Aztec Tenochtitlan, in the Valley of Mexico, now under the modern Mexico City, was the capital of the Aztec empire. According to native sources, it was founded in 1325, after the Aztecs wandered for years in search of a new homeland.
The Origins of the Aztecs
The Aztecs-who called themselves Mexica -- were not originally from the Valley of Mexico, but migrated from the north, from a mythical island called Aztlan, "The Place of Herons". Historically, the Aztecs/Mexica were the last of many tribes-collectively known as Chichimeca -- who migrated towards south from what is now Northern Mexico and the Southwest of the United States due to a period of great drought. In many codices (painted folding-books) the Aztecs are shown carrying with them the idol of their patron deity Huitzilopochtli. After almost 2 centuries of migration, at around A.D. 1250, the Mexica arrived in the Valley of Mexico.
The Valley of Mexico: An Occupied Land
The Valley of Mexico lies ~7000 feet above the sea level and is surrounded by high mountains and volcanoes. Today this area is almost completely covered by the monstrous expansion of Mexico City, but in antiquity, water coming down from these mountains created a series of shallow, marshy lakes that were intensely exploited for fishing and hunting, collecting plants, salt and water for cultivation. Because of its wealth of natural resources, the Valley of Mexico has been continuously occupied for millennia. Before the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico other societies developed there and exploited this rich environment.
- Teotihuacan: Almost 1000 years before the Aztecs, the city of Teotihuacan (between 200 BC and AD 750) flourished there. Today Teotihuacan is a main archaeological site a few miles north of modern Mexico City and every year attracts thousands of tourists. The word Teotihuacan is a Nahuatl term -- the language spoken by the Aztecs -- and means "The Birthplace of the God". We don't know its real name, but the Aztecs gave this name to the city because it was a sacred place, associated with the legendary origins of the world.
- The Legend of the Fifth Sun: The legend of the Fifth Sun is a famous Aztec myth about the creation of the universe and the origins of the world. According to the myth, the Gods, after the destruction of humankind during the era of the Forth Sun, met at Teotihuacan to decide which gods had to sacrifice themselves in order for a new era to start. They performed ceremonies at the pyramids of the Moon and the Sun, and finally threw themselves in a great fire. But the sun and moon were still immobile. So Ehecatl, the wind god, blowing at the sun, could finally move it through its way: the Fifth Sun -the era in which the Aztecs lived- was born.
- Tula: Another city that developed in the Valley of Mexico before the Aztecs was the city of Tula. This, between AD 950 and 1150, was the capital of the Toltecs. The Toltecs were considered by the Aztecs to excel in the arts and science and to be brave warriors. This place was so revered by the Aztecs, that the king Motecuhzoma (aka Montezuma) sent people to dig up Toltec objects to be placed in temples at Tenochtitlan.
The First Settlement on Chapultepec ("Grasshopper Hill"), and the Princess' Sacrifice
When the Aztecs/Mexica finally arrived in the Valley of Mexico Teotihuacan and Tula had been abandoned from centuries, but they found other groups settled on the best land. Those were groups of Chichimecs who had migrated in earlier times. The Mexica were, therefore, forced to settle on the inhospitable hill of Chapultepec. They later became vassals of the city of Culhuacan, a prestigious city whose rulers were considered heirs of the Toltecs. As acknowledgment for their help in battle, they obtained by the Culhua king one of his daughters to be worshipped as a goddess/priestess. However, when the Colhua king arrived to attend the ceremony, he found one of the priest dressed with the flayed skin of her daughter: Hutzilopochtli asked for the sacrifice of the princess. This provoked a clash and the defeat of the Mexica who had to leave and moved to some marshy islands in the middle of the lake.
Tenochtitlan, "The place of the Fruit of the Prickly Pear Cactus"
According to the myth, after weeks of wandering, Huitzilopochtli appeared to the Mexica leaders and guided his people to a place where a great eagle perched on a cactus killing a snake. This was the place elected for them by the god, the place where they will found their capital Tenochtitlan. The year was 2 Calli (Two House) or A.D. 1325. Tenochtitlan rapidly grew as a commercial and military center. The Mexica were skillful and fierce soldiers and created solid alliances with the surrounding cities. The apparently unfortunate position of their city, actually facilitates economic connections using canoes and boats across the lakes and at the same time helped against military attacks. The city grew rapidly, with palaces and well organized residential areas and aqueducts that provided fresh water to the city from the mountains. At the center of the city stood the sacred precinct with ball courts, schools for nobles, priests' quarters and the ceremonial heart of the city and of the whole empire: the Great Temple of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the Huey Teocalli (the Great House of the Gods). This was a stepped pyramid with a double temple on top dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, the main deities of the Aztecs.
The temple, decorated with bright colors, was rebuilt many times during Aztec history, the 7th and last version was the one seen and described by Hernan Cortés and the Conquistadors. When, on November 8 1519, Hernan Cortés and his soldiers entered the Aztec capital, they were entering one of the largest cities in the world, many of them had never seen a city like that before.
Sources
Smith Michael, 2003, The Aztecs, Second Edition, Blackwell Publishing
No comments:
Post a Comment