A short history of the Rise and Fall of the Aztec Empire

The European explorers that came to the Caribbean in the 16^th Century found a native population that was believed to be more inclined toward religious conversion than the native populations of Africa. The result of this belief was that it gave the early explorers carte blanch to mistreat and steal from the native populations under the authority of the Church. That belief and a desperate desire for wealth was the source of ruination for many native peoples, notably the Aztec Empire.

The birth of the Aztec Empire began early in the 14^th Century, when they entered the “Valley of Mexico.” They founded their capital city, Tenochtitlan, on a marshy island in the middle of Lake Tetzcoco.

The Aztecs initially found themselves as subordinates to the Tepenecs, a violent and expansionistic empire. They were able to secure their stature as an independent tribe following the defeat of the Tepenics by a coalition from outside the Valley. At this point they formed an alliance with the Texcoco and Tlacopan tribes. The Triple Alliance, as they were called, managed to form a formidable empire, but soon enough the Tlacopan fallen from power, leaving the Aztecs and Texcoco to jointly rule. By the time Cortez entered the empire the Texcoco had also passed into near oblivion, leaving the Aztecs as the sole ruler.

At the center of Aztec religion was the sun god, and according to Aztec beliefs the sun god required regular sacrifices. These sacrifices were believed to feed the god, and allow the sun to pass each day. The failure to feed this god would have resulted in the destruction of the universe, or at least that was the belief under which the Aztecs labored. There is no doubt that a significant driving force behind the Aztecs warlike nature was the requirement for sacrificial captives.

Despite being a warlike people, the Aztecs quickly found themselves in awe and fear of Cortes’ weaponry and cavalry. Before the year was out he had all but taken control of the Aztecs, gathering wealth for himself and replacing native idols with Christian symbols. To their credit the Aztecs revolted and managed to temporarily remove the Spaniards. Nonetheless by the end of 1520, Cortes had thoroughly ransacked the Aztec capitol and for all intents and purposes destroyed their cultural identity.

Events like these would occur throughout the New World, and would combine with native exposure to rampant European diseases, to ultimately destroy the native cultures. In the end the European powers would completely control the Caribbean and Central America. They would use this control to create colonies, relocate African Natives as slaves, and completely subjugate the remaining American natives, forever leaving their mark on the region