Reasons For The Fall Of The Aztecs

History seems to flow in a loop, seemingly invincible civilizations rising and falling to dust in the blink of an eye, emphasizing how easy it can be to get caught in the unavoidable cycle of political turmoil and economic depression. With Rome, we saw how increasingly futile wars and conquests drained the resources of the empire, until angry mobs were stampeding the streets and the barbarians ransacked the city. In a more recent nation, the Soviet Union, the whole world watched in shock as it collapsed, the rot in it’s political system finally breaking down the supposed unity and cohesion of the nation. The Aztecs lost powerful allies in the fight against the Spanish due to their harsh sacrificial system, and it too joined the ranks of fallen …show more content…
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with religion, it would have prolonged the fall of these civilizations if the two had been kept separate. This can be seen most clearly with the Aztecs. Religion contributed to the fall of the empire by creating hostilities between the empires and it’s neighbors as well depleting human resources. The Aztec’s religion consisted of many gods. To appease their gods they gave human sacrifices, thousands each year, which greatly diminished their fighting force against the Spanish. This tradition led to tension against other surrounding people, as they had to take part in religious ‘flower wars’ against the Aztecs, where the goal is to capture as many people as you can for sacrifices. The tributes of human sacrifices required of conquered city states did not help lessen tensions, and many of these conquered states harboured a strong resentment towards the Aztecs and wanted revenge from giving up their loved ones simply for the religious practices of the Aztecs. And so when the Spanish came, asking for help in bringing down the empire they gladly joined. This gave the Spanish a huge advantage by dramatically increasing the size of their army and providing them with knowledge of the land. However, these aren’t the only ways religion contributed to the fall of the empire. The political situation did allow the Spanish to enter the capital and take immediate advantage of the situation. However, if the ruler at the time did not think Cortez, the ruler of the Spanish army, was a God, they would not have been so kind and defended themselves earlier, probably being able to win against the Spanish in this retrospec. And because in their writings it prophesied that they would face great catastrophe anyway, they did not fight as hard as they probably would’ve Due to this religious tradition the Aztecs lost many