Misunderstood Moments in History - Rise of the Aztec Empire

misunderstood moments in history rise of the Aztec empire the Aztecs one of the most iconic standard-bearers of Mesoamerican history and yet much of what people think they know about the Aztecs is wrong this is in large part due the fact that the public is only really introduced to them alongside the discovery of the new world as such the average person stumbles upon the as text just as the Europeans did with lots of preconceptions and no awareness of their past it is through this limited snapshot that the Aztecs have been remembered and consequently misunderstood today we will be seeking to remedy this by providing proper context for the rise of the Aztecs from their early history to the arrival of the Spaniards the dawn of Aztec history is shrouded in mystery Spanish chroniclers of the 16th century record that they were originally a people from a great island far to the north called aztlán the land of white herons today historians trace their legendary homeland back to the central Mexican states of Guanajuato Jalisco and Michoacan though its exact location is disputed it is from here that an oral speaking people later referred to as the aztecs began to migrate toward central Mexico according to their mythology this Exodus was part of a celestial command to abandon the seven caves of chicomoztoc and emerge into the light to explore the world from these seven caves came seven tribes however not all groups left together and it was apparently some 300 years before the last tribe the mashita began their journey it is their story which we shall be following today at the time many similar migrations were taking place over the course of the 10th to 12th centuries ad driven on by environmental and societal pressures for several decades these semi-nomadic groups wandered across the lands passing down a rich oral history of their journey along the way the mashita were supposedly guided by wheat slow-poached Lee later identified as the God of War who favored them above all others as they traveled they would rest for periods of 10 to 20 years founding small towns before moving on again these travels were filled with many trials and tribulations which included starvation rebellion warfare magical curses and celestial destruction but a dogged perseverance would see the mashita through they were people on a mission eventually the many migrating groups were begin to filter into the valley of Mexico the Machiko or amongst the last to arrive in 1285 by now most of the land was already claimed by one people or another the mashita attempted to occupy territory but were continuously forced to move on eventually they managed to settle and fortify a place called Chapultepec the hill of grasshoppers however tensions with their neighbors rose and in response the mashiki elected a warrior as their leader thus marking their evolution into a militarily aggressive society according to the spanish chronicler diego duran within 15 years quote a conspiracy was formed amongst the cities and neighboring towns so that all together they would surround the aztecs and annihilate them not leaving one person alive yet thanks to a warning from their God the musci Kaleem ana jam bush the enemy army and catch the ringleader Cofield according to legend his heart was cut out and thrown into Lake Texcoco at the behest of Huitzilopochtli this said that where it landed would be the future site of the capital Tenochtitlan and later de Mexico City meanwhile the rest of the captured warriors were ritualistically sacrifice unsurprisingly this did little to temper hostilities and bitter fighting continued with such intensity that apparently even the mushy kawin and children were forced to bear arms eventually despite fighting bravely their outnumbered tribe was forced to abandon the area luckily the Lord of Culiacan allowed these refugees to settle in his territories unfortunately though they were given the land of T's upon a wilderness full of vipers and poisonous snakes the musci katuk this in stride according to Diego Duran they became so accustomed catching and eating these foul beasts that it soon became rare to even see one over time the land became more habitable the mashiki took up agriculture trade and even began to intermingle with their neighbors through marriage and alliances this tranquillity prevailed and within several decades the tribe had recovered its strength however the God of War became impatient with this lifestyle and proclaimed that it was time for the mashita to take up arms and pursuit of their destiny accordingly a plan was devised by his faithful servants an emissary was sent to the Lord of Culiacan to ask for the hand of his young daughter as the new queen of the musci qey and bride to Huitzilopochtli when this request was granted they brought her back home before summoning her father to a great feast during the celebrations the Lord of Culiacan was invited to lay offerings inside the temple but as he approached with the light of burning incense he unveiled a most horrible sight a mushy caprese wearing the flayed skin of his daughter she had been ritualistically killed as a sacrificial offering to the god with slow push Lee who now had his war seeing this the Lord of Culiacan flew into a rage vowing to utterly destroy these wicked subjects he summoned his armies for an immediate attack the fighting was fierce and the mushy Kuwar ultimately driven into the lake where they managed to escape unholy constructed rafts they then hid themselves amongst the reeds on the far side of the waters it is here amidst the scene of great suffering and desperation that their