The buildings were made entirely of masonry and resembled the enchantments described in the Book of Amadis. Some soldiers asked whether what they saw wasn’t a vision (Miller, 239). Bernal Diaz del Castillo was the first Spanish soldier to visit Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan may have been the best city in Mesoamerica. It was the Aztec Capital, which spanned from the Gulf Of Mexico to Pacific and served over millions. It was 13 square kilometers in size and home to over 200,000 people. We can learn from Tenochtitlan that the success of human civilizations is universal. Tenochtitlan can flourish by looking at their infrastructure, agricultural, complex social and political structures, unique religion and military beliefs.
It can be difficult to understand Mesoamerican cultures and societies. They are also often misunderstood. We can understand Tenochtitlan better because of the Spanish conquistador Cortez’s records, the artifacts such as the remains of the temple mayor, and our ability to speak the Aztec languages. Tenochtitlan began as two islands on the lake Texcoco in 1325. The islands gradually merged into one island when artificial land was added between them. Tenochtitlan is where the Aztecs settled and ruled millions. The alliance between Texcoco, Tlacopan and the Aztecs was one of many factors that led to their military success. The Aztecs became dominant in the early 1400s and the capital of their vast empire. Tenochtitlan was flourishing from the 15th century until 1519. The Spanish came and brought both to an abrupt decline. Tenochtitlan covered 13 km and was located within the marshes around lake Texcoco. The city’s large causeways, which connected the city with surrounding farmlands and shores of lake Texcoco, were one of its most distinctive features. Four major causeways connected the city to farmlands and the shore of Lake Michigan. Three were removable, running west, east and north. These three bridges were removed from their original forms to let boats pass. The island had a grid-like layout with canals that connected the various parts of the city. Small boats and canoes could navigate these canals. The streets within the city are narrow due to the lack of cattle and large animals in Mesoamerica. They relied on small canoes, boats, and horses for trade. We can understand the Aztecs’ infrastructural achievements by comparing them to the Romans or ancient Egyptians. The materials that the Aztecs used and made enabled them to build many of their buildings. Local building materials included wood, soil, straw, and sun-dried clay, called adobe. This enabled many religious buildings to be constructed, as well as local houses, multi-story homes and ordinary houses. Tenochtitlan has many impressive temples with pyramids. According to an army spaniard on Cortes, the central area held approximately 78 distinct structures. Tenochtitlan’s success can be attributed to the money that was devoted solely to the precinct of religious and ceremonial ceremonies. The walled ceremonial area was divided into residential areas, including large palaces built for the tlatoque and their officials. There were also double-story stone residences that belonged to nobles and officials. Apart from these quarters, there were huge markets, resource storage areas, tightly packed workshop spaces and judicial courts. Tenochtitlan’s infrastructure is organized, diverse and structured in a way that helps to understand the city’s past and its similarities with other ancient societies. Tenochtitlan’s economic system was heavily reliant on the markets, agriculture and trade in Chinampas. Tenochtitlan also had markets like other societies. Tenochtitlan’s market was very large and consisted of a number of streets that were divided by product categories. Some of the streets sold luxury items like gold, silver and copper tin ornaments. On some streets, stones, shells or feathers were sold. In some streets, there were only barbershops. Others had shops selling food and drinks. There were many shops selling herbs and medicine. On separate streets, you could find items for the home such as braziers and earthenware. You can also buy firewood, charcoal. Some streets had all types of vegetables, syrups and alcohol. On some streets, there was only spun cotton of many colours. Others had all kinds of pottery. The canals that were near these markets allowed goods to be transported from one market to another. Porters also transported these goods in exchange for money. These porters used small canoes or boats to transport the goods. The markets are very large and rich, similar to those of ancient Rome. Hernan Kortes, a Spanish conqueror of Tenochtitlan, provided this description. She also noted that 60,000 people traded at the markets daily. These markets provided many Aztecs with different professions. The economy also flourished and merchants became very wealthy. Cortes described the markets as being very well-run. The pochteca, powerful merchants, were in charge of this. They regulated the prices and ensured that the markets ran smoothly. Tenochtitlan flourished because of many factors. Agribusiness was equally important to Tenochtitlan as it was to its locals. Tenochtitlan was a small island located in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs were forced to innovate in their farming methods because they had a limited amount of land. Although the Aztecs had used chinampas before, they used them more widely and on a greater scale. Chinampas consisted of agricultural lands built in the lake. Chinampas were agricultural pieces of land built on a lake. The chinampa plot will be built by laying out a 30-meter-long and 2.5-meter wide enclosure into the marshy bottom of Lake Texcoco. To prevent roots from getting waterlogged, the area is then filled with mud or decaying vegetation. The fill will be raised above the level of the lake to avoid flooding. Next, a plot of land would be built with a few metres left to allow canoes and people to move in and out. Willow trees are planted to anchor the chinampas in place. They have deep roots. For the Chinampas to not flood, dams, canals and sewage networks were constructed. The Chinampas were planted with corn, beans and chilis as well as amaranths, tomatoes, flowers, and tomatoes, which were all used for religious ceremonies. A small island situated in the middle on a large lake was able to produce a lot of food and build up more land by using this unique farming method. It was important to be able to support such a large number