Aztecs Civilizations of the Past

Aztecs

Civilizations of the past are always at the forefront of historical discourse. The Aztec Civilization is one of the most studied people groups in history. The purpose of this discussion is to explore several aspects of Aztec Civilization including basic life/family life, government, religion, warfare, and economy. This subject was chosen because there is a great deal of information that has been recorded and preserved as it relates to the Aztec civilization. In addition, the culture of the Aztec people is intriguing and even alluring. The discussion to follow will include information from books Journals and websites. Let us begin our discussion with a brief history of Aztec Civilization.

History of Aztec Civilization

According to a book entitled, Aztecs of Mexico: Origin, Rise, and Fall of the Aztec Nation Aztec Civilization, the civilization was composed of a strong population of independent groups. These groups resided in the Valley of Mexico and later came together to form an Empire that possessed broad authority and came to dominate the majority of southern and central Mexico. In fact a great deal of the history of the Aztec Civilization has been understood and studied because the conquest of this great civilization was important to the European world. For this reason

Their history and social customs are better known than their neighbors' because their conquest had such a far-reaching significance for the European world. Spanish observers of military, priestly and civil status wrote careful accounts of the Aztec life and history, and Indian authors a generation later augmented these records, drawing on the tribal lore still only thinly veneered by Christianity. A few pictographic records, either prepared before the Conquest or copied afterward, are precious additions to the Aztec annals. However, our chief data on Indian history come from archaeology, that branch of research which recovers social history through the study of the surviving remains of human handiwork in ages past."

The study of the Aztec civilization has long been of interest to historians. The customs, religious life and government structure of the empire are fascinating in their complexity and depth. Although there is a great deal that is known about the Aztec civilization, a great deal of the history of the civilization was lost or destroyed when the civilization was conquered. With this being understood this discussion will contain information arising from various studies in the field of archeology, sociology, anthropology and history. Let us now focus on the basic life and family life of the Aztec people.

Basic Life and Family Life

For the Aztec civilization family structure was a very important part of life. Marriage was an important aspect of life in Aztec civilization. For the most part women married as teenagers, while men were a bit older when they married. The marriages were usually arranged.

It was not uncommon for men to have more than one wife but the first wife and her children were the only ones that could inherit wealth or become successors if the family was of Noble status.

Upon becoming married, a couple was given land and a home was built. Pregnancy and Childbirth were also seen as a significant and symbolic time during marriage. The Aztec people related childbirth to a war. According to the article during pregnancy the baby was viewed as one being held captive by the womb. Childbirth was seen as a struggle and the baby was viewed as victorious when finally born. Childbirth was also seen as a struggle or battle for the mother and women who died in childbirth were honored in a way that was similar to a warrior who died in battle.

According to the article, once a child was born there were certain ceremonial rights afforded to the child and the child was welcomed into the community and the religious system. Within the Aztec religion there existed a goddess of Childbirth and when a child was born a special hymn was song to the goddess. In addition following the birth of a child a soothsayer was responsible for studying the mannerisms and temperament of the child. The soothsayer would also ask questions concerning the atmosphere when the child was brought into the world. There were also other rituals and ceremonies that occurred when children were born.

The article also explains that husbands were expected to take good care of all of their wives and children. With this being understood it is believed that most of the men with multiple wives were wealthy and that those with only one wife were usually poor. Within the Aztec empire marriage was taken vary seriously and a wife of husband could be killed for committing adultery. In addition, divorce was allowed and either the husband of the wife could seek a divorce. If a divorce took place, the possessions of the couple were divided in half.

It is believed that the men had most of the power in both daily life and family life. They ruled over both the empire and the home. However, the article points out women also had significant power. Apparently they were able to own businesses and they had a great deal of authority as it pertained to the rearing of children. In addition, older women were revered as elders and advised many in the empire.

As it pertains to education and work it appears that the Aztec civilization was active and vibrant. During the early stages of a child's development the parents had the responsibility of educating the children. In most cases the mother was responsible for educating the female children while the father educated male children. Older children were also taught by their parents but many were also sent to school and there were different levels of education that children could achieve.

