The secret of the Aztec empire: Because of an eagle that drained the swamp, then the 'treasure' of a hundred years was revealed!

How great was the Aztec empire and who was the "father" of this empire?

Before being defeated by the Spaniards in 1521, the Triple Alliance led by the Aztecs brought the vast Mesoamerican region through a thriving trading system, creating an impressive Mesoamerican culture that continues to this day. .

[The historical region of Mesoamerica included the present-day countries of northern Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and central to southern Mexico. For thousands of years, the area has been inhabited by groups such as the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec and Aztec peoples - Source: National Geographic].

Left: Statue of a feathered snake baring its teeth at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, in the Great Wall of Mexico. The massive temple complex worships Tlaloc, the god of rain, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Source: KENNETH GARRETT - Right photo: Located in Mexico City, the temple of Tlatelolco belongs to a city separate from Tenochtitlan. When the Spanish gained control of the area, they demolished the temple and used its stone to build the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco. (Source: CAVAN / ALAMY / ACI).

After the fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, a native poet composed a poignant account of the capture of the Aztec capital. Written in the Nahuatl language, here is the earliest account of the sufferings of the Aztecs during their war and defeat 500 years ago in 1521:

"Our inheritance, our city, is lost and dead.

The shields of our warriors could not save it.

We had to chew on dried twigs and salt grass;

And have to swallow lizards, rats and worms…'

What remains of Tenochtitlan today lies beneath Mexico's thriving capital - Mexico City - one of the most populous cities in the world.

Surrounded by modern architecture, the archaeological site of Templo Mayor (in the ancient capital Tenochtitlan) reveals more and more about the Aztec city and its inhabitants - a reminder of the people and background culture was subdued and assimilated by the neo-Spanish colonial regime.

Many European chroniclers focus their attention on the conquest of the Spanish Marquis Hernán Cortés and the events of 1521. But for archaeologists and historians, they are placing more attention. more on the Aztecs themselves; on how an alliance between ancient Mesoamerican cities quickly arose and rose to rule a large swath of history.

Aztec: There was such a great empire

The name Aztec was first coined by a pagan. Because the Aztecs called themselves Mexica (also Culhua-Mexica); or Tenochca (name for their capital city Tenochtitlan).

1. Codex of the Aztecs

In the early 1800s, German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt coined the term for the people of Tenochtitlan based on the word "Aztlán", the traditional name for the ancestral homeland of the Mexicans. Archaeologists have yet to pinpoint Aztlán's exact location, but most place it in northern Mexico.

Much of what is known about Mesoamerica during the Aztec period comes from sources written either by the Mexicans themselves or by the Spaniards after 1519.

According to ancient Mexica records (called the Codex) , the area of ​​Mesoamerica was rich with different cultures and cities, among them, the Aztec culture was the most prominent and rich. The Mexica (or Aztec) present themselves as a people born to hold power in their hands. After overcoming countless obstacles, they finally took control of a vast empire.

The Codex recorded the ancestors, works, beliefs, and practices of the Mexica people. However, during the 16th century Spanish invasion, many ancient records were destroyed, leaving only 5 "alive" Codex - These precious records were looted by the Spaniards and brought to Europe, where they are now kept in a number of museums.

The production of such records continued after the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521. Some were written by Spanish colonists as a means to better understand and control the Mesoamerican peoples.

Pictured left: Codex Mendoza, preserved today in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain, after the conquest - Right photo: Codex Mendoza has a The section details the tributes given to Moctezuma II, who ruled Aztec from 1502 to 1520. From the 400 cities under his control, he received many gifts. In the Codex Mendoza, the hieroglyphic characters correspond to the city's name and the side images represent their tribute to the ruler Moctezuma II. (Source: OXFORD BODLEIAN LIBRARY / DAGLI ORTI / AURIMAGES)

One of the most famous is the Mendoza Codex , created in 1542 for Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. The document contains Aztec script accompanied by texts written in Spanish. The first part of the Mendoza Codex lists a series of wars or conquests grouped by individual Aztec chieftains. The second section lists the tribes that were conquered by the Spaniards.

However, no documents of this kind have been found relating to the two ancient sites of Lake Texcoco and Tlacopan - two areas that provided abundant resources for the ancient Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, where the Aztecs lived. built Tenochtitlan and brought it to prosperity with a population of 150,000 to 300,000 people.

Food, raw materials and textiles came from the vicinity of the city, while luxuries such as gold, sweet gum resin, cocoa and precious feathers came from the far corners of the vast empire. .

2. The Power Center of the Triple Alliance

The Aztecs were originally nomadic and had migrated to a number of locations before settling on the islands of Texcoco (also known as the Valley of Mexico) controlled by the nearby city of Azcapotzalco.

The Aztecs were once "mercenaries" and were known for their ferocity in battle. They speak Nahuatl - the dominant language in central Mexico in the mid-1350s. Nahuatl was also the language of the powerful Toltec civilization, who dominated the area between the 10th and 12th centuries, and sought to connect. with their illustrious ancestors.

Around 1325, the Mexica (or Aztec) founded the capital Tenochtitlan and made it their capital.

Records recount that, when the Aztecs saw an eagle perched on a cactus in the marshy land near the southwestern border of Lake Texcoco, they took it as a sign to build their settlement. over there. They drained the marshland, built artificial islands so they could grow food, and laid the foundations of the capital Tenochtitlán in 1325 AD - Tenochtitlán later became the "jewel." priceless for hundreds of years.

Although the new city prospered, along with other cities, including Texcoco, it remained under Azcapotzalco's jurisdiction until the death of Azcapotzalco's lord in the early 15th century.

