Abstract
This paper traces the origins and developments of the Aztec Empire from their humble roots in southern Mexico. The author traces their developments over some 1000 years.

From the Paper
"The Aztecs were Central American Indian people who invaded central and southern Mexico and took control. As they grew in political status, they became sophisticated and civilized, learning from established peoples who had been town dwellers for more than 1,000 years. There are many myths and legends concerning these people called the Aztecs (Mayo 49). Some people describe the pyramids they built, the wars they waged and the human sacrifices they made. It has been said that their Emperor Montezuma was terrible and savage in his deeds (49). The Aztecs had a great civilization with a wealthy and diverse history. Fortunately, much of this history was preserved and recorded for us by early priest, conquistadors, Spanish chroniclers, and the Aztec themselves (49). "

Tags:aztec, empire

Abstract
The paper outlines the history of Aztec civilization. The paper explores several aspects of Aztec civilization including basic life/family life, government, religion, warfare and the economy of the Aztec people.

Outline:
Introduction
History of Aztec Civilization
Basic Life and Family Life
Government
Religion
Warfare
Economy
Conclusion

From the Paper
"For the Aztec civilization family structure was a very important part of life. Marriage was an important aspect of life in Aztec civilization. For the most part women married as teenagers, while men were a bit older when they married. The marriages were usually arranged. It was not uncommon for men to have more than one wife but the first wife and her children were the only ones that could inherit wealth or become successors if the family was of Noble status.
"Upon becoming married, a couple was given land and a home was built. Pregnancy and Childbirth were also seen as a significant and symbolic time during marriage. The Aztec people related childbirth to a war. According to the article during pregnancy the baby was viewed as one being held captive by the womb. Childbirth was seen as a struggle and the baby was viewed as victorious when finally born. Childbirth was also seen as a struggle or battle for the mother and women who died in childbirth were honored in a way that was similar to a warrior who died in battle."

Tags:family, government, religion, warfare, economy

Abstract
A documentation of the integral role the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan played in Aztec life - its original purpose and the way the city evolved to become the foundation upon which the Aztec empire was established.

From the Paper
"Tenochtitlan played an integral role in Aztec life, for it served as the hub of all affairs, both inside the city and in neighboring provinces. Built according to the presumed intent of the gods, Tenochtitlan was regarded as a holy city on holy land, being the specific place set aside for them. In this way, Tenochtitlan assumed its important status early on, furthered later as it functioned as the foundation upon which a great and prosperous empire was established. In this later role as it expanded, it gained most of its recognition, becoming more and more noticed and feared by its neighbors; to the Aztecs, however, the religious significance of the city was of greater importance. Moreover, the influence of this religion on the Aztecs was one of the primary reasons for the wars and expansion that made them such a dominant people later on."

Tags:customs, downfall, history, practices, ritual, society, structure

Abstract
This paper tries to understand the business practices and trade cultures of the Aztecs by looking at the environment in which the Aztecs lived, worked and raised their families. The paper briefly discusses the Aztec's ability to maintain their fundamental beliefs and practices relating to internal business affairs and trade despite Spanish colonization, as well as the natural geographical environment of the Mesoamericans and how this helped in creating innovations in farming and agriculture. The paper compares traders and merchants of the Aztec empire to today's merchants and also analyzes how the various economic systems and business practices that the Aztecs practiced, though primitive, allowed the various market sectors and regions to come together to create an extraordinarily dynamic economy.

From the Paper
"Like many other Mesoamerican civilizations, the Aztecs relied heavily upon a variety of markets and business merchants to transport goods and commodities from the producer to the consumer. In this instance, the word "markets" does not connote what we today refer to as global and/or national markets, such as a country like Japan producing and marketing automobiles, televisions and audio equipment. Thus, "markets" refers to a physical space, such as a marketplace or agora as found in ancient Greece where buyers and sellers came together to exchange goods and services under the auspices of the reigning king or emperor."

Tags:ancient civilizations, trade culture

Abstract
This paper discusses various forms of Aztec works of art, including those from a recent find, on exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum. This paper looks at how the works of Aztec art counter historical views of the Aztec culture.

From the Paper
"The culture of the Aztecs was primarily forged from the culture of their predecessors the Olmecs, the Toltecs and the inhabitants of Teotihuac. The Aztecs flourished as a civilization for two millennia before being decimated by smallpox and the Spanish conquest led by Cortes. In order to justify the systematic destruction of the Aztecs, the Spanish often represented them as a barbaric and savage culture. However, artworks uncovered in archaeological expeditions have uncovered the inaccuracy that such an assumption represents as the totality..."

