Essay On Aztec Empire

If I could turn back time, I would go during the time of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs first started out in the year 1100, and left their homeland of Aztlan in Northern Mexico and begin their journey south. Over the next 225 years, the Aztecs moved many times, until they settled down at the city of Tenochtitlan.The empire might have continued to grow, if the Europeans did not arrive in 1519. At that time, the Aztec empire were at their height, reaching from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, from Central Mexico all the way to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. However, Spanish explorer, Hernan Cortes, came in 1519, and had a war with the empire, and managed to defeat them. The Aztecs had different, and unique activities that they did, which is why I’m so interested in the empire itself.

The Aztecs had very captivating rituals. The most famous ritual, or sacrifice, is of course, the human sacrifice. Every Aztec year had 18 festivals, and human sacrifice was central to the festivities at each of these. The human sacrifice was performed to stop the universe collapsing. The Aztecs sacrificed their own people, and believed that the universe would collapse after 52 years unless the gods were fed and kept strong. Human sacrifice was an offering to the gods with the intention of allowing the universe to survive and thrive. To mark the 52-year cycle, a New Fire Ceremony was performed.
where all fires were put out at midnight and human sacrifices were made. The Aztecs would wait until dawn hoping that the sun would rise again and the sacrifices had work, and that the universe would be safe. One interesting thing is that the victims would be burnt alive. One of their gods was, Huehueteotl, and he was the fire god. When sacrificing to him, the Aztecs would eat a feast, and then set the victims on fire. They burning people would be removed from fire before death and their hearts would be cut out. They believed that their city would be set by fire, if they didn’t sacrifice to Huehueteotl. The Aztecs had a variety of different gods. They had cultural, nature gods, gods of creation, maze, death, and also trading gods. One of the most important gods in the empire was Tláloc. He was the god of of rain and water, was associated with life giving and fertility, as well as springs, mountains and caves. He was often depicted with goggle eyes, fangs, and a curled nose. Child sacrifices were made to him, and children were expected to weep in order to bring rain. The priests were responsible for making sure that the gods were offering the correct sacrifices. Priests had to go undergo extensive training, and they were well respected, and powerful in the society. The Aztecs also believed in heaven and underworld. Those who died in a battle were believed to go to heaven, and those who drowned would go to underworld. The Aztec calendar held a number of religious ceremonies and festivals throughout the year.

The Aztecs are one of the most interesting empire, to me, and it would be great if I could turn back time, to explore what they did.
I feel like they had more things, than just what people have claimed that they had today. As I mentioned above, I would like to explore more about their rituals, and their different types of gods. The Aztecs had a great history, and it would be great if we could know more about this empire. Historians are still discovering more about the Aztecs, and are still surprised about their different rituals, and gods, and how they influence our civilization
today.