This video is sponsored by Brilliant. This educational platform has a great offer for
our viewers, which you can learn about at the end of this video!
In the middle of a marshy island, so useless that the 1 million people living in the lands
around it saw no reason to claim the it, rose and empire of people with such a fierce will
that they smashed every obstacle placed in front of them and conquered their world. Gold,
silver, feathers, chocolate, bark paper books and lines of captives destined for sacrifice
streamed into the metropolis that was Tenochtitlan along its innumerable streets and canals.
This constantly moving anthill was the center of the Aztec empire and this is the story
of how a destitute people conquered their world.
By the 13th century Mexico had already seen the rise and fall of great urban cavillations
such as the Teotihuacanos and Toltecs. Called Anahuac by the Mexica, the Valley of Mexico
was home to over 1 million people, making it one of the most densely populated area
on Earth at the time. It had been a hub for urban civilizations for thousands of years.
Now two new states had achieved dominance over the region. Culhuacan located in the
south and Azcapotzalco in the north east. It was into this already long-established
world that the Aztecs suddenly entered. They were the last of the nomadic tribes to
migrate into the valley from the North. The Valley was already quite full and so the Aztecs
were repulsed and ejected from wherever they tried to settle. They may have spoken Nahua
the language of the great Toltecs, but other than that they were completely alien to the
civilized inhabitants of the region. The Aztecs however, brought an unmatched skill in warfare
and soon found themselves fighting as mercenaries for both Culhuacan and Azcapotzalco. But their
penchant for violence and sacrifice soon disgusted their employers. After sacrificing the daughter
of the King of Culhuacan the Mexica were driven into Lake Texcoco.
Their patron god, Huitzilopochtli, had promised them that they would find their true home
when they saw an eagle poised upon a cactus, eating a serpent. Upon entering the blue water
of Lake Texcoco on a miserable swampy island, with little arable land, no wood nor stone,
they saw their God’s sign. They settled there in 1325 but it would be another 50 years
until they were organized enough to name a King, Acamapichtli.
Barely a century later, this destitute people, had soaked up the culture of the region, named
themselves the successors of the Toltecs, and began an incredible series of conquests.
The Mexica built their great empire by forming a triple alliance with two other city-states,
Texcoco and Tlacopan. Together they sacked Azcapotzalco and became the dominant power
in the region. Now free of any competing states, the Mexica
conquered from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific and then south towards modern day Guatemala.
Flooded with plunder their capital, Tenochtitlan, soon surpassed Teotihuacan and Toltec Tula.
Great palaces, pyramids, and gardens rose out of the waters on Lake Texcoco as the Mexica
built a floating city that left the Spanish conquistadors gasping upon first seeing it.
Soon Tlacopan and then Texcoco found themselves in the backseat of an alliance dominated by
the ever-growing power of the Mexica. By 1500, the Kings of the other 2 states were basically
civil servants to the Mexica Emperor. Taxes and tribute were supposed to be divided amongst
the 3 but it appears the Mexica in Tenochtitlan shared what they wanted when it wanted. This
Triple Alliance formed what we know as the Aztec Empire and was on its way to becoming
a single headed Mexica run state when the Spanish arrived.
It’s important to note that this is the Aztecs own history of themselves, not an exact
and perfect timeline of events, and it is known that a certain Mexica advisor, Tlacaelel,
a man that helped forge the triple alliance, transformed Huitzilopochtli from a tribal
god to the supreme patron of the Mexica, massively increased emphasis on human sacrifice, and
essentially established much of the imperial systems of the empire, erased much of Mexica
history. This man in order to promote the new Mexica empire burned and destroyed evidence
of their humbler past. Let’s take a closer look at Tenochtitlan,
its full name being Mexico-Tenochtitlan. One of the Spanish soldiers, Bernal Díaz del
Castillo, wrote this about his initial impression of the city. “We were amazed/ on account
of the great towers and pyramids rising from the water, and all built of masonry. And some
of our soldiers even asked whether the things that we saw were not a dream “
The City was unlike anything in the Old World. It would have been bigger than any city in
Spain with a population of at least 250,000, possibly more, making it one of the world’s
largest cities. The Spanish particularly found the botanical
gardens and zoos to be extremely impressive. The Mexica had transformed the poor land into
highly productive gardens through canal irrigation and the use of chinampas, which were highly
fertile artificial islands. The city became so productive that it could support a population
level that after being nearly wiped out by the conquistadors, their native allies, and
smallpox, would not be reached again until the 20th century.
The citizens used the canals for transport as much as they used the streets. Hernan Cortés
speaks of the people 'talking as they go along, some on the land, the others on the water.'
The main causeways leading to the city were cut by wooden bridges which could be removed
in case of attack or if a canoe needed to pass through. Water was the superior means
of transport in a country without a single draft animal.
Within the city, teachers and students met in the calmecac and telpuchcalli. The schools
were most Mexica children received educations. Making it one of the only societies at the
time where nearly all were educated. Streets and canals were jammed with merchants and
porters that brought tribute and goods in from across the diverse empire.
The Aztecs ran a tribute-based empire. So rather than invading lands, killing everyone,
and taking over the territory, they instead forced the past enemies to pay tribute. Everything
else stayed the same, people kept their kings and gods and homes. This made the Mexica incredibly
rich and widely hated. Pyramids and palaces dotted the city were
priests praised the gods and carried out bloody sacrifices. Aqueducts brought fresh water
into the city and every day thousands of street cleaners swept across the city to keep the
main streets clear and neat. All on a tiny island in the middle of a lake.
