AZTECS

The Scribe Valdemir Mota de Menezes

the Aztecs

The Aztecs, also known as Mexico, inhabited the Mexican highlands and reached its apogee in the early sixteenth century, precisely the time that coincides with the arrival of Europeans to the continent. The Aztec nation dominated the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, reaching as far as Guatemala.

Its capital was Tenochtitlan and had their origin in the Toltecs. The formation of the Aztec empire was given from the alliance of some city-states, for example, Texcoco and Tlacopan. The Aztecs were a warrior society and its priests were the highest authority, since the emperor Montezuma was considered of divine origin.

Regarding the economy, the Aztecs became an agricultural people, although hunting and fishing practices were widespread enough that people. The Aztec society was rigidly divided: the pipiltin were represented by the nobility, composed by the royal family and priests. Simplest members of the tribes, called macehualtin, it was military service and pay taxes. The lowest layer of the population was formed by tlatlacotin, kind of slaves.

The Aztecs were polytheists, and Quetzalcoatl as the god most revered. They made many sacrifices, especially using blood.