About Aztec Indians


Introduction


Aztec Indians are the fascinating ethnic people of central Mexico who went on to build the worlds’ greatest and the most powerful empire. They practically formed a perfect tribe, clan and nation and achieved pinnacle of splendid grandeur. The Aztec Indians followed a nomadic life and wandering was a second part of their nature. They enjoyed life to the hilt, roaming in the natural wilderness and searched for a perfect place for settling permanently.


As per the Aztec mythology, the Aztec God of War and Sun asked the Aztecs to continue finding the perfect homeland till they came across an eagle with a snake its beak perching on a plant of Nopal cactus. The Aztecs are supposed to have found such an eagle in 1248 in a lake in Mexico’s northern valley. This part was developed as Tenochtitlan, the nerve centre of the Aztec Empire. The Aztec Indians of the Aztec Civilization have been credited with much advancement like developing 2 unique systems of calendar, a multifarious mathematical system and a captivating form of astronomy. The Aztec Indians are associated with interesting and glorious history.


Aztec Society


The Aztec Indians had a very well defined and rigid social system. The Aztec society was formed of classes- nobility, commoners and slaves. The nobility were known as pipiltin and the commoners were known as the machehualtin and the peasants generally comprised this second class. The slaves were known as tlacotin and held a significant place in the Aztec society.


The commoners amongst the Aztec Indians were known as calpulli and they formed interrelated tribes or clans. With the growth of the Aztec Empire, the calpulli tribes formed political divisions in Tenochtitlan. As time passed, the calpulli tribes became independent of each other. The Aztec people elected 4 main officials in each calpulli and one overall ruler was chosen of these four and he was called tlatoani. The supreme ruler of the Aztec civilization was called great lord or the huey tlatoani and he was supposed to be successor of Aztec gods and thus, semi divine. The merchant class was known as Pochteca and enjoyed special privileges over other commoners. The common Aztec people included the farmers, laborers, soldiers and artisans.


Occupations of the Aztec Indians


Farming and agriculture were prime occupations of the Aztec Indians. Military service was compulsory for all Aztec men. The Aztec women primarily worked at home and took care of the household and family.


Aztec Warriors


The Aztec warriors were men of great bravery and nobility. They fought constant battles to expand the Aztec Empire and the main purpose of the Aztec warfare was to collect prisoners for sacrifices to the Aztec gods.


Language, Cuisine and Religion of Aztec Indians


The language of the Aztec Indians was Nahuatl. The staple food of the Aztecs was maize and they ate Tortillas and tamales. They also consumed some insects. The religion played a very important part in the lives of Aztec Indians. They worshiped many gods and goddesses that were connected with elements of nature and human activities. The Aztecs believed in recreation and human sacrifice.