In studying the Spanish language, it may also be of interest to research the Aztec, a dynamic and fascinating part of Spanish history. Known as one of the world’s more powerful and aggressive civilizations, the Aztec of Central America was spectacular in its development in the areas of government, religion, culture, and more. Though the duration of the Aztec Empire was relatively short-lived, the contributions of the culture to the world still last to this day.

            The foundation for the Aztec culture lies in what is today Mexico, where the Nahua people began migrating around the sixth century AD. Archaeologists believe that the Aztec first settled in an area called Aztlán, most likely long the northwest coast of Mexico. However, they left the area around the 12^th century and went south. They tended to find lands already occupied by other peoples, but they evidently grew tired of serving as mercenaries, and they seized power for themselves. In the 14^th century, the Aztec followed a prophecy of Huitzilopochtli, who told Tenoch to settle a swampy island in Lake Texcoco and then find an eagle sitting on a cactus. The city was named Tenochtitlán after the leader Tenoch.

            Tenochtitlán was a city of huge canals, marketplaces, and temples. More than 300,000 lived there in the capital of the empire, many of whom were powerful priests, traders, and other members of the higher class. Also, Huitzilopochtli’s prophecy stated that the people of Tenochtitlán were to honor him with sacrifices, and so thousands of war prisoners were used for that purpose.

            One of the most fantastic accomplishments of the civilization is the creation of the Aztec calendar. It includes a 365-day cycle, with a 260-day ritual cycle, with signs to represent each day; these two cycles together made for a 52-year sort of century. There were also a number of deities in the Aztec culture. Like other cultures, each represented certain aspects of life. For instance, Huitzilopochtli, who was mentioned earlier, was actually a deified human god of war. Ehecatl was the god of wind and a manifestation of Quetzacoatl.

The leaders of the Aztec were chosen from a royal line by a council that included a priest, warriors, and nobles. Leadership would then be passed to brothers before being passed to another generation. Some leaders were more notable than others, including Moctezuma, under whose leadership the Aztec empire greatly expanded. It was during his 17-year reign when Cortes arrived.

            Like any empire, that of the Aztec couldn’t last forever. In 1517, the people saw a comet on the horizon, which was a bad omen for them. Additionally, two years later, the Aztec saw a line of ships carrying white men along the Gulf of Mexico. Aztec leaders considered this the realization of a legend telling of the coming of a light-skinned god. The white people were instead Spanish conquistadors seeking gold and other riches. They joined forces with enemies of the Aztec and set to conquer them, despite a shaky treaty made between the conquistadors and the Aztec leaders. Cuauhtémoc was the last emperor of the Aztec before the Spanish conquered the civilization; he was hanged by the Spaniards after trying to defend the city of Tenochtitlán. In 20 years, nearly all of the Aztec people were annihilated through either war or disease.

            Admittedly, I had initially only seen the Aztec for the brutal human sacrifices and supposed love of fighting. I think it’s unfortunate that conquistadors eliminated much of the wondrous things about the culture – especially in such an underhanded way. I also wasn’t aware of how direct a link there is between the Aztec and current Mexican culture. Today, the remains of the Aztec empire lie underneath modern streets and buildings; what was once the city of Tenochtitlán is now Mexico City. However, the Aztec culture is much more present than it may seem, having left a Latin-American legacy from language to food. Interestingly, Aztec influence doesn’t pervade deep enough for most to know the correct spellings of even the most famous parts of the culture; in fact, one of the questions that I had when I was writing this paper was if Montezuma and Moctezuma (not to mention Moteuczoma and Motecuhzoma) were the same person, and I realized that this is just a matter of spelling by different cultures, and there is no “u” sound in Nahuatl. How interesting!