The Aztecs were a powerful and highly advanced civilization that ruled the majority of present day Mexico in the 15th century. At their peak, they established a very organized society which revolved majorly around religion. Aqueducts were constructed, agriculture was cultivated, and their empire seemed to be constantly growing. Astrology was, arguably, one of the more important and fundamental achievements of the Aztec civilization. The development of the calendar became an important part of their lives specifying religious purpose. Unfortunately, their peak of great success and achievements were short lived. The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors quickly brought them their demise. Today, Aztec culture remains present in modern day Mexico.
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Their artificial floating gardens, chinampas, were responsible for the cultivation of an abundance of various crops. The chinampas field stretched out over 23 hundred acres on lakes. Chinampas were small, rectangular islands that were artificially made by the Aztecs and contained vegetation on top that would allow up to six crops to be grown at once (Aghajanian 2007). Small rows were strategically placed in between the chinampas in order for canoes to fit through, allowing easier access to the crops. Irrigation systems, such as aqueducts and damns, also created by the Aztecs themselves, provided the water for the crops as did the water from the lake. The Aztec’s diet consisted of mostly the crops grown on the chinampas, which were vegetables and fruits (Aghajanian …show more content…
The actual original calendar stone itself is considered a very important artistic piece in the Aztec culture due to its precise geometric features (Hassig, 2001). These only mark a few of the many achievements that the Aztec civilization accomplished. Having expanded to both coasts of present day Mexico and south towards present day Honduras, the Aztecs were at their peak in success. And when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1519, the civilization was doomed for demise (Educational Publishing 2010). The conquistadors’ warfare provided them with a great advantage in taking over Tenochtitlan (Meier et al. 1993). Even though the Aztec civilization was wiped away by Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors, Aztec culture is still present today in parts of Mexico. An obvious example would be in Mexico’s flag. It bears the Aztec legend of the eagle on a cactus with a serpent. Aztec culture is also present in the population itself. Much of Mexico’s inhabitants are mestizos. Mestizos are those who have Aztec and Spanish ancestry as a result from the mixing of the two cultures when Cortes came (Van Tuerenhout 2005). The native language of the Aztec’s, Nahuatl, is still spoken by a large portion of people in Mexico as well (Educational Publishing
Their artificial floating gardens, chinampas, were responsible for the cultivation of an abundance of various crops. The chinampas field stretched out over 23 hundred acres on lakes. Chinampas were small, rectangular islands that were artificially made by the Aztecs and contained vegetation on top that would allow up to six crops to be grown at once (Aghajanian 2007). Small rows were strategically placed in between the chinampas in order for canoes to fit through, allowing easier access to the crops. Irrigation systems, such as aqueducts and damns, also created by the Aztecs themselves, provided the water for the crops as did the water from the lake. The Aztec’s diet consisted of mostly the crops grown on the chinampas, which were vegetables and fruits (Aghajanian …show more content…
The actual original calendar stone itself is considered a very important artistic piece in the Aztec culture due to its precise geometric features (Hassig, 2001). These only mark a few of the many achievements that the Aztec civilization accomplished. Having expanded to both coasts of present day Mexico and south towards present day Honduras, the Aztecs were at their peak in success. And when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1519, the civilization was doomed for demise (Educational Publishing 2010). The conquistadors’ warfare provided them with a great advantage in taking over Tenochtitlan (Meier et al. 1993). Even though the Aztec civilization was wiped away by Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors, Aztec culture is still present today in parts of Mexico. An obvious example would be in Mexico’s flag. It bears the Aztec legend of the eagle on a cactus with a serpent. Aztec culture is also present in the population itself. Much of Mexico’s inhabitants are mestizos. Mestizos are those who have Aztec and Spanish ancestry as a result from the mixing of the two cultures when Cortes came (Van Tuerenhout 2005). The native language of the Aztec’s, Nahuatl, is still spoken by a large portion of people in Mexico as well (Educational Publishing