When the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes entered the city of Tenochtitlan-now called Mexico City-in 1519, the Aztecs received him with a feast of
chocolate, vanilla, tomatoes, chilies, corn, peanuts, maybe even turkey
-foods unknown to him or any other Europeans.
What animals did Aztecs eat?
The Aztec diet included a variety
of fish and wild game
: various fowl, pocket gophers, green iguanas, axolotls (a type of water salamander), a type of crayfish called acocil, and a great variety of insects, larvae and insect eggs.
Did Aztecs eat meat?
Meat was eaten sparsely
; the Aztec diet was primarily vegetarian with the exception of grasshoppers, maguey worms, ants and other larvae. Even now, some of these insects are considered delicacies in parts of Mexico. Huitlacoche fungus growing on corn. This delicacy is rapidly growing in popularity.
What did Hernan Cortes gain?
Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador, or conqueror, best remembered for conquering
the Aztec empire
in 1521 and claiming Mexico for Spain. He also helped colonize Cuba and became a governor of New Spain.
What food did the Spanish bring to the Aztecs?
In fact, it was the Spanish conquistadors who brought
dairy
into what was the Aztec Empire when they invaded in 1519, along with a host of other ingredients like olive oil, rice, onions, garlic, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and many other herbs and spices.
What did the poor Aztecs eat?
Unfortunately,the Aztecs who were poor mostly ate
corn flower cooked as porridge or baked into thin pancakes called tortillas
. Other things that poor Aztecs ate included slugs,tadpoles,flies and worms. The Aztecs enjoyed eating sweet potatoes,beans and avocadoes.
What disease killed the Aztec?
The disease became known as
Cocoliztli
by the native Aztecs, and had devastating effects on the area’s demography, particularly for the indigenous people. Based on the death toll, this outbreak is often referred to as the worst disease epidemic in the history of Mexico.
What vegetables did the Aztecs eat?
Among the most prominent fruits and vegetables were
chili peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions and avocados
. The Aztec people also grew several different types of squash, such as zucchini and pumpkins. The people ate the squash seeds as well, Smith notes.
Did the Aztecs drink alcohol?
Pulque
is an alcoholic drink which was first drunk by the Maya, Aztecs, Huastecs and other cultures in ancient Mesoamerica. … In the Aztec language Nahuatl it was known as octli and to the Maya it was chih. Only mildly alcoholic, the potency of pulque was often increased with the addition of certain roots and herbs.
Did Aztecs eat tacos?
Did Aztecs eat tacos? It’s believed that
the Aztecs invented tortillas
and that the great Aztec emperor Montezuma used them like spoons for eating meat, beans and chiles. Tortillas have been made since then, and therefore tacos are the natural food of the Mexican people.”
Why did Spain want to conquer the Aztecs?
Why might Cortes have wanted to conquer the Aztec? Cortes might have wanted to conquer the Aztec
because he wanted gold, silver, to convert them to Christianity, glory, and greed
. … The advantages that the Spanish had over the Aztec were 16 horses, guns, armor, formed alliances, and diseases, steel.
How were the Aztecs conquered?
Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating
smallpox outbreak
enabled the Spanish to conquer the city.
What was the original name of the Aztecs?
Early Aztec History
The Aztecs were also known as
the Tenochca
(from which the name for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was derived) or the Mexica (the origin of the name of the city that would replace Tenochtitlan, as well as the name for the entire country).
Did the Aztecs invent chocolate?
Chocolate invented 3,100 years ago by the Aztecs
– but they were trying to make beer. Scientists have discovered that chocolate was invented at least 3,100 years ago in Central America and not as the sweet treat people now crave, but as a celebratory beer-like beverage and status symbol.
What did the Aztecs eat for breakfast?
Breakfast would usually be a
maize porridge with chillies or honey, or tortillas, beans and sauce
. In the afternoon, the main meal would consist of tamales, beans, tortillas, and a casserole of squash and tomatoes.
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.
