The Aztecs
learn about this ancient civilization
Who are they?
The Aztec are a tribe that lived in Mexico between 1325 to 1521. The Aztecs are the most violent out of all the tribes because they sacrificed the most people. They sacrificed 10,000 people each year. The Aztecs were also known for making beautiful artwork.
Did they worship a god?
Yes they did worship a god they actually worshiped more than one god. The word for it is polytheistic. The Aztecs thought the gods needed blood to prevent the end of the world. They would pierce there ears or tongues and put the blood on the stone carvings of the gods. Sometimes they would sacrifice prisoners and put their hearts on the statues of the gods.
Some of the gods the Aztecs worshiped:
Quetzalcoa-tl
Quetzalcoatl is the god of wisdom, life, knowledge, morning star, fertility, patron of the winds and the light, the lord of the West. When Cortes came to the Aztecs the Aztecs thought he was Quetzalcoatl
Itzpapalotl
Itzpapalotl is the goddess of sacrifice. The Aztecs killed people with the help of her.
Huitzilopoc-htli
Huitzilopochtli was the god of the sun he helped the crops grow everyday.
How did the Aztec empire fall?
The Aztec empire started to end in 1519 and that is when the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes came. When Cortes discovered the Aztecs, the Aztecs thought he was the god Quetzalcoatl. Cortes soon found out that the Aztecs worshiped gods that were unfamiliar to him and tried to convert the Aztecs to Christianity. Then the Aztecs got angry and went into battle. The Spaniards won because they had armor, guns and horses. Then the Aztecs came to an end in 1521.