When a dispute arose over a successor, Azcapotzalco's dominion ended.

In 1428, under Itzcoatl's leadership, the Aztecs formed a Triple Alliance with the Texcocas and the Tlacopans to defeat their strongest opponent for influence in the region, the Tepanecians , and conquered the Tepanec capital Azcapotzalco. Itzcoatl's successor, Montezuma I, came to power in 1440, a great warrior who is remembered as the father of the Aztec empire.

By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had dominated more than 500 small states, and about 5 to 6 million people, by conquest or trade. Tenochtitlán at its height had more than 140,000 inhabitants, and was the most populous city that ever existed in Mesoamerica.

At first, Texcoco and Tenochtitlan occupied the top of the hierarchy, with Tlacopan being subordinate to both. Over time , the Aztecs' Tenochtitlan (meaning "birthplace of the gods") became the most powerful, and the Motecuhzoma ruler Xocoyotzin (Moctezuma II) [Ruler of the Aztec empire from 1502 to 1520] was the most powerful member of the Triple Alliance in the 1500s.

Moctezuma II - Ruler of the Aztec empire from 1502 to 1520.

Moctezuma II, seeing himself as the most powerful figure in the Triple Alliance, came up with the idea of an empire centered around the Mexica people, which later became widely known as the Aztec Empire.

Going back in time in the early 1400s, the Triple Alliance took control of the Azcapotzalco and other peoples. Some were willing to accept this transfer of power, but others had to resort to force to be subdued.

There was no major territorial expansion until a great famine occurred in the Valley of Mexico from 1450 to 1454. The Confederacy needed more land to produce food and began to conquer the city-states.

This process was accelerated under Axayacatl - Ruler (tlatoani) of the Aztecs and head of the Triple Alliance.

[Although often translated as "king" or "emperor", the role of the tlatoani (ruler) is less absolute in nature and requires multifaceted leadership.]

Axayacatl actively intervened in the military, religion and administration, as a commander-in-chief and the priest at the head of the empire.

Typical Aztec crops include corn, beans, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and avocados; In addition, they fish and hunt for local animals such as rabbits, penguins, snakes, coyotes and wild turkeys. They possessed a relatively complex agricultural system (including intensive farming and irrigation methods) and a powerful army, which allowed the Aztecs to build a successful state and later an empire. famous great in history.

3. The Fall of a Great Empire - European Footprints

In 1481, Tizoc replaced his brother Axayacatl, becoming the successor - leader of the Aztecs. Although Tizoc's reign was relatively short, it was during his reign that Tizoc quelled the rebellion of the Matlatzincan peoples in the Toluca Valley; also the one who built the Great Pyramid at Tenochtitlan.

The famous Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs. (Source: Quetzalcoatl1/Shutterstock)

The Tizoc rulers made good on the ancient tradition of building pyramids to honor and worship their gods. Mesoamerican peoples built pyramids from around 1000 BC until the Spanish invasion in the early 16th century.

[The best known Latin American pyramids include the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán in central Mexico; Castillo in Chichén Itzá, Yucatan Peninsula; Great pyramid in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan; Pyramids at Cholula; and the great temple at Cuzco of the Incas in Peru - Source: History Channel].

The reliefs show that Tizoc conquered 15 city-states. His short reign saw uprisings against his regime and how powerful he was to win and consolidate his empire.

According to historians, the greatest ruler of the Aztec empire must have been Ahuitzotl - the successor of Tizoc - the 8th Aztec ruler in this empire's history.

After ascending the throne, Ahuitzotl extended the borders of the Aztec empire as far as present-day Guatemala, contacting the land of the Mayans. When Ahuitzotl died in 1502, Moctezuma II became ruler of the Aztecs and extended the influence of the Triple Alliance into the Zapotec regions towards the Pacific.

The Triple Alliance (often called the Aztecs because the Aztecs were more prominent and richer than ca) conquered lands so they could control trade routes and raw materials. Scholars believe that religion also played a large role in the expansion since the Aztecs required human sacrifice (sacrifice) to maintain cosmic order. (Source: NG MAPS)

During the reign of Moctezuma II, the Spaniards began to look and invade this majestic empire.

The first European to reach Mexican territory was Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who arrived in the Yucatan from Cuba with 3 ships and about 100 men in early 1517. In March 1519, Spanish Marquis Hernán Cortés landed. town of Tabasco, where he learned from the natives about the great Aztec civilization.

Moctezuma II remained in power until Hernán Cortés invaded the Triple Alliance and established the colony of Veracruz on 22 April 1519.

4. There was once such a great empire.

Faced with the Spanish invasion, the cities of Mesoamerica chose different paths to survive. Some, like Tlaxcala, chose to ally with Spain, while others, like Mexico, chose to fight.

As the world revisits the events of 1521, much remains to be discovered about the story of the Mexica (the Aztecs) and their fate when Spain reached the Americas.

The Aztecs, a nomadic tribe of northern Mexico, arrived in Mesoamerica around the early 13th century. From their magnificent capital, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as a dominant force in central Mexico, developing a diverse social, political, religious, and commercial organizations, bringing many of the region's cities under their control in the 15th century.

They are very developed socially, intellectually and artistically. It was a highly structured society with a strict caste system; At the top are nobles, and at the bottom are serfs, slaves, and slaves.

Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, ending Mesoamerica's last great indigenous civilization.

After his victory, Hernán Cortés razed Tenochtitla and built Mexico City (present-day Mexico's capital) on its ruins and quickly became Europe's leading center in the New World. ) .