Aztec Empire, Rise and Fall: Ancient Worlds and Civilizations, #7

By A.J. Carmichael

The Aztec Empire, Rise and Fall is a captivating exploration of one of the most fascinating cultures in world history. From their mysterious origins in ancient Mesoamerica to their tragic demise at the hands of Spanish conquistadors, this book offers a comprehensive account of the Aztecs' rise to power, their legendary military prowess, and their complex religious beliefs and mythology. Beginning with a tour of the Aztec's stunning archaeological sites, readers are transported back in time to witness the birth of a civilization that would go on to dominate the Americas for centuries. From the towering pyramids of Tenochtitlan to the majestic temples of Teotihuacan, every aspect of Aztec culture is brought to life through vivid descriptions and stunning imagery. As the story unfolds, readers are treated to an in-depth examination of Aztec warfare, including their use of advanced weapons and tactics, and their ruthless treatment of defeated enemies. The book also delves into the complex religious beliefs and mythology of the Aztecs, including their worship of deities like Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl, and their gruesome practice of human sacrifice. But the Aztec's dominance would not last forever, and the book also details the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the catastrophic impact of their conquest. Through first-hand accounts and meticulous research, readers are transported to the heart of the conflict, witnessing the betrayal, brutality, and tragedy that marked the end of the Aztec civilization. "The Rise and Fall of the Aztec Civilization" is a thrilling journey through one of the most remarkable civilizations in human history. With its engaging prose, stunning visuals, and meticulous attention to detail, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the fascinating world of ancient Mesoamerica.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AJ CARMICHAEL
• Release date: Mar 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215766927

Book preview

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the following individuals for their invaluable assistance and support in the research and writing of this book: Ana Hernandez's expertise in Aztec history and culture provided critical insights and guidance throughout the project. Juan Rodriguez, for his generous assistance in translating key Aztec texts and helping me navigate the Nahuatl language's complexities. Maria Chavez, for her diligent research assistance and thoughtful feedback on early drafts of the manuscript. Carlos Gomez, for his helpful discussions on Aztec religion and mythology and for generously sharing his library of rare Aztec texts. Luisa Flores, for her invaluable editorial assistance and a keen eye for detail. Miguel Gonzalez, for his encouragement and unwavering support throughout the writing process. I also want to express my appreciation to the many scholars, researchers, and institutions who have contributed to our understanding of Aztec history and culture and whose work has informed and inspired this book. Finally, I am deeply grateful to the Aztec people, past and present, whose legacy continues to enrich and inform our understanding of the world.

INTRODUCTION

In 1519, Hernán Cortés led a Spanish army of 500 troops into the Aztec capital, backed by hundreds of experienced, allied indigenous warriors, and the Europeans were awestruck by the vast, gorgeous city amid Lake Texcoco. Bernal Dáz del Castillo, one of these troops, remarked that the masonry towers and pyramids that rise from the water, despite all the cities and villages built in the water and the great towns built on dry land, as well as that straight and level Causeway leading toward Mexico, resembled the enchantments described in the legend of Amad. Several of our men even questioned if they were dreaming when they saw the palaces where we were staying. They were constructed with exquisite brickwork, cedarwood, and other fragrant woods and had vast rooms and courtyards with cotton awnings.

The Spanish were astounded by the palaces' splendour and the crowd size that greeted these peculiar-looking visitors. They saw colossal castles next to enormous oratories for deities, some with blood on them, others with shining cement and swept and garlanded. Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital with almost 200,000 inhabitants, was one of the most significant cities in history. Seville, the largest city known to most conquistadors, had over 60,000 inhabitants, compared to approximately 50,000 in London. At the time, Paris and Constantinople were the two largest cities on Earth, with populations of around 300,000.

Tenochtitlan, also known as the Great City of Mexico, was the capital of a vast political and economic empire encompassing more than 400 towns and villages in central Mesoamerica and countless isolated southern and eastern provinces. Tenochtitlan served as the principal spiritual and political centre of a three-city alliance that included Texcoco and Tlacopan. On an area of 77,000 square kilometres, these three political factions desired to control over five million people. Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco are located on a 4.6-square-mile island, which is this metropolis's population, social complexity, and power centre. This island city was linked to nine smaller metropolitan cities on the surrounding mainland by more than a dozen causeways, increasing the population of this megalopolis to over 300,000. As the Spaniards quickly learned, the Aztec capital was a garden city with exceptional agricultural productivity that served as the centre of a tributary empire that attracted and redistributed large amounts of products and food. Due to this solid economic base, Tenochtitlan became the epicentre of Spanish hostility and ambitions for wealth and political supremacy. As the Spaniards investigated the city, its importance and link to a much broader natural and political environment became evident. Here are a few things we may have seen had we travelled with them in November and December 1519.