of people on such a tiny island. Tenochtitlan was a city-state with a religion, just like ancient Rome and Egypt. The state religion had a huge influence on political, economic and social structures. Aztecs practiced polytheism and divided their gods into three different categories. Some were gods of creation, others were warriors, while some were gods of weather or rain. Aztec religious beliefs influenced the military conquests of the Aztecs. The warrior gods Tonatiuh, Huitzilopochtli and others promoted conquests and the expansion of their empire. Aztecs devoted conquests of other peoples to these gods. The religious beliefs of the Aztecs were also a big part of the empire’s growth. Many other polytheistic cultures dedicated military conquests to their warrior deities. The Aztec religion was also influenced by human sacrifice, which pushed the military to expand. In Tenochtitlan, human sacrifices were a part of the political system. They would take place atop temples that would have pyramid-like structures. Templo principal was 60 m above ground and housed two twin temples. One was for Huitzilopochtli the god for war and the second for Tlaloc who is the rain-god. Human sacrifices were a common occurrence on these temples. These sacrifices were often made by captives to push for military conquest. Hernan Cotes, Spanish conqueror, estimated at around 50 sacrifices a year per temple. The Aztecs sacrificed thousands in their empire. Tenochtitlan had over half a dozen temples. It was an aspect of Aztec religion not seen by many other cultures. Aztecs have a very different religion than other cultures. This religion has had a positive impact on Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan had a very complex social and political system. It was influenced by the religion and played an important role in maintaining the city’s stability. Tlatoque are the rulers who rule Tenochtitlan. The tlatoque would manage the tribute and labour that other Aztec state cities were supposed to pay to Tenochtitlan. The tlatoque was also responsible for resolving cases that could not be resolved by lower courts. The ruler wore elegant clothes and had a lot of servants. He lived in an enormous house. Acrobats and jugglers entertained their families. They gambled, drank coffee and smoked cigars. The people ate many different kinds of sauces and tortillas. They also ate turkey, rabbitt and venison. After the tlatoque, the tetecuhtin was the next level of nobility. Trichotin ruled over more restricted activities and areas than rulers, and earned their title by winning wars. They were able to hold political, military and judicial offices. They controlled and owned agricultural land. They headed houses that were populated by lesser nobles. They were the descendants of chiefs and rulers. The chiefly house in which they were born would attach them. As their positions opened, they were promoted to tlaloques. In the absence of this, they were either to become tribute-collectors or nobles. Tolteca are metalworkers and engravers who paint codices. They also work with feathers. Toltecas’ creations were of high quality and reserved for nobility. They maintained a special relationship with the state, while having their own educational system, deities, sermons and residential areas of the town. Tenochtitlan’s upper classes and some merchants were included in this group. The merchant class had a distinct hierarchy. Above the slave dealers and slave dealers were merchants acting as spies of the rulers, nobility and state, below them were agents of the state and below that were the normal merchants. Merchants played an important role in the economy. Pochteca traded in large amounts of various goods at a regional scale. They played a major role in Tenochtitlan’s economy as well as the Aztec empire. The majority of Aztecs were macehualtin. Macehualtin were farmers, fishermen, artisans, and soldiers for the Aztec Army. Commoners had less wealth than nobles. They lived on single story brick homes. Their clothes were few and they ate vegetables and chili with tortillas. They were grouped into different capulli(neighbourhoods) based on family ties and lived and owned on this land. The macehualtin also worked on the farms of other people. Mayeque rural workers were bound to their owners’ private land and couldn’t leave. They were paid to do the work but lived like slaves. The tlacotin were created from macehualtin. The reasons for this included theft, gambling or the inability to pay debts or tribute. They lived in cities, and were often attached to nobles. Children were born free. Only those who had earned the title of tlacotin could become one. Slaves that were not cooperative were warned in public and then sold. If they didn’t cooperate, they would be sacrificed. The majority of the time, sacrificial slavery was not a result of this. Sacrificial slaves were usually captured or tributed from the provinces. The complex and relatively simple political system, which was also socially complex, allowed for stability in the classes as well as state stability. When we analyze the Aztec empire’s flourishing and Tenochtitlan’s success, it is possible to learn more about the universal history of human civilisation. In the world history courses before the 16th-century, we have studied how many cultures developed into empires, cities, and languages. Some of these cultures were influenced or derived directly from other cultures. The development of Mesoamerican society, however, was not influenced at all by civilizations in the Old World. The Aztec empire, and Tenochtitlan’s success was unique. However, the emergence of a successful large-scale society shows that human civilizations are universal. In order to understand the neolithic era, humans went from being hunter-gatherers into agricultural societies. Mesoamerica as well as Afro Eurasia underwent this process. Mesoamerican and Afro-Eurasian civilizations both grew out of this. Mesoamericans civilizations may not be as well known, but they are still notable. From the Aztec empire of Mesoamerica, and from the Han Empire and Roman Empires in Afro Eurasia. These empires were not formed at the same moment or had similar policies, religions, or economics. However, they were all extremely successful and vast empires. The Aztec Empire was the peak of Mesoamerican civilizations. The Aztec and Tenochtitlan empires are examples of how human civilizations can be universal. The similarities of Mesoamerican civilizations with other civilisations allow us to observe this.
