The Mexica, a tribe of Nahuatl-speaking people, travelled south from what is now known as Mexico, to the waters on the coast of the islands of Lake Texcoco in the valley of Mexico. The Mexica created an innovative and ever expanding empire that revolved around the identical cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlaleloco. In comparison, these cities were just as big, if not bigger than the city of Europe’s Istanbul in the year 1500. The Aztec empire was created with the Mexica at its center. When the Mexica arrived to the Valley of Mexico, they came upon a collapsed Toltec Empire in the twelfth century that was in the hands of the Tepanec Alliance. Through negotiations with the Tepanec Alliance, the Mexica negotiated the right to build their roots on
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The city expanded greatly at the turn of the 16th century, and boasted a population of 200,000 residents, the most of any pre-Columbian Americas. The city was defined by a social structure and were divided as such. In the article Aztec Civilization by Ancient History Encyclopedia, it states that, “These inhabitants were divided into several social strata. At the top were local rulers (teteuhctin), then came nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), serfs (mayeque), and finally slaves (tlacohtin). The strata seem to have been relatively fixed but there is some evidence of movement between them, especially in the lower classes.” A stratified social structure had risen, and the warrior privileged practiced incredible …show more content…
The location of the marketplace was vital because of how the heart of the city lay in the trade economy. The largest market at the time was the sister city of Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, which would have up to 60,000 people daily and was open seven days a week, 365 days a year. The market of Tlatelolco initially sold basic products but overtime they began to specialize in luxury goods. In the article, TLATELOLCO, SHOP WINDOW OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE by Yoma Medina, it states that:
Contemporary Spanish chroniclers describe how the market place was located to the east of the city's great ceremonial enclosure on a vast square esplanade with sides 200 metres long, fully paved and level and surrounded by arcades housing shops. At the centre of the square was the momoztli, a kind of truncated stepped pyramid which was used for celebrations, ceremonies and other public events. (Medina 4)
Since this was the shopping center of the Aztec world, Tlaltelolco offered its customers a wide variety of products and services to its people. The items varied from fruits, animals, tools, and many more offerings. Apart from its strong economy the Aztecs had a strong faith in
The city expanded greatly at the turn of the 16th century, and boasted a population of 200,000 residents, the most of any pre-Columbian Americas. The city was defined by a social structure and were divided as such. In the article Aztec Civilization by Ancient History Encyclopedia, it states that, “These inhabitants were divided into several social strata. At the top were local rulers (teteuhctin), then came nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), serfs (mayeque), and finally slaves (tlacohtin). The strata seem to have been relatively fixed but there is some evidence of movement between them, especially in the lower classes.” A stratified social structure had risen, and the warrior privileged practiced incredible …show more content…
The location of the marketplace was vital because of how the heart of the city lay in the trade economy. The largest market at the time was the sister city of Tenochtitlan, Tlatelolco, which would have up to 60,000 people daily and was open seven days a week, 365 days a year. The market of Tlatelolco initially sold basic products but overtime they began to specialize in luxury goods. In the article, TLATELOLCO, SHOP WINDOW OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE by Yoma Medina, it states that:
Contemporary Spanish chroniclers describe how the market place was located to the east of the city's great ceremonial enclosure on a vast square esplanade with sides 200 metres long, fully paved and level and surrounded by arcades housing shops. At the centre of the square was the momoztli, a kind of truncated stepped pyramid which was used for celebrations, ceremonies and other public events. (Medina 4)
Since this was the shopping center of the Aztec world, Tlaltelolco offered its customers a wide variety of products and services to its people. The items varied from fruits, animals, tools, and many more offerings. Apart from its strong economy the Aztecs had a strong faith in