God with Silla push finally announced that they were ready to go to the promised land the next night the God appeared in the dreams of one of the mushy Caprice with an announcement he told them that upon the site where the heart of Gopal had been thrown into the lake a great prickly cactus had sprung up upon this cactus was an eagle which they would find devouring a serpent this site the God now named Tenochtitlan it would be here that the main group of remaining mushy cow would finally plant their roots in 1325 they founded their capital and began the next stage of their journey to Empire this pivotal moment is preserved today on the flag of modern Mexico whose own Capitol is situated in the same site Tenochtitlan was located on a series of small islands in the marshy western edges of Lake - cocoa though the region was controlled by other peoples this particular area lay unclaimed for it had meager agricultural prospects and a lack of building materials undaunted by these hurdles the musci Coe once again proved their resourcefulness if at first they could not farm they made do by hunting and gathering amongst the lakes flora and fauna eventually the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan were able to be in draining some areas and filling in others such that their islands grew more habitable slowly farming was also developed in the form of agricultural terraces an impressive works of drainage and irrigation known as chinampas this along with Lake Borgne trading allowed the mushy cat to expand now on firmer footing the tribe sought out a king or thought dhwani a council of wise men priests and Nobles set out to find a suitable candidate of proper stature and lineage they eventually settled on a man named a comma peach Lee his father's side was of mashiki noble tea while his mother's side was of kahlúa royalty which could trace its way back to the revered Toltecs now he and his recently married bride were brought back to Tenochtitlan for a grand coronation in 1375 a come-up each li was crowned the first Litani of the mushy kheh however all these developments drew unwanted attention from powerful neighbors this included the expanding city-state of s-capepod Zeljko which had been founded by the teppan acts another one of the original migrating Gnawa tribes the still weak Machiko were in no position to resist and were thus forced to become vassals as such they were subject to heavy tribute for using their land and conducting business yet even under this oppressive yoke they grew stronger day by day become a peach Lee's rule proved effective in a small town upon the lake de Ville into a proper city buildings residential areas temples parks canals and streets were created and what was a relatively prosperous time of peace after two decades the king died at the age of seventy specifically requesting the people be allowed to choose a ruler from amongst his seven sons in 1396 the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan elected prince witzel with their king the new monarch was then wedded to a princess of azcapotzalco this important political move led to a closer tie between neighbors and the lessening of the harsh policies levied on the vassal city over time the mushy ko would be granted more and more favors they were also increasingly called upon to participate in the military campaigns of their overlords often serving as powerful shock troops together Tenochtitlan azcapotzalco subjugated many of the people in the surrounding area fighting first in their immediate vicinity and then further and further afield along the way the mushy ko would be granted important tracts of land with significant agricultural value eventually the blood spilled in battle and shared in marriage earned the city of Tenochtitlan a place as one of the favored vassals under the azcapotzalco to Penix who by 1410 controlled a large portion of the Mexico Valley however this alliance was not to last when King Witsel we died in 1417 he left behind the Prince Chimel pop oka as heir to the throne however too young to rule alone he was guided by his royal council these men in turn attempted to exploit the strong relationship jemulpo poca maintained with his maternal grandfather the king of azcapotzalco the mushiya council constantly whispered in the ear of their young king pushing him to ask for special favors and reduction in Taxation while the old king of azcapotzalco often warmed to such requests his council did not they were increasingly wary of the mushy kheh who grew bolder by the day with every new attempt to throw off the obligations of vassalage thin estate lon looked less and less like a necessary ally and more like a potential Challenger the straw that broke the camel's back appears to have been a conflict over resources tenochitlan was located on brackish marshes and had long lacked a reliable source of clean water it had previously been granted access to the springs of Chapultepec but now requested that their overlords provide them with the men and materials to build an aqueduct to their city this was the sort of demand a would-be Lord made to his subject and one which enraged the powers of s kaput Sala Co their council now called for the elimination of the mushy qey the old king pleaded to have his grandson spared but when this was refused he is said to have died of anguish in his place a more adversarial ruler named mashallah rose to the throne he not only denied the mushy ko requests for supplies but also revoked their access to the water springs in addition assassins were dispatched to Tenochtitlan these managed to infiltrate the Royal Palace killing King Jamal pop oka and his heir the