Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire
How were the Aztecs conquered?
Spanish conquistadores
How did the Spanish defeat the Aztecs so easily?
They found that the city's society had crumpled. The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán
What killed the Aztecs?
Scientists Uncover New Clues. The mysterious epidemic that devastated Aztecs may have been food poisoning . In 1545, an unknown disease struck the Aztec Empire
Why did the Aztecs fall?
Disease. When the Spanish arrived, they brought with them smallpox . ... Smallpox spread among the indigenous people and crippled their ability to resist the Spanish. The disease devastated the Aztec people, greatly reducing their population and killing an estimated half of Tenochtitlán's inhabitants.
What did the Aztecs fear would happen every 52 years?
What did the Aztecs fear would happen every 52 years? What could be done to avoid that? They would extinguish religious fires and destroy furniture and belongings and go into mourning.
Why did the Aztecs lose to the Spanish?
The overthrow of the Aztec Empire
Are there Aztecs alive today?
Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua . More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work. ... The Nahua are just one of nearly 60 indigenous peoples still living in Mexico.
What language did the Aztecs speak?
Nahuatl language, Spanish náhuatl, Nahuatl also spelled Nawatl, also called Aztec, American Indian language of the Uto-Aztecan family, spoken in central and western Mexico. Nahuatl, the most important of the Uto-Aztecan languages, was the language of the Aztec and Toltec civilizations of Mexico.
What did the Aztecs not eat?
The other constants of Aztec food were salt and chili peppers and the basic definition of Aztec fasting was to abstain from these two. ... They also domesticated turkeys, duck and dogs as food and at times ate meat from larger wild animals such as deer, but none of these were a major part of their diet.
What was the largest tribe of Aztecs called?
The Nahuas (/ˈnɑːwɑːz/) are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador.
What race are Aztecs?
When used to describe ethnic groups, the term “Aztec” refers to several Nahuatl-speaking peoples of central Mexico in the postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology, especially the Mexica
What did the Aztecs invent?
The Aztecs are credited with a number of inventions, but in reality, most of their “inventions” were already well-known in Central America. It's more accurate to say the Aztecs popularized inventions such as popcorn and chewing gum by introducing them to the Spanish conquerors.
What were Aztecs afraid of?
Without a doubt, the one thing all Mexica (Aztec) people were afraid of was the end of their world – what they called the Fifth Sun . They believed that our world has ‘come and gone' (been created and then destroyed) four times in the past and that we're now living (so were they) in the fifth and last Sun.
What were the 2 biggest fears in Aztec religion?
What were the 2 biggest fears in Aztec religion? Ancient Aztec religion was a complex interaction of gods, dates, directions and colours. It seems that most of the preoccupation in the religion had to do with fear of the nature , and a fear of the end of the world.
What did the Aztecs worship?
The Aztecs had many gods but worshipped Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war , above all others. ... Their duty was to feed the gods with human blood, thereby keeping the sun alive. They believed that the gods could be satisfied through the sacrifice of animals, objects, and, in particular, people.
