The Aztecs
Who were the Aztecs?
The Aztec were a migrant group who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the1200s. Shrouded in legend, their origins are traced back to the mythical city of Aztlan (“the Place of Whiteness” or “the Place of the Heron”); located on an island believed to exist somewhere in the North-western part of current day Mexico. According to legend, Huitzilopochtli (left-handed hummingbird) the god of war, instructed the Aztecs to leave Aztlan and find a new place to found the capital of a mighty empire. The place would be marked by the sight of an eagle perched atop a prickly pear cactus.
When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico they found that it was already settled by other groups who controlled access to vital natural resources. Additionally, the Aztecs were not welcomed by the inhabitants of the valley who considered them barbaric and dangerous. After many failed attempts to integrate with local towns, the Aztec were confined to an unfavorable section of Lake Texcoco covered in marshland and unsuitable for farming. They soon proved their resilience by clearing the area and incorporating the famous chinampa system which allowed them grow enough crops to sustain their growing population.
As they started to grow in numbers and influence other groups became hostile and tried to expel the Aztecs from the Valley of Mexico. During a skirmish against local enemies, the Aztecs withdrew into an islet in the lake where they found the sign indicated by Huitzilopochtli. From there, the Aztec started building their fabled capital of Tenochtitlan and eventually conquered their enemies. In less that 200 years, the Aztec forged an empire that extended from Central Mexico down to modern day Guatemala. By the time of European contact Aztec influence and control was at its peak.
Aztec or Mexica?
The Aztec are known by this name because of their association with their mythical homeland of Aztlan and the term became widespread in the 1800's. However, they never referred to themselves as Aztecs – instead they called themselves the Mexica (pronounced Mé-shee-ka).
Furthermore, the Mexica were part of a broader Nahuatl speaking group known as the Culhua-Mexica and the Mexica who founded the legendary capital of Tenochtitlan were Tenochcas.
Geography and Environment
The Valley of Mexico is located in a highland plateau, 2238 meters above sea level, shaped by volcanic activity and surrounded by mountain ranges. The weather is temperate with mild winters and subtropical vegetation; the surrounding mountains are predominantly covered in pine forests. The region was home to a large variety of flora and fauna, some of which has been reduced or extinct due to modern urban sprawl.
The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times and archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of mammoth hunting activity from as far back as the late Pleistocene (approx. 11,000 years ago).
The surface of the valley was dominated by a system of salt and fresh water lakes; the lakes were drained in almost its entirety after the Spanish conquest. The biggest lake, Lake Texcoco, was the saline lake where the Mexica built their fabled capital Tenochtitlan.
Diversity
Long before the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, the region had been under the influence of numerous civilizations. Places like Cuicuilco with its circular mound temple from the Preclassic Period (2500 BCE – 250 CE) and the powerful and enigmatic Teotihuacan already supported large populations and complex urban centers. While some of these civilizations had already declined by the time the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, their cultural and architectural influence were assimilated by the Aztec as a form of legitimization as the new rulers of the region. The Aztec were specially drawn to the Toltec style, a militaristic state believed to have extended as far as the Yucatan peninsula.
As the empire expanded and incorporated new regions, the Aztec became in contact with new groups. Mayans, Totonacs, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Tarascans, etc. while these ethnic groups shared common cultural aspects due to their history and in some cases geographical proximity, they were unique independent civilizations. Even after being incorporated into the Aztec empire they retained their cultural identity.
However, when Europeans arrived, most groups were forced to lose their identity and eventually were all bundled together as if they had been part of a single ethnic group, which hindered the study and understanding of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
Expansion
The Aztec expanded throughout Mesoamerica; Mesoamerica which means "Middle America"refers to the geographical and cultural area which extends from central Mexico down through Central America.
Once the Aztec had established themselves in the Valley of Mexico, they started and aggressive expansion throughout the Central and Southern part of Mexico. They established a powerful alliance known as the "Triple Alliance" with the kingdoms of Texcoco and Tlacopan; each of different ethnic groups. This formidable force became the Aztec empire.
In order to support and maintain their power and influence, the empire required large quantities of resources some of which could only be acquired in other regions. Therefore, the Aztec empire implemented a tributary system based on the production of goods of each region and their favor in the eyes of the emperor. Other regions remained independent like the Mayan Peninsula and present day North American Southwest, but contact by trade was present.
While the forces of the Triple Alliance dominated most of Central Mexico, other powerful kingdoms resisted Aztec control like the Tarascans and the Tlaxcalans; the latter would eventually join forces with the Spanish conquerors to defeat the Aztecs.