Thousands of local soldiers joined the Spanish army led by Hernán Cortés as it marched into the Aztec capital, where the Europeans were astonished by the city's size and beauty. Massive brick pyramids and buildings erupt from the water. According to Bernal Daz del Castillo, who left a brief description of their first sighting, it reminded them of the tale of Amad because there were so many lovely cities and villages created in the water and so many others on solid land, as well as that straight and level Causeway leading to Mexico.

The appearance of the palaces where we stayed surprised me! They were vast and exquisitely built, with lovely rooms and courtyards adorned with awnings made of cotton fabric, cedar wood, and other fragrant woods. Some of our men even questioned the veracity of their observations. The Spaniards were astounded by the scale of the buildings and the appearance of the people who met these strange-looking visitors. They could see palaces painted, adorned, and covered with glittering cement, all surrounded by enormous idol oratories. Tenochtitlan is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of around 200,000. The two largest cities on Earth, Paris and Constantinople, each had a population of around 300,000. Seville, the most important city of the Conquistadors, had 60,000 inhabitants, whereas London had more than 50,000.

The Spanish referred to the capital of a substantial political and economic empire, including more than 400 towns and villages in central Mesoamerica and countless distant southern and eastern provinces, as the Great City of Mexico. More than five million people inhabited an area larger than 77,000 square miles when these three regimes were in power. Tenochtitlan was the most important religious and political centre between Texcoco and Tlacopan. Even though Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco are different cities, this city's population, social complexity, and power are centred on a little island of about 7.8 square kilometres. Due to the more than a dozen causeways connecting this island city to nine smaller metropolitan centres on the neighbouring mainland, its population grew to 300,000. The Aztec capital quickly gained a reputation as a garden city with a high agricultural output and as the centre of a tributary empire that amassed and distributed vast quantities of food. Due to its robust economic foundation, Tenochtitlan became the object of Spanish envy and ambitions for wealth and power. As they traversed the city, the Spanish tourists understood its significance and tied it to the larger natural and political world. If we had travelled with them in November and December 1519, we might have visited some of these locations.

They saw boats transporting people and cargo under many arches as they traversed a massive causeway en route to the ceremonial centre. As they were followed, many more chieftains and caciques arrived wearing gorgeous mantles, each chieftain wearing a bright livery distinct from the other, and the causeways were congested with them. They gradually saw the coming of Xocoyotzin (the Younger) and Motecuhzoma (He Who Grows Angry Like a Lordretinue). The queen appears amid a magnificent canopy of green feathers and a dazzling halo of pearls and chalchihuitls, which was a sight to see. The king is referred to as the tlatoani or the main speaker in Nahuatl. The Great Montezuma appeared before other monarchs sweeping their robes.

Consequently, he donned shoes with jewelled soles and gold heels. From head to toe, he was attired like an actual man-god. The Aztec ruler greeted the Spaniards in front of eight more chieftains, four of whom held canopies over their heads. But Polite did make a mistake. He dismounted his horse and raised his arms as he approached the Aztec Emperor. As he reached the monarch's corpse, Motecuhzoma's servants seized and repelled him. With the assistance of Motecuhzoma's elaborate welcoming speeches and doa Marina, Cortés's Indian interpreter and mistress, the situation swiftly regained its feeling of order as it became evident who was in command and that the Spaniards were welcome. As soon as the Spaniards arrived in the city, they were shown to their lodgings. Motecuhzoma gave Cortés a necklace made of golden crabs and described it as a lovely work of art. He gave Motecuhzoma the pearl and cut-glass necklace he was wearing. In his letter to the Spanish monarch, Cortés stated how Motecuhzoma handed each soldier a woven mantle as a sign of his wealth in golden trinkets and feathered mantles.

