Discover the ORIGIN of the AZTECAS

Many times it is complicated know the origin of a culture or civilization, since the data on its origins usually disappear so that the town does not relate its birth with other previous towns whose influence in clear. Therefore, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to extract information from different sources to try to discover the origin of the aztecs.

Before talking about the different theories or legends about the origin of the Aztecs we must briefly explain who were the aztecsto understand its importance and its location and, therefore, better understand its origin.

The Aztecs or Mexica were a great empire that dominated the American cultural zone of Mesoamericaduring the so-called post-classic period, this being the last stage of pre-Columbian cultures before the arrival of the European colonizers.

The Aztecs dominated the area of ​​the Mexico's valley between the years 1300 and 1521, serving this to follow the sources to know the data about their origins, hiding also for this in those traditions that the Mexica shared with civilizations and cultures previous.

The sources are not entirely clear what the true origin of the Aztecs is, so we have to work with different theories or oral histories that tell us, the first of which is the most traditional that marks its origin in Aztlan.

It is said that originally the Aztecs were members of the city of Aztlan, being just one more neighborhood of all those that existed in that immense city. It is thought that the number of the Aztecs became so great that they decided to leave the city together with other neighborhoods, being guided by their gods according to legend.

Many were, according to history, the peoples that accompanied the Aztecs in their search for a new life, some of them being the Tepanecas, Chalcas and Huexotzincas. It is said that, after years of traveling together, the Aztecs decided to separate of the group, saying that they did so by design of their deities.

People say that the migration of the Aztecs lasted centuries, in which the inhabitants of the culture looked for a divine sign to stay in a specific position. The texts do not speak of the specific Aztec god that the people thought would send them the message, and there are different theories depending on the sources we consult.

After years on the road, several groups of the Aztecs faced each other, since each one of them defended a path that they should follow, each group being represented by a different deity. The winners of the confrontation continued their way but, before, they changed their name to mexica.

The path of the Mexica passed through many places but none of them seemed perfect enough to stay permanently, so the journey continued for more centuries. It is said that whenever they arrived in an area they already inhabited they had tensions with other peoples, being a very bellicose culture for the general thinking of the peoples of the area.

After years of walking they finally reached the Valley of Mexico area and they occupied the only possible location, being one surrounded by numerous powerful cultures that did not take long to ask tribute to the Mexica. Following the divine signs they went to a lake where they founded the city of Tenochtitlan, becoming mercenary soldiers of other more powerful civilizations in the area.

Little by little, the Mexica became the military civilization par excellence in the area, increasing their influence little by little. The assimilation of other peoples and the military victories against their former lords made them become one of the most important towns of all pre-Columbian America.

To talk about the origin of the Aztecs we must talk about the most relevant historical sources at the time of knowing his birth. It is important to carry out a study of these sources to shuffle the different hypotheses.

In this hypothesis there are many similarities with legendary stories, such as the city of Aztlán, the founding of the city of Tenochtitlan, or the migration that lasted decades. For all this and in order not to repeat information already given we must talk about the most distinctive element, which is the origin of the Aztecs in the Nahuas.

The Nahua peoples are all those who they inhabited Aztlán In the past, all the peoples that we mentioned in the previous section were part of this group and the Aztecs being the most important of all these. It is believed that the cultural origin of the Mexicans is found in these peoples, being the ones that spread Nahuatl throughout Mesoamerica.

In general we can say that the historical origin of the Aztecs is similar to the legendary, but theories speak that The towns that emerged from Aztlán are called towns nahuas.

On the other hand we must talk about the origin of the call Aztec empire, since this is not the same as the Mexica people. Once expanded throughout Mesoamerica, the Mexica decided to join other great peoples in the area, forming the so-called Triple Alliance. This alliance became the most important civilization of the time, dominating the entire area for years and the name we usually refer to is the Aztec Empire.