Aztecs
The Late PostClassic period (A.D 1200-1250) was the rise of a group of people called the Mexicas, better known as the Aztecs. They "were know among themselves and to their neighbors as Tenochca, Mexica, and Colhua Mexica, rather than Azteca," which strictly speaking, only applies to their ancestors of México at Tenochtitlan. The capital of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan. The word 'Aztec' was popularized through the literature of such writers as, William Prescott and Alexander von Humboldt. The Aztec ancestors had migrated to a place which was called, Aztlan, which was in the northwest. There patron god, Huitzilopochtli, had commanded them to leave there in 12th century A.D. As legend had it, at the end of a long nomadic journey, the Aztecs came to a site where they, "encountered an eagle with a rattlesnake in its beak perched on a cactus growing from a stone." It was there that they decided to settle, in Tenochtitlan (Cotterell 1980).
The Aztecs were people who were had strong religious beliefs. They were cultured people who also had strong beliefs about their heritage. They carried their strength in the knowledge and worship of their pluralistic gods. Aztecs would often bring gifts to the capital Technotitlan to decorate and honor it. Some of these gifts were food, feathers, salt, arrows and luxuries from trade.
Religious activities were mainly focused on within the temples. These walled precincts contained dorms, schools, sacred pools, altars, gardens, arsenals, and ball courts. These temples usually contained the shrine to the deity in which it was dedicated to as well.
This civilization had outstanding craftsmen and sculptors. A period of expansion and prosperity occurred during the rule of Moctezuma, who was ruler when the Spanish overthrew the Aztecs, leaving them vulnerable. When their lands were threatened and taken away from them, many Aztec families became nomadic. The Aztecs were proud of their people and of their land, but because of their hardships, survival became their main concern (Boone 1994).
The Aztec 'Tira de Peregrincacion,' is an ancient indicator of places the Aztecs stayed in their travels. Sculptures that the Aztecs left behind give good predictions of what the people may have looked like.
