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The mighty Aztecs

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Graphic image of ancient Aztec man overlaid with eagle
The mighty Aztecs

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  7–8


The Aztecs were not always the dominant culture in the Mexico area, rather they were just one of many tribes believed to have originated from a land referred to as 'Aztlan'.

As the location of Aztlan has not yet been discovered historians have been unable to determine whether it was real or merely a part of Aztec mythology. The Aztecs and others used the term 'Azteca' to refer to all those who came from Aztlan. The Aztecs called themselves Mēxihcah.

After migrating from their homeland, the Aztecs wandered in search of a new land to settle on. The Aztec priests received a vivid prophecy from the god Huitzilopochtli instructing them to settle on land where they saw a vision of an eagle perched on a cactus. This place happened to be a swampy island in Lake Texcoco where the capital city of Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325 CE.

The Aztecs' strong focus on warfare led them to conquer a large area of land in modern-day Mexico, which grew into a large empire maintained through a system of trade and a system where the State or ruler would pay another, in money or equivalent, for peace and protection or as a sign of submission.


Acknowledgements

Produced by ABC Education and Australian Museum, with thanks to Mexico's National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA) and National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).


Production Date: 2015

View the full Mighty Aztecs collection

Who were the Mexihcah? Discover the rich and brutal history of the Aztec culture and the birth of Modern Mexico.

An Aztec sculptural artefact in the shape of a head


Copyright

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