feathered serpent" and "precious twin", was a major deity of
the Aztec pantheon with archaic origins. As one of the four creator gods, he played a key role in
the myth of the Five Suns.

Tezcatlipoca, (Smoking Mirror), was a very important god of the Mesoamerican pantheon. Many of
the creative deities were in fact only an aspect of this all-powerful god. His emblem is the obsidian
blade, which represents the cold, the darkness, the icy north wind.