The Origins of The Aztec

The origins of the Aztec tribe are shrouded in mysticism. The Aztecs called themselves the Mexica. They believed they were descendants of the people of the mythical island of Aztalan or Aztlan. Because of this, they came to be known as the Aztec to the Europeans. Archeologically, there is strong forensic and genealogical evidence that they were actually a nomadic Chichimec tribe of northern Mexico that migrated into the Valley of Mexico near Lake Texcoco, looking for more fertile lands to farm on. Many cities already existed around Lake Texcoco, including Texcoco, Azapotzalco, and Tlacopán. The early Aztec founded the city of Tenochtitlan on June 20, 1325 on a site near Lake Texcoco. They were forced to live in a swampy area of the lake, as Baer states: “The city of Tenochtitlan was originally a muddy mound in the middle of the lake, where the tribe could find protection.” Because of the swampy nature of the original city’s location, the Aztecs created the idea of chinampas farming, in which a section of highly productive farmland would be created out of floating rafts of organic matter. This lead to the expansion of the land area of the city, and an expansion of power for the early tribe.

Legend has it that their primary deity, Huitzilopochtli, led them to a site where an eagle stood on a cactus with a serpent in its beak on this marshy island. It was here that the god wanted the early tribe to build a city in his honor. This scene is now the national symbol of Mexico, and is present on their flag. Most modern Mexicans see this date as the founding of the country of Mexico, not the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan. The Aztec believed that it was here that their god wanted them to settle.

The most powerful local tribe, the Azapotzalco, ruled over the entire lake and demanded tribute from the neighboring cities. This came to a head in the early 1400s, when the Aztec, the Texcoco, and the Tlacopán formed a triple alliance to overthrow the Azapotzalco. Once successful, the Aztec subdued the other two cities and replaced the Azapotzalco as the most powerful tribe in the Valley of Mexico. After the Aztec conquest of the Valley of Mexico, a series of natural disasters led Aztec priests to believe that additional sacrifices of human blood were necessary to appease the gods. This led to the intertwining of Aztec religious rights and military expansion. The idea of using captured warriors as worthy sacrifices to appease the gods became a central driving force in the expansion of their empire into the largest and most powerful in Mesoamerica.

After the Aztec had conquered most of the surrounding tribes, the Aztecs still wanted more sacrifices, and thusly they created autonomous city-states out of surrounding tribes that they waged ceremonial war with in order to have enough worthy human sacrifices. These ceremonial wars were known as the “Flower Wars.” This led to much discontent among the other indigenous tribes in central Mexico.