mushy ko were thrown into a panic in 14:26 they turned once more to the leadership of a strong warrior king one was found in the person of its quat a son of the first king I come up each Lee upon his coronation he acted quickly one last attempt was made to reach peace with us couples alcove but when this failed the people of thin estate LAN were roused for battle in preparation for the upcoming show down the mashiki also sought allies the political atmosphere was ripe for such messages many other vassals had also chafed under the harsh rule of azcapotzalco and now considered siding against their overlords via KO lua of desh Coco or the first to rise up and join the mushy ko of Tenochtitlan together they fought fiercely and achieved some key early successes these victories convinced the techniques of luck upon to cast in their lot with the uprising this Triple Alliance now launched itself at their former masters in a desperate war for liberation the Allied armies fought fanatically and were said to have quickly pushed the enemy back on the defensive according to legend they attacked azcapotzalco for one and 12 days before finally breaching the capital the temples were looted the city burned in the population butchered when it was all over not much was left of the once proud and powerful kingdom of azcapotzalco and its place would rise the far more formidable coalition of the Triple Alliance that would become known as the famous Aztec empire flock upon would assume control of the western side of the Mexico Valley Tenochtitlan the north and south and - cocoa the East the first task of this new alliance was to secure their position in the valley of Mexico this was done through aggressive military action campaigns to the south were particularly important through these they gained control of the region's breadbasket the chinampas located in the freshwater lakes of shoushi Milko and Chalco to the victors came unprecedented amounts of new land tribute and trade further expansion would largely be motivated by economic interests for acquiring more of these to quote Michael Smith in his book on the Aztecs the growing numbers of commoners in Tenochtitlan and other Imperial capitals required ever-increasing amounts of food cloth and other necessities while the nobles required exotic luxury goods to maintain their lifestyles and social positions the economic strategy therefore involved the conquest of rich areas and the establishment of a program of regular tribute payments as well as the encouragement of trade and markets throughout the empire end quote at this point it is critical to note that the emerging Aztec empire was a hegemonic rather than a territorial one what this means is that newly conquered lands were not directly annexed and ruled rather local governments were kept in place and forced to provide a mix of troops tribute and hostages soldiers would be called upon in the event of a major campaign while tribute would be supplied at regularly on a semi-annual basis these shipments might include food gold textiles weapons armor and other valuables in return the conquered cities would be granted relative autonomy protection and access to the economic Network which developed under the umbrella of Aztec rule we should also mentioned that other factors also bound the subjects of the Empire to their new masters these included intermarriage gift-giving religious ceremonies construction projects and perhaps most importantly the ever-present threat of violence this last point is key to understand and bears repeating as Ross hey sig states in his book on Aztec warfare quote the Aztecs maintained the Empire with great economy of force by relying on local resources for local security and order the Aztec army did not have to maintain a presence but was mobilized only for further conquests or to deal with rebellions and other major disruptions for lesser matters the threat of this armies returned was sufficient to ensure compliance by the subordinates now that we've established the nature of the Aztec empire we can provide an overview of the following centuries by taking a closer look at the accomplishments of its principal rulers as we do so please note that we will be focusing on the line of rulers from Tenochtitlan which would become the dominant power in the Triple Alliance this will be done to the exclusion of the other royal lines of pluck open and Tesh cocoa we had last left off with the founding of the Triple Alliance during the reign of its kawatte he had been brought to power as a military leader and would follow up on the victory over azcapotzalco with further campaigns across the Mexico Valley to bring the various city-states under their control once conquest and consolidation had been achieved it's quite said the first expedition out beyond the basin these war parties ventured forth into the lands of Quanah walk to the south in 1440 after 14 years in power the great warrior king at squat died his 80 day-long funeral ceremonies featured great displays of wealth and were a testament to just how for oedema sheikah of Tenochtitlan had come since the founding of their city a mere century ago the next king Mota Kazama the first would take them even further within the Mexico Valley he first reaffirmed the triple alliances dominance through military action political consolidation and massive building pride chicks such as the construction of the great temple of Tenochtitlan at the same time new laws were passed to be in reshaping society these formalized the distinctions between nobles and commoners granted privileges to great warriors and priests established universal schooling laid out a system of courts