The Aztecs were an ancient group that inhabited the land that is current day Mexico and existed for many years as one of the prominent tribes in the Americas. The Aztecs had many rituals, beliefs, and innovations that helped the world and its people continue to progress. There is a lot that is known about Cortez the explorer and his encounter with the Aztecs, but not as much is known about the Aztecs and what they were like. The following are a few fun and interesting facts about this ancient group that made great contributions to the world that still affect us today.
Sacrifices
One of the biggest parts of the Aztec culture was the ritual sacrificing that they performed, typically, on a yearly basis. It may be hard to believe, but the Aztecs sacrificed young men and women to one of the Aztec gods, Tezcatlipoca. The group chose young men and women to perform a sacrificial ceremony that concluded with their slaughter. Today, this act seems quite violent, but to the Aztecs, this ceremony was done to improve their lives and standing with the gods.
Omens
Along with sacrificial ceremonies to the gods, the Aztecs believed strongly in omens and signs from their gods. For instance, if an Aztec saw a wolf, they believed that misfortune was in store for them. Other happenings, such as an owl or rabbit entering one’s abode, meant that bad things were to come for that individual or members of the house.
The End of the Aztecs
The Aztecs lived and thrived for many years around the central regions of the Americas for a long time, but their reign as a prominent tribe would come to end once European discoverers began traveling to the Americas. One of the explorers, Cortez, found that Aztecs and attempted to communicate with them. What seemed peaceful at first turned quite violent, and would eventually lead to the downfall of the Aztec tribe.
Cortez destroyed their cities
Unfortunately, Cortez seemed to betray the peaceful unity that he established with the Aztecs and burnt down the entire city on Tenochtitlan. Once the main city was destroyed, Cortez continued to destroy and kill off the entire population of the Aztecs. The Aztecs had officially been erased from the world.
