Aztec Civilization

Aztec Civilization

The Aztec Indians, who are known for their domination of southern and central Mexico, ruled between the 14th and 16th centuries. The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to have ever existed on earth. Nearly every part of the Aztec life was advance to such a state that at that time in the world the Aztec people were living better lives than many of the European nations. (Ancient Aztec Civilization, 2001) The Aztec nation is unique in its arts, music, architecture, and way of life than any other nation at that time.

Art in the Aztec empire, like its culture and religion, came from a long history, a history of many different tribes. Techniques and themes in Aztec art was influenced by hundreds, perhaps thousands of years of artistry in this part of the world. While exploring the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan, Spanish explorers were astonished by the well-developed system of pictographic writing on low-relief and three-dimensional sculptures, murals, and codices. “The codices recorded genealogies, tribute systems, prophecies, divinations, calendars, religious rites, lists of merchandise, and conquests.” (Pohl 21) The painters of codices were known as tlacuilos, a Nahuatl term which meant both painter and scribe. They were powerful people in that they recorded and interpreted myths, rites, and genealogies. They possessed the ability to decipher the meaning of codices through an interpretation of page layout, the scale of the symbols and their groupings, and chromatic variations. Ancient Aztec art was very lifelike. Many of their statues of people, as well as animals, look amazingly realistic. They also show age, and a great deal of expression. The art looks alive, however, much of it is about death itself. It again reflects the people's passion to avoid death and disaster.

Aztec music was a constant and important part of life. The importance of Aztec music in the lives of the citizens of the empire is expressed in this quote from Spanish friar Gerónimo de Mendieta: “Each lord had in his house a chapel with composer-singers of dances and songs, and these were thought to be ingenious in knowing how to compose the songs in their manner of meter and the couplets that they had. Ordinarily they sang and danced in the principal festivities that were every twenty days, and also on other less principal occasions...” Students between the ages of 12 and 15 would learn songs that were important in their culture. As we see in the quote above, music was important enough that the nobles often had their own band, song writers and studio right at home. Not only was music used for enjoyment, it was a way of passing on culture, of sharing an understanding of religion, of making an emotional connection with the events of life.

Aztec architecture refers to the pre-Columbian architecture of the Aztec civilization. Aztec cities often competed to construct the greatest temples in the Aztec empire. While doing so, instead of demolishing an old temple and building a new one at the site,