13 Facts About The Aztecs

Aztec warfare ideas spread beyond fighting into daily life.

Aztecs viewed childbirth as a conflict. They thought bringing new life was a battle. Thus, womenin labor acted like warriors.The Aztecs believed a woman engaged in battle when she gave birth.

Aztecs honored women who died during childbirth as fallen warriors because they framed birth as a clash.David A. Schwartz reports this.They named these women "mociuaquetzque" or "valiant women.".

Aztecs spoke Nahuatl. Though Spanish became the main language in Mexico, Nahuatl survived. Experts estimate over 1 million Mexicans still speak it.One million Mexicans still speak.Nahuatl survived in other ways. Like some French and Spanish words entered English, Nahuatl terms did too. Words like chili, coyote, tomato, and avocado all trace roots to the Aztecs.

Nahuatl survived in other ways. Nahuatl terms entered English, just like some French and Spanish words did.All Nahuatl words trace their roots to the Aztec language.

Aztecs thought drinking alcohol hurt people. They encouraged the public to drink "octil," an alcoholic drink from agave, only in small amounts, especially at festivals.To encourage drinking, people who got drunk in public faced death.Older people were exempt from the Aztecs' strict laws against public drunkenness.

Aztec elders avoided this rule. Drinking octil was a privilege for older people. Aztecs saw it as a prize for staying alive as long as elders lived.Elders kept exemption from the Aztecs' laws on public drunkenness.

Aztecs valued good hygiene. "Temazcales," or communal steam baths, offered a popular way for Aztecs to clean themselves.Emperor Montezuma II bathed twice daily in these spaces.Emperor Montezuma II even practiced cleanliness where Aztecs could clean themselves.The Spanish had different hygiene standards. They saw cleanliness through their views on gender, religion, and custom. Aztec and Spanish hygiene differed, amplified by Aztecs' use of perfume and deodorants to control body odor.

The Spanish had a different view of cleanliness.The difference in Aztec and Spanish hygiene stemmed from how they viewed gender, religion, and custom.Aztecs used perfume and deodorants.

Historian Katherine Ashenburg states that Aztecs used incense over Spaniards, perhaps because they could not tolerate the smell.The Aztecs fanned incense over the Spaniards, perhaps because they could not tolerate the smell.

Aztecs cast a wide shadow across Mesoamerica, but they were not the only group. Other groups included the Purépecha people, who sometimes fought Aztec rivals.The city warred with its Aztec rivals.

Archaeologists found the Purépecha's version of Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital: the city of Angamuco. Researchers estimate 100,000 people lived there.One hundred thousand people lived there.They used lasers to measure the city. The city contained 40,000 buildings, making it comparable to Manhattan. Angamuco became western Mexico's largest city.The city contained 40,000 buildings.This made it comparable to Manhattan. Angamuco was therefore comparable to Manhattan.Angamuco was western Mexico's largest city.

Every child in the Aztec world received education. Since formal schooling started around age 15, learning began at home.This lasted until they reached 15.

However, offering education to everyone does not mean everyone learned the same things. Education varied.Gender and class determined access.For example, only the sons of theelite could attend "calmecac" schools.Daughters went toschools to learn domestic skills.Education was required for all people.

Many children in 16th-century England did not get any formal education.They didn't receive any formal education.Education was mandatory for everyone.

The Aztecs loved cacao beans. They valued them highly.valued them more than gold.People could actuallyThe Aztecs spent their cacao beans.on other goods as currency.

They also loved grinding the beans for a chocolaty drink. EmperorMontezuma II drank spiced chocolate.all day, every day. People in the 21st century do not recognize this as chocolate. A 16th-century Spaniard describedhow the Aztecs consumed chocolate.:

The Aztecs ground seeds called almonds or cacao into powder. They ground other small seeds too. They put the powder in vessels with a spout, added water, and stirred with a spoon. After mixing, they poured the liquid back and forth until it foamed. They collected the foam in a cup and beat it with gold, silver, or wood spoons to drink. Drinking required opening the mouth wide because the froth needed space to dissolve gradually.

