Cultural contributions of the AZTECS

Although we Westerners tend to think that all our culture comes from civilizations European classics, this is not really the case, since there are many contributions that we have received by part of american Cultures, being one of the most important Aztec. And to go deeper into it, in this lesson of a Professor we must talk about the Cultural contributions of the Aztecs.

The aztecs, also known as Mexicas, were a huge empire that dominated for years the cultural zone of Mesoamerica. This was a region located in the central and northern part of the American continent, in which numerous cultures such as the Mayan or the Olmec appeared.

The Aztecs or Mexicas existed between the years 1321 and 1521, varying its influence depending on the years, since, although they had times of great splendor, at other times they did not have the importance that we know today.

The Aztecs are born from the union of different Mesoamerican peoples that they were looking for an alliance to rule the region, and that ended with the invasion of the Spanish colonizers, who massacred the Aztecs.

The great number of years of Aztec supremacy caused them to carry out a enormous amount of cultural contributions, many of which were taken over by the Spanish during and after the conquest, several of them being brought to Europe and causing an enormous influence of the Aztecs in European culture.

To continue with this lesson from a Teacher we must talk about the main cultural contributions of the Aztecs, to understand the enormous influence that the Mexicas came to have and all the elements that we Europeans have due to their contributions.

Numeric system

The Aztec number system It was based on a vigesimal system, which was distributed in units of 20. He used different signs to represent each unit, which were joined to form larger numbers, as happened with the Romans. Some examples were the dot used to represent 1, the flag used to represent 20, or the bag used to display 8000. Over the years, this system was used by Europeans to perform complex operations, serving as the basis for rapid evolution in mathematical sections.

solar calendar

Possibly the most famous cultural contribution of the Aztecs is the solar Calendar, being one that counted the 365 days in 18 months, which were each formed by 28 days, and in the end it had 5 days that were used for acts and rituals. The solar calendar has served to understand many of the Aztec mysteries, and more especially those related to astronomy.

Medicine

The Aztecs were experts in understanding the human body, being able to create highly advanced medicinal plants for the time, as well as to understand the functioning of the skeleton and the human musculature. There is evidence of a book called badianus, which included more than 180 different diseases and how to treat each of them. Some Europeans copied these medicinal systems to treat diseases that until then seemed incurable in Europe.

Canalization

The water channeling and transfer system made by the Aztecs is another of the cultural contributions of the Aztecs. It was very complex for most Europeans, and that is why it was copied to improve the canalization of some of the great European cities. Above all, this influence was due to the enormous channeling work that the Europeans found in the capital of the Aztecs.

Feeding

In the Mesoamerican zone there were many foods that were not in Europe, so after the conquest a lot of Mexica food became part of the European diet. Some of these foods were corn or pumpkin, although the most famous was cocoa, used by the Aztecs as currency, but that the nobles used as food, something that was imitated by the Europeans.

Architecture

Some of the greatest works of the Aztecs, such as the temples or constructions in water, they were imitated by the Europeans, serving to change some of the foundations of European architecture, and especially in everything related to construction on water or on the coast.

red color tint

The red color was very difficult to obtain for Europeans, red clothing being a symbol of power in most cultures due to the difficulty of achieving it. The Aztecs used the Cochineal beetle to get this color, which made the use of the color red easier for Europeans.

Universal and compulsory education

Universal education is another of the cultural contributions of the Aztecs. The Aztecs had an educational system in which all people should have a minimum education, regardless of the social class of which they will be a part. With the arrival of the Europeans this was influenced in Europe, until the schools began to be basic rights.