The article points out that work and education were indeed a significant aspect of Aztec life. In addition, certain types of work may have separated families for long periods of time. For instance the father may have had an occupation that required travel or going to war.

The article also points out that punishment for children in the Aztec community could be brutal. In most cases up until the age of 8 most of the punishment was through verbal reprimands or scolding. However, older children were likely to receive much harsher punishment because they were expected to behave in a more mature fashion and they were also being prepared for Aztec life.

As you can see, basic life and family in the Aztec civilization was strongly dependent upon the foundation of marriage and family. The Aztecs seemed to put great emphasis on marriage and the treatment of families. Men were expected to care for their families even if they had multiple wives. In addition the Aztecs seemed to understand the need for education and made sure that their children would be able to properly care for their families when they came of age. Family life for the Aztecs also seemed to be marked by a significant respect for older members of the community. Now that we have a greater understanding of Aztec life, let us discuss the Aztec government.

Government

The foundation of the Aztec government was the family structure. It is from this foundation that the other aspects of Aztec government were built upon. After the family unit, the next aspect of the Aztec government was known as the Capulli. The Capulli were groups of families that owned the land; individual families did not own the land in the Aztec Civilization. The Capulli appointed certain people as elders or leaders who were responsible for making certain the needs of the group were met. They were responsible for collecting taxes. The Capulli leaders were also responsible for establishing the schools that common citizens of the civilization would attend.

The next level of authority lie in the City Council. There were three significant city states hat emerged from this system. These city states were the Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan, they are known as the triple alliance and they wielded a great deal of power over Central Mexico. Of the three City States, Tenochtitlan eventually ruled the entire empire.

A book entitled the Aztecs explains that within the civilization there were two classes, nobles and commoners. According to the author Nobles, also known as lords, held the highest positions in government and commanded the army. In addition the nobles tended to own significant amounts of land and live much better lives than did commoners. According to the author

Commoners varied in their degree of subjugation, from the heavy burdens of slaves to the relative freedom of the poltecha merchants. Most commoners however had a number of typical obligations to the Lord, first and foremost of which was to provide him with regular payments of tribute in goods. These payments were assessed by family and consisted of cotton quachtli, food items, or specific good produced by the family. Commoners also provided their lord with regular labor services. Men cultivated the Lord's land, women spun and wove for him, and both sexes worked as domestic servants.

The author points out that there were more commoners than nobles but the commoners were often at the mercy of nobles and were expected to serve them. Although this was the case, it was also true that commoners had a great deal of control over their lives and in most cases they had enough to meet their basic needs and the needs of their family.

Religion

One of the most interesting aspects of Aztec civilization is Aztec religious practices. According to an article found in the Journal of the Southwest, the Aztec religious system dominated the way of life for the Aztec people. The research indicates that the religious system of the Aztec people was very much associated with the Aztec Calendar. This calendar was based on the yearly agricultural cycle.

For instance when the winter solstice occurred the Aztec people would participate in fire festivals. The purpose of such festivals was to persuade the sun to return so that the days or sunlight hours would not be so short.

The Aztec people also participated in a large ceremonial race during the winter solstice. The ceremony involved was held to imitate "the sun's circular route through the cycle of the day and of the year, followed in early March, the first month of the Aztec year, by the Feast of the Sun (Duran 1971:414)." These rituals took place during an influential time in the agricultural year and lasted until the summer solstice. This was an important time on the Aztec Calendar because it coincided with the planting of seeds during the arrival of the rains.

As such the lives of the Aztec people were very dependent upon these ceremonies and what they represented.

The author further explains that that Aztec year was composed of eighteen months that contained 20 days each, totaling 360 days. The research explains that five days were added on during the final month of the year. During each of the eighteen months certain ceremonies were held, usually to honor one of their many deities.

The deities were believed to be responsible for different aspects of agricultural success including fertility and rain. The deities were also important to success in hunting and in warfare. The author further explains that for the Aztec, the spring planting cycle fell between the third month of Tozoztontli and the sixth month of Etzalqualitztli (roughly 10 April-28 June), and although each month had prescribed ceremonies specific to it, together they formed integral parts of a continuing cycle that saw the fields planted and the setting up of the first fruits. Tozoztontli was the time of the sacrifice of the blood of children, both in comparatively minor, localized wounds of ears, tongues and shins, and actual child sacrifice of a group of chosen victims. Concurrent with this sacrifice of blood was the letting of childish tears which mimicked the rain, inducing it through sympathetic magic to fall."

