The capitol of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan, was in existence from the year 1325 until 1521 when it was taken over by Hernan Cortez and his men. Tenochtitlan was located in the Valley of Mexico on an island in Lake Texcoco. It was estimated that the size of this city-state was 8 – 13.5 km2. Tenochtitlan wasn’t the only city-state on this island, Tlatelolco was also located here, Tenochtitlan’s sister city. Legend says that this site was chosen because Huitzlopochtli, the god of war, ordered them to look for “the prickly pear cactus and build a temple in his honor” [3]. This is when they found the cactus, on an island, in the middle of the lake. The Mexica’s quickly began building and soon would become what we now consider one of the grandest
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Within the city there were three main streets which lead to the three causeways connecting the island to the mainland. Tenochtitlan had very advanced water supply and farming systems. In order to supply water to the city, they has a series of aqueducts which provided water for washing and cleaning. Drinking water came from the springs in the mountains. To support the large population of 200,000+ people, they farmed along the lakeshore as well as on the lake. Chinampas, “cultivated fields created on platforms on the lakes surface” [4] were the main reason Tenochtitlan was able to produce enough food for the entire population. The city also had a series of marketplaces, tiyanquiztli, which goods and food were bought and traded. Each of the calpulli (large house) had their own but there was also one main marketplace located in Tlateloco. Goods included pottery, textiles, stonework, featherwork and ornaments of different metals including gold, silver, copper, tin, bones and …show more content…
This temple was dedicated to the God of War, Huitzilopochtli and the God of Rain, Tlaloc. On the top of this pyramid were two separate temples, one for each God. Many offerings were given to the gods, for example: pottery, shells, textile and jade. These offerings would all be buried inside of the pyramid’s precincts. The temple was not only a place of giving offerings, sacrificial rituals were also taken place here. Located by the temple was the “the huey tzompantli, an enormous rack that displayed the skulls of sacrificial victims on horizontal poles”
Within the city there were three main streets which lead to the three causeways connecting the island to the mainland. Tenochtitlan had very advanced water supply and farming systems. In order to supply water to the city, they has a series of aqueducts which provided water for washing and cleaning. Drinking water came from the springs in the mountains. To support the large population of 200,000+ people, they farmed along the lakeshore as well as on the lake. Chinampas, “cultivated fields created on platforms on the lakes surface” [4] were the main reason Tenochtitlan was able to produce enough food for the entire population. The city also had a series of marketplaces, tiyanquiztli, which goods and food were bought and traded. Each of the calpulli (large house) had their own but there was also one main marketplace located in Tlateloco. Goods included pottery, textiles, stonework, featherwork and ornaments of different metals including gold, silver, copper, tin, bones and …show more content…
This temple was dedicated to the God of War, Huitzilopochtli and the God of Rain, Tlaloc. On the top of this pyramid were two separate temples, one for each God. Many offerings were given to the gods, for example: pottery, shells, textile and jade. These offerings would all be buried inside of the pyramid’s precincts. The temple was not only a place of giving offerings, sacrificial rituals were also taken place here. Located by the temple was the “the huey tzompantli, an enormous rack that displayed the skulls of sacrificial victims on horizontal poles”