The Aztec capital was Tenochtitlán, located where Mexico City stands. Tenochtitlán was not just the Aztec empire's center; it ranked among the largest cities globally at that time.It held 200,000 inhabitants.It held more people than London or Rome.

Spanish invader Hernán Cortés praised the city when he described it.He described the cityto King Charles V: Tenochtitlán was a wonder.

I cannot tell you a hundredth of what I saw regarding these things, but I will try to describe what I saw in the best way possible. I know my description might seem amazing, but we who saw these things are so amazed we cannot grasp their reality.

Tenochtitlán was a world-class city, with pyramids, palaces, markets, and aqueducts.It boasted pyramids, palaces, markets, and aqueducts.Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, surpassed London or Rome in size.

The Aztecs had words to describe things in their world. They called armadillos "ayotochtli".This means "turtle-rabbit"..

Thinking about armadillos this way makes sense.The Aztecs called armadillos 'Ayotochtli.' This means turtle-rabbit.Florentine Codex—a text about Aztec life made by the 16th-century Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahagún—the Aztecs used "turtle-rabbit" because the animal's head looks like a rabbit's, and it has a shell, like a turtle, which it is covered in.

The Aztecs had a relationship with their dog companions, like many other cultures worldwide.

Hairless Xoloitzcuintli dogs, known as "Xolo," held a special role in Aztec society.Xolos had connections to Xolotl, the god of transformation and the unknown.These dogs played an important role: they helped shepherd soulsto Mictlan, the Aztec underworld.Xolos guided souls to Mictlan, the Aztec underworld. People sometimes laid them down at the entrance.or buried in effigy.The Xolo's mythical role as an underworld guide likely inspired Pixar animators

The Xolo's mythical job as an underworld guide likely inspired Pixar animators.Pixar animators likely inspired the Xolo's mythical role as an underworld guide.Pixar animators likely inspired the Xolo's mythical role as an underworld guide to create the character Dante.Xipe Totec's trademark was wearing flayed skin; he was often shown with an extra hand dangling from his wrist.The Aztecs celebrated Xipe Totec in springtime because his flayed skin represented sloughing off the old and embracing the new.

Modern Mexicans still enjoy soccer. The Aztecs had their own popular game.

Mesoamerican cultures played "the ballgame," and the Aztecs were no exception. They called their version "ullamaliztli." Teams played it on a court, where they likely passed around a 10-pound rubber ball.Teams likely passed around a 10-pound rubber ball during the ballgame.Their political world included the Tlaxcaltec, who were the Aztecs' smaller rivals.The Tlaxcaltec sought an opportunity to remove their rivals and protect themselves from Aztec encroachment.The Tlaxcaltec sided with the Spaniards.

The ballgame impressed the Spanish; they brought the Aztecs to Spain to show the game.The Spanish brought the Aztecs to Spain to demonstrate the game.The Spanish brought the Aztecs to Spain to demonstrate the game for King Charles V.

The Aztec religious world was rich, complex, and imaginative. This was not for everyone.

Xipe Totec, known as "Our Lord, the Flayed One," was one of the most distinctive gods.Xipe Totec was one of the most distinctive gods.Xipe Totec's trademark was wearing flayed skin. He was usually shown with an extra hand hanging from his wrist to show he wore someone else's skin.

The Aztecs celebrated Xipe Totec in springtime because his flayed skin represented sloughing off the old.Xipe Totec's flayed skin represented sloughing off the old and embracing the new.Xipe Totec's festival involved sacrificing and flaying captives to live up to the god's reputation.Chosen men would don the flayed skin for the entire monthlong festival.Chosen men wore the flayed skin for the monthlong festival.

Spanish colonization ended the Aztec empire. However, the Aztecs were not defined only by the Spaniards; most of their history had nothing to do with Europe.

The Aztecs had rivals in Mesoamerica, including the Tlaxcaltec.The Tlaxcaltec were the Aztecs' smaller rivals.The Aztecs sensed an opening to remove their rivals and protect themselves from Aztec attack.The Aztecs sought to oust rivals and guard against Aztec encroachment.The Tlaxcaltec sided with the Spaniards.The Tlaxcaltec sided with the Spaniards.The Tlaxcaltec sided with the Spaniards.