The Aztecs were an ancient civilization that lived in Mexico over 500 years ago. Archaeological excavations have revealed many aspects of their culture and daily life. The Aztecs were both skilled warriors and craftsmen, known for building temples and pyramids and practicing human sacrifice. They developed advanced agricultural techniques like creating artificial islands called chinampas for farming. While the Aztecs dominated the region for many years, their empire fell after the arrival of Spanish colonizers who brought diseases that killed much of the population.

1. AZTEC
ARCHAEOLOGY
Philip
Ding
The
Aztecs
were
a
people
lived
more
than
500
years
ago
in
Mexico.
Archaeological
digs
had
revealed
a
lot
of
information
about
the
life
and
culture
of
the
Aztecs.
The
Aztecs
were
brutal
warriors.
They
believed
in
the
use
of
human
sacrifice
to
nourish
their
gods.
In
one
occasion,
when
they
built
the
Great
Pyramid
of
Tenochtitlan,
they
slaughtered
2000
prisoners.
An
Aztec
warrior
was
battling
all
the
time,
to
conquer
their
enemies,
and
to
capture
prisoners
for
sacrifice.
The
more
prisoners
he
captured
the
higher
his
rank
became.
The
Aztecs
were
also
craftsmen
as
well
as
warriors.
They
designed
tactical
melee
and
ranged
weapons
such
as
the
macuahuitl，a
club
with
shards
of
obsidian
stuck
in
it,
and
the
atlatl,
a
spear
thrower.
But
their
skills
were
not
limited
to
warfare
and
weapons.
Archaeologists
have
found
many
things
that
signified
the
Aztec
culture
and
technology,
from
great
step
pyramids
and
temples,
to
impressive
items
of
pottery
and
jewelry.
They
even
invented
a
type
of
drill
made
out
of
reed
and
bone.
The
Aztec
temples
were
very
different
from
other
civilizations'
by
one
thing
-­‐-­‐
Instead
of
demolishing
and
rebuilding,
their
rulers
built
on
top
of
the
old
temple,
with
each
one
trying
to
make
their
more
elaborate
than
the
ones
before.
One
of
the
magnificent
discoveries
in
Aztec
archaeology
is
the
ruins
of
Tenochtitlan,
which
was
their
capital
city.
It
is
located
under
the
present-­‐day
Mexico
City
and
is
a
very
spectacular
site.
A
drawing
of
Tenochtitlan
based
on
archaeological
excavation

2.
Archaeological
findings
also
showed
that
the
Aztecs
did
not
have
bricks
and
made
their
houses
out
of
wood
and
loam,
and
the
roof
out
of
reed.
Only
nobles
could
have
houses
of
two
stories;
a
commoner
would
be
sacrificed
for
violating
this
rule.
The
Aztecs
were
advanced
in
farming,
according
to
the
archaeologists.
One
interesting
form
of
Aztec
farming
involved
"chinampas",
which
were
man-­‐made
islands.
The
Aztecs
dug
up
mud
from
the
lake
and
piled
it
up
to
make
a
chinampa.
The
mud
was
held
in
place
by
walls
made
of
plant
matters
that
were
woven
together.
They
also
planted
trees
so
that
the
roots
could
hold
the
soil
in
place.
Crops
such
as
maize,
they
could
then
grow
crops
on
the
chinampas.
Seeds
were
first
planted
on
reed
rafts
to
allow
them
to
germinate.
Once
they
had,
they
were
re-­‐planted
in
the
chinampas.
This
shortened
the
growing
time.
The
chinampas
were
separated
by
narrow
canals
so
the
farmers
could
move
around
in
canoes.
Archaeologists
found
that
while
the
Aztecs
had
wheels,
they
only
used
them
as
toys,
while
using
dugout
canoes
to
get
around.
The
Aztecs
had
a
large
population
and
was
the
dominating
group
of
its
region
until
the
Spanish
explorers
discovered
Central
America
and
the
colonization
started.
The
Aztec
empire
fell,
and
then
a
large
portion
of
their
population
died
of
smallpox,
a
disease
brought
by
the
Spaniards.
Today
we
have
learned
a
lot
about
the
Aztec
people
and
their
culture,
but
there
are
still
much
more
to
learn.
One
can
visit
the
archaeological
sites
and
see
the
great
ruines,
and
the
unearthed
items
of
the
Aztec
crafts.
Excavation
of
the
ancient
Aztec
cities
continues.
We
hope
that
we
will
uncover
more
to
understand
better
who
the
Aztecs
were
and
why
did
what
they
did.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.aztec-­‐indians.com
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/meso_america/tenochtitlan.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec