Introduction
There are some aspects of world history that all people know about, but might have wrong perceptions or lack relevant and interesting details. For example, it is fair to suppose that everyone has at least once in their life heard about the Aztec empire and its power, greatness, and dramatic fall. Indeed, before the Spanish invasion, the empire flourished and made its enemies and opponents fear it. Overall, the Aztec civilization can be considered the last of the greatest, most powerful, and most impactful Mesoamerican cultures, and their government, art, and approaches to military invasions made them extremely effective before the Spanish conquered them.
Powerful Formation and Government
Firstly, it is essential to describe how the Aztec empire was formed and how its authorities kept their power and control over the citizens. According to Berdan, “during the development of the Aztec Empire, the Basin of Mexico, heartland of the empire, would have encompassed from 40 to 50 separate city-states, well-established in and around the Basin’s prominent lake system.” It is interesting to note that the general political environment across these states was intensely competitive, especially since a mighty and ambitious leader ruled each city. The relationships between these city-states were always volatile, and some areas became dominant for several years before being reduced to subservient status.
Some researchers believe that the power and strength of these city-states’ rulers were one reason for the further dominance of the Aztec empire. Berdan writes that the leaders of three major areas, including Tlacopan, Tenochtitlan, and Texcoco, decided to form a political and military coalition to overthrow Azcapotzalco at the beginning of the fifteenth century. As a result of this unity, a young yet already prominent, powerful, and ambitious empire emerged and spread across central and northern Mesoamerica. Nowadays, researchers refer to this coalition as the Triple Alliance, and the origin of the Aztec Empire generally dates back to around 1428. This interesting formation of the empire allowed it to remain effective and impactful for over a hundred years.
The three city-states maintained efficient and beneficial relationships for several reasons. For instance, they managed to do that because of their wise government, as the rulers of the areas understood they needed each other’s alliance and support. They were the main figures in each other’s selection and inauguration of further rulers, attended funerals, and “collectively consulted one another on issues of political strategy and military expansion.” This information shows how the leaders had close relationships and contributed to the empire’s development.
Some years later, power was unevenly distributed among Tlacopan, Tenochtitlan, and Texcoco, and each city-state controlled other minor areas. The authorities of these states coordinated their actions and expansion efforts. Thus, “in their quest for imperial dominance, this alliance could amass unprecedented military forces, and they were largely successful in their endeavors to bring other city-states into their orbit as dependencies.” This quote reemphasizes the impact of the Aztecs, and the source itself is significant because it highlights the government’s role in the formation of the great empire and in maintaining its dominance.
Art
It is essential to notice that the Aztecs valued art, which proves that they were quite effective in their development as a mighty civilization and were not only interested in conquering other nations. An educational article by Cartwright is outdated, but it provides a concise and insightful overview of these people’s engagement with art, making it valuable to read. Cartwright writes that the Aztecs highly valued fine art, and it was common for them to collect artworks from distant parts of the empire and bring them to Tenochtitlan for ceremonial burial. The Aztec art varied from massive stone temples to miniature engraved jewelry and other precious objects. These people were skilled in stone sculpture, wood carving, and metalwork and worked with exotic feathers, silver, gold, crystals, and amethysts.
The Spread of the Empire
In general, it is essential to emphasize that there are several main views on the military aspects of the Aztecs. Still, all previous studies agree that this civilization was powerful in its invasions. Firstly, this past civilization was guided by its idealized views and rationalization for war. In other words, they followed an established sequence of steps, such as “initial provocation, intelligence gathering, decision making, negotiations, and combat.” They engaged in just wars if their people were attacked in a certain area and responded to rebellions.
Secondly, the Aztecs were guided by the Gods, and some of them dictated war if they promised it would be auspicious. Lastly, economic and political advantages also served as reasons to initiate an invasion. Hassig describes that “their vast armies had marched on campaigns stretching hundreds of miles to meet, fight, and subdue competing states and cultures, and they had performed feats of daring in battle and exercised astute political control over an expanding imperial domain.” Hassig’s book is an extremely important source because it unites all three visions and explains why this approach is more informative. Therefore, all these factors made the Aztecs successful and effective in their military expansion.
Furthermore, the specific approach the Aztecs used to establish and maintain their dominance over conquered states further demonstrates the effectiveness of this civilization. According to Hassig, the Aztecs could have taken military control over other areas and replaced local troops and leaders with their own garrisons and governors to consolidate their political hold. On the one hand, this approach would allow the nation to gain total control over the area and extract large quantities of required goods from it.
On the other hand, it would be extremely ineffective in other matters, and it is possible to state that the Aztecs knew about this. Hassig explains that it would result in severe security and administrative costs and pose a serious threat of rebellion. Therefore, one can say that the Aztecs’ government made rational choices regarding conquering other areas.
Instead of eliminating local authorities and fining loyal and knowledgeable people to control the conquered land, the Aztecs adopted a different approach known as hegemony. They decided to leave local governments to rule further, but remain subject to them. Overall, this approach never “permitted so much economic extraction from the conquered area, but its administrative costs were relatively low.”
What is more, rather than relying on constant physical engagement in wars and land defense, the Aztecs managed to instill fear of their power in their opponents. This perception that the Aztecs were strong, mighty, and invincible prevented many from attempting to attack and conquer them. As a result of these tactics, more men were freed to expand the Aztecs’ control and power further, and this approach proved effective, allowing the civilization to remain dominant for many years.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Aztec civilization was one of the most influential cultures in Mesoamerica. Its formation and governmental structure enabled effective decision-making and collaboration among the rulers of the three major city-states. Furthermore, the Aztecs employed a strong approach to keeping their opponents under control by asserting the empire’s strength and influence. Lastly, the Aztecs were interested in art, which also suggests they were a well-developed civilization.
Bibliography
Berdan, Frances F. “Aztec Empire.” In The Encyclopedia of Empire, edited by John M. MacKenzie. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
Cartwright, Mark. “Aztec Civilization.” World History Encyclopedia.
Hassig, Ross. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.