The sacrificing of human-beings was the most disturbing aspect of Aztec Religion. Research has indicated that not only were there human sacrifices but also cannibalism in Aztec civilization. Amongst researchers there are debates as to the purpose of such sacrifices. Some argue that is was indeed a religious practice and the human sacrifice was offered because they believed that the gods required such a sacrifice. However some anthropologists and sociologists have suggested that human sacrifice in Aztec Civilization occurred as a result of both demographic and ecologic dynamics which resulted in shortage of protein and there were also population pressures. The article explains that there were adverse agricultural circumstances along with seasonal crop failures a lack of domesticated herbivores, a decrease in the presence of wild game in the area, famine, and environmental issues that developed as a result of limitations concerning the growth of agriculture.

The author explains that even though crops such as corn and beans provided complementary vegetable proteins, they do not contain fatty acids and because these crops were seasonally scarce what the Aztec people would have available would have been insufficient. As such it has been hypothesized that cannibalism occurred because it was a way to provide a significant source of protein. The author also points out that in most cases the Aztecs would not eat individuals that were members of their own social group or community. Instead they practiced a type of warfare known as "flowery wars," as a way to acquire sacrificial victims. Whatever the case, Human Sacrifice was a significant component in Aztec life and religious ritual.

In addition the aforementioned ceremonies, there were also elaborate ceremonies in the fourth and fifth months of the Aztec year. The largest ceremony was held in the sixth month of the Aztec year and it was referred to as the "great feast of symbolic plenty" during this feast "beans and corn were eaten together in a sacred stew reserved for this month alone."

Warfare

The Aztec Civilization was marked by extreme warfare. War was indeed a significant part of Aztec life. In the earlier times of the Aztec civilization the Aztecs did not have a standing Army.

That is there was no army constantly at the ready when a problem arose. Instead, commoners were called upon when problems arose. However, over time and through many conquests a standing army developed.

A great deal of the warfare that Aztecs were involved in was a result of their desire for imperial expansion.

According to a book entitled Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control, this desire came from a lack of transportation. According to the author, the Aztec empire lacked transportation and as such it was difficult to get goods from place to place. Aztecs could not rely heavily on animals to transport goods, because there were not many in the area (which is why some believe cannibalism was practiced). As such, the Aztec empire could not trade goods in a substantial way because of the cost associated with transporting the goods. They could, however, conquer various regions and wield political control that forced these conquered regions to pay for the transport of goods.

The author points out; cities were usually attacked sequentially using the resources and even the manpower received by the previous conquest. Apparently the Aztec Army engaged in warfare until they exhausted their resources, were defeated or conquered the territory. In some cases the desire of the empire to expand brought the Aztecs to cities that were so distant that they had no enemies. However, on these occasions the Aztec Army would learn of local antagonisms and exploit them for the gain of the empire. Additionally, there were occasions where the Aztec Army and Empire would simply intimidate cities into submission. The Aztecs were able to accomplish this because of the reputation that the army had around the region. Many cities would rather submit to the authority of the empire willingly than have to deal with a bloody and ruthless conquest.

It is evident that the Aztec civilization was ruthless in warfare and the government was rather imperialistic. A great deal of the conquests were deemed necessary as a way to strengthen the Aztec economy and the dominion of the civilization in the region of the world. Ultimately the Aztecs were conquered because another people group had the same desire.

Economy

As was previously mentioned in this discussion agriculture was a major part of Aztec life. Not only was agriculture linked to the physical survival of the Aztec people, it was also the center of their economic system. The Aztecs traded food items throughout its empire. In addition, there was the trade if handmade items such as art and baskets.

Throughout the empire there were also various people who had expertise in certain trades and they might barter their services. In this way the community was self sufficient because trades would be passed on from generation to generation. These trades included artistry, carpentry and the like. In addition, people were taught at an early age the significance and importance of agriculture and how to produce what was needed to survive on both a personal level and an economic level.