In the days that followed, the Spanish explorers traversed the nation, stopping at the great house full of books and the royal armouries, where they observed every arm, many of which were richly decorated... both large and small shields... two-handed swords with stone knives that cut much better than our swords. The calendars, history, and geography of the empire were painted on these volumes, which were, in reality, screen-fold codices. They then proceeded to a massive aviary with several types of birds and other large birds, including a quetzal. The stunning Idol House, which featured numerous carnivorous species like jaguars, wolves, and foxes feeding on the flesh of other animals, transformed the Spanish from amazement to contempt. Weavers, feather artisans and sculptors showed exquisitely designed linens. They utilize their dazzling feathers to create green featherwork and gorgeous plumage. According to Dáz del Castillo, who offered the distressing information, I've heard that they feed them the bones of Indians who have been slain. The Spanish passion was renewed in the gold and lapidary workshops, where jewellers fashioned chalchihuitls that resembled costly stones such as emeralds.

The fact that Motecuhzoma and his nobles were surrounded by numerous of the mistresses he had chosen for him did not disappoint them. They marvelled at the Aztec nobility's opulent palaces as they unwound in beautiful gardens brimming with fragrant trees and medicinal plants. In nunneries, an experienced nun supervised and educated young ladies. The group's fascination with the Aztecs' riches grew when they visited the neighbouring Tlatelolco imperial market, which, according to Cortés, was twice as massive as Salamanca's great market and bustled with 60,000 people every day. According to Daz del Castillo, they were astonished by the number of customers and the store's ability to keep order. Numerous Spaniards linked the cotton market in Granada to the marketplace where cotton fibres of various hues were spun. The inspectors and judges who resolved disputes and maintained order among the public also left their imprint on the Spaniards. The Spaniards enthusiastically compared Egypt to European cities after being given a bird's-eye view of one of the great pyramids during their tour: When we turned to view the marketplace and saw the people in it, the murmur and hum of their voices and the words they used could be heard from a great distance. Soldiers among us who had travelled the globe, to Rome, Constantinople, and all of Italy, declared they had never seen such a crowded and well-organized marketplace.

Motecuhzoma soon organized a beautiful meal for himself and his retinue of nobles, servants, and guards with over thirty dishes, including rabbits, deer, wild boars, and various birds. He was served tortilla bread, hand-washing bowls, towels, and other amenities at a table draped in white cotton tablecloths. He hosted the most exquisite dinners for government officials and his family in front of a gold-painted screen depicting fruit from distant areas of the empire and a chocolate beverage produced from cacao beans.

They were given the leftover chocolate and food because Motecuhzoma was enamoured with pleasure and singing. Some nasty humpback whales... they must have been buffoons, together with their jesters, who exchanged humorous comments with him.

When addressing cannibalism and human sacrifice, Dáz del Castillo says, There was a rumour that they would prepare young boys' flesh for him, but we couldn't tell whether the dishes included human flesh or anything else, so we had no idea what was going on. The Spaniards saw several more places and cultural activities in the days and months after their first visit to the Aztec city. A year after the arrival of the Spanish, the social structure, architectural splendour, and neighbourhoods of the island metropolis were utterly devastated, and thousands of people perished from sickness and conflict. Mesoamericans and Europeans paid a severe price for this meeting, particularly the Aztecs, whose population perished within a few decades. According to a Spanish historian, despite their political and military achievements, the Spaniards suffered a devastating setback during the fight of Noche Triste. In retaliation for the Spanish's brutality and the slaughter of priests and dancers at a festival, the Aztecs fought and drove the invaders into the sea. Men and animals quickly obstructed the waterway. Their own drowned remains were shoved into the void of the Causeway. In this poem, the poet laments the Aztecs' sorrow at their own ruin and loss:

As we lie on the ground, we are crushed underfoot. We were in disarray.

Mexico and Tlatelolco are no longer places of bravery and beauty.

Forty years later, Diaz del Castillo was still unhappy when he wrote, These things I observed then have been destroyed and vanished.

When Europeans learned of Tenochtitlan's discovery and conquering and read Spanish tales of its wealth, towns, and religious traditions, three significant disputes arose. Was the social life of the Aztecs reflected in these legends about Aztec villages and rulers, or were these myths created by the Spanish to increase the prestige of their military conquests in the New World? Yes, if Mesoamericans had reached the degree of social complexity and symbolic sophistication characteristic of urban culture, as represented in the chronicles of Hernán Cortés and Bernal Dáz del Castillo. These Indians' origins were likewise questioned by the Europeans. They descend from Adam and Eve? Were they wholly human and able to comprehend Christian doctrines? In addition, it is still unclear if cannibalism was practised to the level that the Spaniards said and whether human sacrifices were commonplace. Did the Spaniards invent Aztec sacrifices or deny that they brutally conquered the city to conceal their brutality?

After the fall of