7 Things To Know About The Aztecs

1. Who were the Aztecs?
The Aztecs, who should be more properly called Mexica, are one of the most important and famous civilizations of Mesoamerica. In the Post classic period they reached CentralMexico and established their capital there. In few centuries they managed to control almost all Mexico through an extended empire.
2. Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the Aztec Capital
Mexico-Tenochtitlan isthe name of the Aztec capital. The city was founded in AD 1325. The place was chosen following an omen of the god Huitzilopochtli, who commanded his people to settle where they would have found aneagle perching on a cactus and devouring a snake. The place was very discouraging: a swampy area around the lakes of the Valley of Mexico. Tenochtitlan grew rapidly thanks to its strategic position andthe Mexica military skills. When the European arrived, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest and better organized cities of the world.
3. Aztec Economy

Aztec economy was based on three things:market exchange, tribute payment and agricultural production. The famous Aztec market system included both local and long-distance trade. Markets were held on a regular basis and a high degree ofspecialization existed. In the Valley of Mexico, the Aztecs developed sophisticated agricultural systems which include: irrigation systems, floating fields, called chinampas, and hillside terrace systems.4. Aztec Society
Aztec society was highly stratified. The population was divided into nobles, pipiltin, and the commoners, macehualtin. At the bottom of Aztec society there were the slaves.These were criminals, people who couldn’t pay taxes, and prisoners. At the top of Aztec society stood the ruler, or Tlatoani, of each city-state, and his family. The supreme king, or Huey Tlatoani, wasthe emperor, and king of Tenochtitlan. The second most important political position of the empire was that of the cihuacoatl, a sort of viceroy or prime minister. The position of emperor was not...