Let’s move on to what is probably the most controversial and infamous aspect of Aztec
civilization, human sacrifice. If you know anything about the Aztec civilization it is
most likely this. That they practiced human sacrifice is beyond doubt. To the Aztecs,
there was no activity more glorious than capturing men on the battlefield or to die there for
Huitzilopochtli. The culture of Mexica sacrifice is best explained
by Michael D Coe. “The victims were ideally enemy warriors;
when an Aztec took a captive in action, he said to him, “Here is my well-beloved son,”
and the captive responded “Here is my revered father,” After the victim had been ritually
bathed, there were five possible modes of sacrifice. The usual one was by stretching
the prone body over a sacrificial stone, opening the chest with a knife of flint or obsidian,
and ripping out the heart, which was then offered to the gods. All warriors believed
that they were destined to die this way, being transformed on death into hummingbirds which
went to join the Sun God in his celestial paradise. In all likelihood, several hundreds,
perhaps even a few thousand, young men so lost their lives in the Aztec capital each
year” This was done because in the Mexica worldview,
the gods needed nourishment, worship, and payback. The world had a finite amount of
energy and the gods needed energy to keep the universe alive. Thus, energy had to be
released from living things to pay the gods. It was necessary in order to insure the sun
rose each morning. Each time a priest took a life they were keeping the doom of their
world at bay. Due to this cultural trait Mexica warfare
had a huge emphasis on capture rather than killing combatants on the battlefield. Men
that would have died of their wounds or infections on battlefields elsewhere, instead died on
sacrificial stones in Mexico. This also resulted in events known as “Flowery
Wars”. A perpetual war where both states would fight but never finish each other off
primarily fought against the Tlaxcala. If the Aztecs had focused their might on the
war they could have wiped out the Tlaxcala. But it would take a huge toll on their empire
and resources. So, they instead pinned down the Tlaxcala while at the same time guaranteeing
a constant stream of captives and training. The Mexica also instituted economic sanctions
on the Tlaxcala and forbid anyone to trade certain items with them, such as cotton and
salt. Without knowing it they had provided a powerful and well-trained ally to the Spanish
as the Tlaxcala would supply infantry and refuge to Cortés.
Let’s have a look at the military aspect of the Aztec Empire. Mesoamerican warfare
in general is fascinating as it was very different from that of the Old World.
For one the cost of movement in Mesoamerica was so much higher than in the Old World.
There were no animals that could be used to transport anything. Which obviously had an
enormous effect on warfare. Without horses or donkeys the soldiers had to carry their
provisions themselves or would need special porters to do it for them. Meaning that Mesoamerican
armies could rarely travel for more than 8-9 days on their own supplies. So waging wars
more than 50 or so kilometers away was a logistical nightmare.
Promotion in the army was based on the amount of captives a soldier made and if a man proved
himself he may join one of the knightly orders and become a Jaguar or Eagle warrior.
Your average Mexica warrior would be equipped with a round shield. A wooden sword tipped
with razor sharp obsidian blades, known as the macuahuitl. Some would have bows but most
would be equipped with an atlatl, a spear thrower device that hurled projectiles. Along
with thick cotton armour. When battles started it was unlike anything
in the old world. Experts with ropes and nets would try and capture as many men as they
could and warriors would spread out and fight one on one in separate duels, trying to knock
the other out rather than kill them. Nobles and generals wore highly visible symbols
on their soldiers, tall reed and feather constructions. This was so they could easily be seen in battle
and their deeds noted. However, it only made it easier for Cortés and his men to find
them during battles and wipe out the Aztec military command easily.
All of this of puts into perspective how the final war of the Mexica was doomed. The Mexica
and Spanish were not fighting the same war. The Mexica wasted precious time capturing
Spaniards or their native allies in battle, while the Spanish focused on killing as many
soldiers as possible. Even when the war was lost the Mexica would
have assumed a bitter negotiating process was about to begin were the Spanish would
demand tribute just as the Mexica did when they conquered. They could never imagine that
their entire civilization along with their gods and emperors would be snuffed out.
The Aztec Empire, faced with invaders from another world were unfortunately just as capable
of fighting it off in the same way we would be if we faced an invasion from the advanced
aliens.
In our series on the pre-Columbian civilizations, we learned about many inventions of the natives
of the Americas. Trial and error and problem-solving are often the simplest ways to invent and
innovate, and the learning provided by the sponsor of this video Brilliant is built upon
these methods. Their courses on logic and mathematics fundamentals start with the very
basic concepts and allow the users to learn via the fun, bite-sized problems, as the lessons
provide simple, yet thorough explanations and visuals. The fans of history would surely
enjoy this approach, as it is similar to seeing the big historical picture formed from the
smaller elements and events. To support our channel and improve your logical
capabilities visit brilliant.org/KingsAndGenerals/ — or click the link in the description and
sign up for free. The first 200 people will also get 20% off their annual premium subscription!
Thank you for watching the first video on the Aztec empire. In the next episode will
see the Fall of the Aztec Empire, so make sure you are subscribed to our channel and
have pressed the bell button. We would like to express our gratitude to our Patreon supporters
and channel members, who make the creation of our videos possible. Now, you can also
support us by buying our merchandise via the link the description. This is the Kings and
Generals channel, and we will catch you on the next one.