Anicent Aztec's An Interesting Historical People

Fifteen million people were under the Emperor Montezuma II. The Aztec empire was huge. Reaching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf coast and from central Mexico to the present republic of Guatemala. Aztec's were not just one group but were made of of many groups that lived in the Valley of Mexico. Their cultures and history were all alike.

Music and Dance

Music and dancing were very significant in the Aztec Indian life. The children were taught very young to sing, play instruments and dance. The instruments consisted of bells,rattles,shells,drums,and horns. Hundred's of the Aztec people took part in the dancing. Most dances were like a play acting out about their gods or things from their past.

Aztec Artists

The Aztec artists would work with natural stones and rocks. Their lives were dedicated to their work. They made statues from rock,the tools used made from bone,rock and wood. The artists used vegetables,shell,insects and minerals to make color to paint onto rock. Oil was sometimes added to make the paint a brighter color. They made masks decorated with precious stones that were very unique. Bird's were a big part of the Aztec's life. Pretty head dress's were made from tropical bird feathers. They also made clothes with feather adornment.

The jeweler's would go down to the market place and sell. Much of the jewelry was made of silver which is very plentiful in Mexico. The jewelry was adorned with precious polished stones such as jade,quart and turquoise. Mexico is still famous for it's silver jewelry.

The eerie part is that the Aztec priest made human sacrifices to their Gods. They believed these “Gods” represented all the natural forces and wanted to make them happy. When they weren't “Happy” they believed there were floods,and starvation . They would take the poor prisoners from battles up to the top of a stone pyramid called " The Temple of The Sun God " in the city of Tenochtitlan and brutally kill them. This was their accepted way of life.

Cortes 1519

The Spaniard "Cortes" came in 1519 landing on the Mexican Yacatan Peninsula. Montezuma II send gifts of gold to Cortes. At Lake Texacoco, Montezuma and Cortes met each other. On November 8,1519 Cortes fought battles and captured Montezuma. The Spanish killed many of his people and priests. Montezuma really wanted his people to be friends with the Spanish but no they would not have that. His people stoned him for this. The Aztec were stubborn and wanted to keep fighting. The Spanish took the city of Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City on top of the demolished city.