Aztecs

The Aztecs were nomadic people that rose after the Mayan and the Teotihuacan society collapsed in the mid 13^th century. The society, with its capitol located at Tenochtitlan, has a population of 12 million.

Tenochtitlan is a chinampa, a manmade floating island. If anyone as gone to Centennial Beach at downtown Naperville, it’s like one of those piers. They are anchored to the bottom of the lake so they don’t float off. The chinampas provide harvests yearlong due to resistance to frost, giving an ample supply of food.

The Aztecs did not have the aid of domesticated animals or wheels to build their cities. Through military conquest, they become a tributary empire, and that gets most of their supplies.

Human sacrifice is considered an honor, and is practice so intensely that some cities are conquered solely for the purpose of sacrificing. The Aztecs practice rituals on massive pyramids in which the priest digs the heart out and “feed” it to the gods. They also have an altar made up of skulls.

There are three main social classes: Nobility, peasants, and slaves. They are then further divided according to calpulli, clans. The Aztecs had a market economy with government regulation, and hieroglyphics are used to keep records. Women have a little power, they can will property and inherit. Death in childbirth is considered the most honorable way for women to die. Children are taught at an early age on basic skills needed for society.