Aztec essays

Aztec essays Growing up in southern California, I was surrounded by rich Mexican culture. I thought that I knew who the Mexican people were until my first trip to Mexico. I saw women and children on the streets of Tijuana who looked different from the Mexican Americans I had become accustomed to seeing in southern California. Their faces were more square and flat. I asked myself, Who are these people? I soon noticed in my shopping adventures that every store in Tijuana sold a similar version of the same piece of artwork. Why was this subject so important? I finally asked a Mexican merchant about this artwork. She explained to me that it was called the Sun Stone and that it was the most accurate calendar in the world. She informed me that this calendar was engineered by the Aztecs and the original Sun Stone could be seen in Mexico City. Later I found out that the women and children on the streets of Tijuana, with the square, flat faces, were Aztec descendents. Who where these Aztec peo ple? The Aztec people ruled Mexico during the late postclassic period. The Center of the Aztec empire was the city of Tenochtitlan, known today as Mexico City. In the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan the Templo Mayor was home to famous religious ceremonies and sacrifices. The pages that follow will further describe the rich and exciting culture of the Aztec people and, most intriguing, their practice of religious sacrifice. The earliest Mesoamericans were hunters and gatherers who lived in groups limited to their extended family. As these groups grew in size they began to notice the differences between themselves and other groups. The need for structure became apparent. Some time during the end of the 12th century, a group, who would soon after be known as the Aztecs, migrated to the central valley of Mexico. Many different groups flourished throughout Central Mexico at the time, some more developed than others. Amazingly t...