Tags:Mayan, Spanish conquest, featherworking, sculpture, terra-cotta, ceramics, jewelry, gods, deities, kings, culture

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the Aztec empire, further examining the ways in which the technological superiority of the Europeans, coupled with sheer good fortune on their behalf, helped them to conquer the Aztecs. First, the paper gives a description of the Aztec's capital city and its living conditions. Then, the author goes on to show the technological superiority of the Spanish, with an emphasis on their firearms, use of steel and of horses. The paper also highlights several incidents of good fortune which made the Spanish conquest less challenging. The paper concludes that the Europeans held important advantages over the Aztecs which resulted in them being able to conquer this part of the New World so effectively.

From the Paper
"It is hard to imagine a city of such grandeur being conquered at all, let alone in a matter of two years by a few hundred men. And yet somehow, Hernan Cortes and a small group of conquistadors were able to defeat the Aztecs and sack their city of Tenochtitlan by means of their advantage technologically and a few lucky breaks along the way. Due to their geographical location, and the trade, resources and interaction with other cultures it afforded them, the Spanish soldiers were equipped with steel, early firearms, and pack animals such as horses. These three items played a large role in the conquest of the Aztec empire."

Tags:Conquistador, Hernando Cortez, Mexico, Tenochitlan, Montezuma, New World

Abstract
This paper reviews various peer-reviewed academic and professional literature relating to chocolate in Mayan and Aztec society. It looks at how chocolate or 'cacao' was used by both the Mayan and Aztec cultures for various purposes including as a base of drink mixtures for consumption generally by the elite in society and as well was consumed on special occasions such as engagement and wedding ceremonies. It also examines how at one time chocolate was a form of currency in trade and bartering among peoples and nations.

Outline:
Introduction
The Origin of Chocolate
The Uses of Chocolate
Chocolate and Societal Status
The Science of Chocolate
Chocolate: Trade
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper
"Chocolate was additionally a food consumed during ceremonies celebrating engagements and marriages. Visiting dignitaries were given gifts of chocolate as well. Chocolate is stated by Norton to have been "associated with a lifesource, originating from or strengthened by its blood red coloring achieved by adding achiote." (2004; 3) Norton states that chocolate not only played a central role in Mayan and Aztec cultures as the basis for a drink of status but also was additionally "embedded in a range of social, diplomatic, and religious rituals." (2004; 3) Norton relates that the Europeans first encountered chocolate during the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1502."

Tags:cacao, status, trade

Abstract
The paper relates that the reality of Cortez's mission becomes clear when the Aztecs are seen in chains at the massacre at the Fiesta and the murder of their leaders in the "Fate of the Wisemen of Ehecatl" (24). Also, the paper looks at how the descriptions of the disease and famine caused by the Spanish against the Aztecs is defined (20), revealing the grim details of the genocide being committed against them. The paper notes that the Native American illustrations are not as highly polished and realistic as the European descriptions of the Aztec.

Tags:cortez, spanish, invasion

Abstract
This paper examines a period in Mexican history, explaining that the conquest of the Aztec Empire began on April 21, 1519, when a fleet of eleven Spanish galleons appeared off the island of San Juan de Ulua. This military expedition was commanded by Hernan Cortes and consisted of five-hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers and sailors. The paper notes that the superior military tactics and weaponry of the Spanish were a vital factor in determining the outcome of the conflict, but the vulnerability of the Aztecs to European diseases was also significant, for many Aztecs died in the devastating epidemics that ensued after the Spanish arrival because they had no immunity from European viruses and germs.

From the Paper
"Discuss the Conquest of the Mexica Empire, and explain how/why the Spanish were successful. Include the devastation the natives in the New World experienced as a result of European contact. The conquest of the Aztec Empire began on April 21, 1519, when a fleet of eleven Spanish galleons appeared off the island of San Juan de UlAfA a. This military expedition was commanded by HernAfA!n CortAfA(c)s and consisted of five-hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers and sailors. The superior military tactics and weaponry of the Spanish were a vital factor in determining the ..."

Tags:Cortes, Spanish, European, military, galleon

Abstract
The following paper looks at a brief historical view of the Aztecs, their origin and culture. The paper then discusses the Age of Exploration, the countries involved and what areas were explored. Effects of European exploration on the Aztec race, religion, land and labor are also discussed with their eventual and gradual disappearance. The writer restates all the fundamental points and the lessons learned during his research to conclude the paper.

From the Paper
History is exclusively neither an art nor a science, but a subtle blend of the two. The historical imagination reaches beyond the limits imposed by scientific method, but it does not enjoy unfettered poetic license. What is not required of art is required of history - to discover what the old universe was like rather than to invent a new one. We study the past in order to influence, no matter how modestly, the world around us and the world within us. Historical inquiry is always a response to the human need for information, an understanding of the broad patterns of social development. (History, 2001)

Tags:past, effects, age, exploration, research, culture, mysterious, disappearance, perpetual, effects, religion, land, race, labor