MORE ON THE AZTECS

History
The Atzec people were native Americans who lived in Mexico. They are also known as the Mexica or Tenochca. According to legends they originally lived in the Northern or Northwestern areas of Mexico. However, in the 13th century they settled in Mexico's central basin and in 1325 founded the town of Tenochtitan.

When the Aztecs or Mexicas first settled near Lake Tetzcoco in the central basin of Mexico, the area was occupied by many individual tribal towns. There was no organization between the tribes and many were at war with each other. In 1371, a political and warrior genius named Tezozomoc came to power in the town of Atzcapotzalco. Under his rule, the town gained power and the other settlements were forced to pay tribute in its honor. When Tezozomoc died, the Mexica settled in Tenochititlan allied with other towns and rose to power. The Mexica and their allies would expand their power by either peacefully or forcefully gaining alliances with other communities. These communities would then pay tribute to Tenochititlan by giving foodstuffs, goods, warriors, and workmen. Eventually, the Mexicas power became so great that they expanded beyond the Lake Tetzcoco region.

In the 15th century, the Aztec civilization ruthlessly expanded into an empire. Despite the violent nature of their religion, they created a precise calendar, a sophisticated agriculture, and a complex trading system. The Aztecs would also have yearly ceremonies celebrating their relationship with nature. The beginning of the end came in the early 16th century, when the
Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes decided to overtake the Aztec empire. Soon after, the civilization was colonizied and converted to Christianity.


Language
The Aztec spoke a language called Nahuatl (pronounced NAH waht l). It belongs to a large group of Indian languages which also include the languages spoken by the Comanche, Pima, Shoshone and other tribes of western North America. The
Aztec used pictographs to communicate through writing. Some of the pictures symbolized ideas and other represented the sounds of the syllables.


Society
The Aztec's society was made up of the emperor, the chief advisor, nobles and princes, and slaves, basically comprised of everyone else. The province was broken up into tribes and village communities whose main focus was agriculture, trade and warriorship.. The leader of the Aztecs was the emperor. The emperors chief adviser was a man who had the strange title of Cihuacoatl or Snake Woman. Below the rulers were the great nobles, the Tlatani, who governed the provinces. The lowest group in Aztec society were the slaves. Each community had a central markplace, where merchant directors managed trade. Their duties included assign locations for vendors and fixing prices on goods. These directors also had the authority to give a death sentence to anyone caught stealing or selling stolen goods. Cacao(chocolate) beans, feathers, and pieces of tin were among the items used as currency. The goods sold in the marketplace included food, baskets, ceramics, jewelry and metal
goods. Trade between communities were transported by merchant officials. The trade routes spanned across most of Mexico.

Most farming was done within the lake bed. A plot approximately 100 feet in length by 8 feet in width would be fenced in. This area would then be filled with mud and decaying plants. Another plot would be narrowly spaced next to it, leaving enough room for canoes to pass through.

Boys were trained to be warriors and the girls to look after the house. Maize, from which flour was made, amaranth, a grain grown for its health-giving properties, and beans were the staple diet, and most peasant families living in simple huts would keep rabbits, turkeys and dogs in their garden to be fattened up for special feasts. They also ate a variety of fruits, vegetables and fish. Special treats may have included boiled grasshoppers, cactus worms, locusts and insect eggs.

Religion
According to Aztec belief, the universe was thought to run on an energy called tonalli, "animating spirit". This word comes from tona, "to make heat or sun". It nourished the gods, and kept the sun moving. Throughout Aztec religion there is a great emphasis on motion, and motion is driven by tonalli. In humans it is located in the blood stream. When a man is frightened, it concentrates in the heart. The gods' thirst for it is perpetual. It drives the universe. Without it, everything stops. (Graulick, 1988. Ingham, 1984) It seems to be a clear rational for human sacrifice. Huitzilopochtli is a particularly thirsty war god and the primary god of the Aztecs. Quetzalcoatl, on the other hand, was opposed to human sacrifice.

The Aztecs worshipped many deities or gods that symbolized nature and other important aspects of their lives. There where many different sects or cults that would focus their worship on an individual god. Tezcatlipoca or "Smoking Mirror" was the most powerful deity, god of Night and Sorcery and was associated with the concept of royality. Most warriors worshipped Tonatiuh the sun god and many sacrifices were held in his honor. Tlaloc was the rain and fertility deity and the main Aztec pyramid was built as a sacrificial platform to ensure rain. Some others include the following:
Ometecuhlti and his wife Omecihuatl created all life in the world.
Xipe Totec - The Lord of the Springtime and regrowth
Huitzilopochtli - the war god and special guardian of the emperor
Qetzalcoatl - the Plumed Serpent, god of civilization and learning.
Mictlantechuhtli -god of the dead
Xiuhtecuhtle - the fire god
Ehecatl -God of wind

The Aztecs had two calendars read by astrologer priests. The first was a 365 day cycle that was divided into 19 "months" each with 20 days and an additional 5 day new year holiday. The other calendar was a 260 day cycle separated into 20 day rounds. Each round had a symbolic name like rabbit, flint knife, jaguar, and so forth. There were twenty named days and children were often named after the day they were born on. Every 52 years, the beginnings of both calendars would align and mark the start of a new "century". A festival called "the binding of the years" would be held celebrating a time of rebirth. Prior to the celebration, the people would let their hearth fires go out and then relight them from the new fire of the
celebration and feast.

Here are some URLs I found some stuff at:
http://lily.mip.berkeley.edu/classes/history16/pages/img0012.html
http://www.wynja.com/arch/aztec.html
http://www.yawp.com/3rd-i/current/pp/aztec.html