Society's Influence On The Aztec Culture

The Aztec culture is very interesting because our society continues to be influenced by their advanced way of life. The Aztecs, an ancient culture arrived in Mesoamerica around the 13th century after the previous Mesoamerican civilization, the Toltecs, fell. The Aztec name came from their homeland, Aztlan meaning “White Land.” The Aztecs are also known as the Tenochca, which gave name to their capital city of Tenochtitlan.The Aztec language was Nahuatl and it was the major language in central Mexico by the mid-1350s. Many Nahuatl words used by the Spanish were later used in the English language: chile, avocado, chocolate, coyote, and guacamole. Near the southwest border of Lake Texcoco, the Aztecs saw an eagle sitting on a cactus and decided
When the world is destroyed, it is born again through the sacrifice of one of the gods. The world began as a lonely, dark place. The god of duality, Ometecuhtli created itself and it was good and bad. Ometecuhtli had four children: Huitzilopochtli (south), Quetzalcoatl (east), Tezcatlipoca (west), and Xipe Totec (north). These gods created the world. First they made fire and half a sun. Then, they created humans during four days by sacrificing a god. Then, the gods created the lords of the underworld, the heavens and waters, the rain god (Tlaloc), and a sea monster named Cipactli . The creations of the gods would fall into the water and be eaten by Cipactli. This lead to a war where the four gods attacked and destroyed the sea monster. The universe was created from Cipactli: all 13 heavens were created in her head, the earth was created in the middle, and the underworld was created in her tail. Following the creation of the world, “The Legend of the Five Suns” states that five different worlds have existed with each one ending in destruction. The first sun was earth, the second sun was air, the third sun was fire, the fourth sun was water, and the fifth sun is the age we are currently in. The myth states that this era will end with