and judges and set out punishments for crimes such as theft and adultery externally the Aztecs were also much more active with military campaigns now spilling out across the region such was the strength of the Triple Alliance and its growing network of tributary states that it was said they raised an army of 200,000 to conquer the city of cuesta by the end of his almost thirty year reign multi Gazzola had overseen a massive period of military conquest construction and expansion that left a legacy of riches and grandeur no other before him had achieved his successor a shy act consolidated the Aztec holdings along the gulf coast before continuing the expansion to the north and south there would be several major military victories which included the suppression of plot to loco during a brief Civil War however these conquests did not go uninterrupted the clash ala Confederacy continued to hold out obstinately while the northwestern taraskin people blunted Aztec campaigns with a crushing defeat in 1479 this was one of the first major defeats the Triple Alliance had suffered and it deeply marred the image of a shocked who died two years later his younger brother T's oak became the next plateau on e of Tenochtitlan but proved a poor leader and military commander in fact his coordination campaign was essentially a defeat and the following war saw very little new territory added to the Empire within just a few years his reign would be cut short by what appears to have been an assassination by the military nobility the next ruler a squeeze ought focused on repairing the image of the Aztecs his early military campaigns were used to crack the whip on areas which had stopped paying tribute during the week rule of t Zook successful actions were then launched into more rebellious regions and foreign territory slaughter and enslavement were common means of quickly reestablishing control these battles also yielded many war captives who were brought back to the capital for grizzly sacrifice the dedication of the new temple tweets Allah push Li the war God reportedly featured the slaughter of over 80 thousand prisoners the island capital would see further celebrations as underwent major renovation and expansion such was the power the a quiso tool gained during this period that the rulers of Tenochtitlan took over most of the duties of running the empire of the Triple Alliance from now on that plateau Ani of Tenochtitlan was known as way plateau Ani or the Supreme King in 1502 a weasel died and was succeeded by one of his experienced generals Multi Kazuma ii he continued previous efforts of consolidation and conquest through terror incredibly one of his largest campaigns is said to have summoned an army of 400,000 to crush the region of eastern oaxaca with another army of 200,000 raised a few years later to take the fortified city of kits out at the beck by this time even the formidable flash allah were beginning to cave to the pressure as the massive territorial vise around their lands was tightened yet at this critical moment the hand of fate intervened and the meteoric rise of the Aztecs was cut short by the arrival of the Spanish in 1519 it is incredible to think that just over 230 years earlier the mashiki tribe themselves had been the newcomers in the valley of Mexico when Europeans arrived they would encounter a vast empire which covered 135,000 square kilometers and encompassed more than 400 cities and towns at its beating heart was the gem of Tenochtitlan a monumental city with a sprawling grid complex of palaces temples markets gardens and housing with miles of cosway's and aqueducts radiating out in all directions it bustle dwith activity of some 200 thousand inhabitants nobles priests soldiers merchants craftsmen farmers and schoolchildren all traversing the landscape on foot or by boat this incredible sight astounded visitors who dubbed it the Venice of the new world it is with this vision that we will conclude our episode I hope that we've been able to demystify the rise of the Aztecs and lay the groundwork for further exploration of their amazing civilization there will be far more to cover in the future when it comes to discussing the politics religion economy and warfare of Mesoamerican history and I couldn't be more excited a huge thanks is owed to our supporters on patreon and the many talented researchers writers and artists who made this video possible please consider contributing to fund future content if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to LIKE and subscribe for more history and check out the description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 784,366

Rating: 4.9100804 out of 5

Keywords: misunderstood moments in history, aztec empire, moments in history, rise of the aztecs, rise of the aztec empire, aztec empire crash course, aztec empire documentary, aztec sacrifice, aztec warfare, aztec war, cortes documentary, invicta history, history of the aztecs, aztec warrior, fall of the aztecs, fall of the aztec empire, the rise and fall of the aztec empire, tenochtitlan documentary, aztec triple alliance, conquistador, aztec documentary

Id: 8a8SkSYtHXo

Length: 22min 47sec (1367 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 09 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Diminuendo1]

Some nitpicks. Every time he mentions Huitzilopochtli, he shows the statue of Coatlicue. Also, in Nahuatl, emphasis is always on the penultimate syllable of the word. So, it's Tenoch-TI-tlan, not Tenochti-TLAN. Tla-CO-pan, not Tlaco-PAN. Axa-YA-catl, not Axaya-CATL, etc.

[u/qwqwqto]

“Misunderstood moments in history”

yeah... that they called themselves the Aztecs