LibGuides: Research Guide: Los Aztecas, Los Mayas, y Los Incas: Los Aztecas

The Aztecs and the Making of Colonial Mexico

Introduction
This virtual exhibition is based on The Aztecs and the Making of Colonial Mexico, a display of original manuscripts, books, and other materials at the Newberry Library from September 28, 2006 through January 13, 2007. Ellen T. Baird and Cristián Roa-de-la-Carrera, both of the University of Illinois at Chicago, curated the exhibit. The virtual exhibit includes the complete text from the original gallery exhibit and digitized images of many of the manuscripts and books that were displayed.
The Aztec/Mexica Empire from World History Encyclopedia
Aztec is the name popularly used today to label the people who dominated central Mexico around 1500 CE. Actually, "the Aztecs" never used the term to describe themselves; rather, they were Nahuatl-speaking peoples divided into about twenty different ethnic groups. The most famous of these groups, and the preeminent one when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, were the Mexica.

The Aztecs Had a Strict Social Structure

Ancient History Encyclopedia
Aztec society was divided into clearly defined and ranked classes. The nobility dominated the key positions in the military, the courts, government administration and the priesthood. While traders could become extremely wealthy and powerful, even their prosperity was based on their class. Most citizens remained simple farmers.
There was a limited opportunity for individuals to better their social position, especially in the military and religious spheres. However, the vast majority of the Aztec population remained in the social group of their immediate family throughout their entire lives.

"Entrance of Cortes into Mexico"

Titled "Entrance of Cortes into Mexico," this illustration shows Spain's Hernan Cortes (right) being welcomed by the Aztec leader Montezuma (left).

Storing Maize

Aztecs storing maize. Image from public domain.

Aztec Temple

Aztec temples form the base of the Square of Three Cultures in Mexico City, a monument marking the Aztec, Spanish colonial, and modern period in Mexico’s rich history.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSÉ ENRIQUE MOLINA, AGE FOTOSTOCK

Book Resources

Ancient Aztec by Henry Russell; Tim Cooke
ISBN: 1426300727
Publication Date: 2007-08-14
Ancient Aztecs by Karen Latchana Kenney
ISBN: 1624035353
Publication Date: 2014-12-15
Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
ISBN: 1416949003
Publication Date: 2009-09-08
The Spanish Conquest of Mexico by Sylvia A. Johnson
ISBN: 0822590794
Publication Date: 2009-01-04

Aztec (Mexica), an introduction

Khan Academy
During the twelfth century C.E. the Aztec (or Mexica*) were a small and obscure tribe searching for a new homeland. Eventually they settled in the Valley of Mexico and founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1345. At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was one of the largest cities in the world.

Turquoise mosaic mask (human face), 1400-1521 C.E., cedrela wood, turquoise, pine resin, mother-of-pearl, conch shell, 16.5 x 15.2 cm, Mexico © Trustees of the British Museum

Aztec Musicians

Aztec musicians. Music and dance were an important element of Aztec education and public life. Image from public domain.

The Aztec Empire: The Last Great Native Civilization in Mesoamerica

History.com
The Aztecs probably began as a nomadic tribe in northern Mexico. They arrived in Mesoamerica, the area including central Mexico down to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica, around the beginning of A.D. 1200. The Aztecs became the dominant force in central Mexico. They created a remarkable social, political, religious and commercial organization that brought many of the region’s city-states under their control by the 1400s. Invaders, led by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, overthrew the Aztecs by force and captured their capital city in 1521, bringing an end to Mesoamerica’s last great native civilization.

Destined for Priesthood

Six levels of military achievement are depicted in Codex Mendoza for young men who are destined to become priests. The first is a novice who has had made one capture. Those who had made two captures were awarded a white feather ornamented tlahuiztli, a tightly fitting body suit. The highest ranking soldiers were awarded a yellow tlahuiztli and a helmet in the shape of a mountain lion. Image from the public domain.

Book Resources in Espanol

Los Aztecas
Educacion de los Aztecas by Diaz Infante
ISBN: 9789683803054
Publication Date: 1997-10-01
La Vida Cotidiana de los Aztecas (The Daily Life of the Aztecs) by Jacques Soustelle
ISBN: 9681606361
Publication Date: 1956-01-01

The Aztec Empire

Resource Unit Overview
With such wonderful sights to gaze on we did not know what to say, or if this was real that we saw before our eyes.
–Bernal Diaz, a 26-year-old conquistador (Spanish conqueror), who fought in Cortés’s army.

Call the Aztec Midwife

Childbirth in the 16th Century
Hygiene and ritual marked every moment of life for pregnant Aztec women. The tlamatlquiticitl—midwife—offered those in her charge a remarkable 16th-century birthing plan, combining practical care, drugs for pain relief, and religious ceremonies.

A tlamatlquiticitl washes a newborn in cold water in an illustration adapted from the 16th-century compendium on Aztec customs, the General History of the Things of New Spain.
ARTWORK: SANTI PÉREZ

Latin American Studies

The Aztec Empire

Aztec Market

Diorama model of the Aztec market at Tlatelolco.

Made by Joe Ravi

Huitzilopochtli

A depiction of the Aztec god of war and the sun Huitzilopochtli. The role of one the high-priests was to organize the cult around Huitzilopochtli. Image from public domain.

Research Guide: Los Aztecas, Los Mayas, y Los Incas: Los Aztecas

Los Aztecas