Aztec superiority

Aztec DBQ During the time period 600-1450 CE, the Aztec empire grew in size and importance. Although isolated from other areas and empires, they were able to sustain their empire and create a sturdy foundation. Europe, being the center of major trade and exchanges at the time, advanced as well. The Aztecs however we able to advance without the outside help Europe had. This shows the Aztecs were superior because they did not need help from outside sources to build and create ideas and cities that were similar. Just like all other major areas and empires of their time, the Aztecs had their own version of religion. They created a polytheistic religion that, much like other religions at the time in the world, featured sacrifice as a major part. In document 5, a seventeen year old scribe glorifies the idea of sacrifice. Document 2 proves this was not a random sadistic act of hatred, but a "shrine before the gods." These sacrifices were meant to please the gods, not torture humans. Documents 4, 6, and 8 all show how similar Aztec cities were to European cities. Much like the Europeans, Aztecs built temples (doc 4), a men's house and a city square (doc 6), and a large market place (doc 8). From evidence such as Document 9, we can also tell they had a similar social structure. Like the Europeans, the Aztecs were a patriarchal society, kept children in line, and considered marriage extremely important. Land was also extremely important to the Aztecs. As shown in Document 1, the Aztecs were between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, two major waterways they were able to take advantage of. This placed a lot of importance on agriculture. With these accessible waters, they were able to create elaborate irrigation systems as shown in Document 7. The Europeans also emphasized agriculture and created things such as aqueducts that resulted in things similar to the Aztecs. The main reason why the Aztecs are superior to the Europeans is quite simple. The Aztecs were able to accomplish things just as well as if not greater than the Europeans without the outside influence the Europeans had. The Aztecs had no help, and lasted just as well as the Europeans.