Aztec Chococlate

Spanish conquerer, was their returning god.
One of the greatest gifts to the world from Mexico is chocolate. The cocoa bean was highly treasured in the Aztec Empire. In fact, the bean was used as a currency, as well as Aztec food. Or, in this case, drink.

The cocoa beans were used to make a thick chocolate drink, but far different than the hot chocolate we know today. Since they didn't use sugar, the Mexicans added peppers, corn meal and spices. A similar hot drink is still found in Mexico today with corn, known as atole.

Though Columbus brought cocoa to Europe in the early 1500s, it was mostly ignored. Hernan Cortes was more interested, and substituted sugar and vanilla for the spices. It became a commercial success.

The word chocolate even comes from an Aztec/Mayan word chocolatle.

Chocolate actually may have played a part in the fall of the Aztec empire. The Aztecs believed that the god Quetzalcoatl brought the cocoa beans from the tree of life to give to man. Later, the god was banished. It seems that at first the Mexicans believed that Hernan Cortes, the 

Variety Of Foods

Aztec food include beans and squash. Of course, maize and beans are still a cornerstone of the Mexican diet, a healthy combination especially if you're not eating a lot of meat.

To add to these three, the Mexicans (people of the Aztec Empire) ate chillies, tomatoes, limes, cashews, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and of course chocolate.  The Mexicans domesticated bees for honey, and turkeys for meat and eggs, also dogs and duck.  They hunted and fished as well, and used animals such as deer, rabbits, iguana, fish and shrimp for food.  Even insects, such as grasshoppers and worms were harvested.  These various types of meat made up only a very minor part of the Aztec food that was eaten.Large amounts of algae were collected from the surface of the Texcoco Lake water.  High in protein, this algae (known as tecuitlatl) was used to make bread and cheese type foods.  This algae is still used in Mexico as a fertilizer.

The Aztecs often cooked food bundled in the Maguey plant leaves.  This dish is called Mixiotes, and it's still eaten in Mexico today.  Different leaves are used because the Maguey population was suffering.

Maize

Maize (also called corn ormealies) was the staple grain of the Aztec empire. Maize has been domesticated for thousands of years, and it likely first came into common use in Mexico, spreading to the rest of the world from there. Mexico is still one of the world's top maize growing countries. Corn could be ground into flour and used to make tortillas (a sort of flat bread, sometimes used to wrap a filling to make tacos), tamales and even drinks. Corn has transformed the world perhaps more than any other food. Today it's used not only in food, including candy and of course feeding the cattle that is eaten, it's even used in things like sticky tape and making boxes.

Aztec Weapons

As warriors showed their courage and craftiness in battle and skill at capturing enemy soldiers for sacrifice, they gained in military rank. The Aztec emperors honored the higher ranks with weapons and distinctive garb that reflected their status in the military.

Aztecs warriors carried projectile weapons such as bow and arrows to attack the enemy from afar. They also carried weapons for the melee when armies came together. The lowest ranks of warriors carried a club and shield. Higher ranks were awarded finer weapons. Each rank in the army wore special clothing that denoted the honors they had won.

Projectile Weapons

Atlatl

The atlatl was a spear thrower, which produced greater force from a greater distance. Only the highest ranks were allowed these weapons as they were in the front lines of the battle. Each warrior carrying the atlatl also carried many tlacochtli, 5.9 foot long spears tipped with obsidian.

War Bow and Arrows

The tlahhuitolli was a five foot long war bow strung with animal sinew. Warriors carried their arrows, barbed with obsidian, flint or chert and fletched with turkey feathers in a micomitl or quiver. Quivers could hold about 20 arrows.

Aztec warriors and hunters carried slings made of maguey cactus fiber. The warriors collected rocks as they marched. They also made clay balls spiked with obsidian and full of obsidian flakes. Even well armored enemies could be wounded by these.

Blowguns

Blowguns and poisoned darts were more often used in hunting, but Aztec warriors trained in ambush would bring along their tlacalhuazcuahuitl and darts tipped with poisonous tree frog secretions.

Melee Weapons

Clubs

Aztec warriors carried different types of clubs. The macuahuitl club was edged with obsidian blades. While the obsidian shattered easily, it was razor sharp. A macuahuitl could easily decapitate a man. A macuauitzoctli was a long club made of hardwood with a knob on each side. A huitzauhqui was a baseball bat type club, although some of these were studded with obsidian or flint. A cuahuitl was a club shaped like a baton, made of oak. A cuauololli was basically a mace, a club topped with a rock or copper sphere.

Tepoztopilli were spears with obsidian points.

Itztopilli were axes shaped like a tomahawk with a head of either copper or stone. One edge was sharpened, the other blunt.

Tecaptl were daggers with handles seven to nine inches long. They had a double sided blade made of flint. Aztec warriors drew their tecaptl for hand-to-hand combat.

Armor

Aztec warriors carried round shield made of wood that was either plain or decorated with their military insignia called a chimalli. The higher rank warriors had special chimalli with a mosaic of feathers denoting their society or rank.

Basic Aztec armor was quilted cotton of two to three thicknesses. The cotton was soaked in salt brine then hung to dry. The salt crystallized in the material, which gave it the ability to resist obsidian blades and spears. An extra layer of armor, a tunic, was worn by noble Aztec warriors. Warrior societies also wore a helmet made of hardwood, carved to represent their society or different animals like birds or coyotes.

Tlahuiztli were special suits awarded to various ranks of the military. Each rank wore different colored and decorated tlahuiztli to make them easily distinguished on the battlefield. Each rank also wore pamitl or military emblems.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Aztec Daily Life And Culture!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            I came across hundreds and hundreds of Aztec gods. Each god had its own reason for existing to the Aztecs. Therefore, Aztecs sacrificed a human as an offering to that gods for a better chance of making it to the next realm (the afterlife). If not for that reason, the Aztecs wanted to please the gods because, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like when a spewing mountain erupts two feet away from me (volcano), or a wall of water propels my house into the depth of the ocean (hurricane), or the sun is lining up to crash into the Earth (eclipse). Nowadays we know better than to live next to a volcano…that’s erupting; and if there’s a flood, we know to do our best to get out of the situation fast. We know what is happening in the sky thanks to Google, Yahoo News and NASA.com. But the Aztecs of course did not have this knowledge, and yet the irony is we still do not have some of their knowledge. Although we know about space and weather and why things happen, the Aztecs believed things happened because they were thought out by a particular god. So if the corn was doing great that year, the earth god was pleased. If there was a drought and nothing was growing, the Aztecs thought they were being punished and had to give something back to the god in order for the god to be pleased again. And what better gift to give then a beating heart ripped from one’s chest? Hallmark has nothing on the Aztecs.While the Aztecs were at the market picking out fruits and vegetables, they could also buy slaves because they were sold there, right next to the corn. But who would purchased these slaves, and for what reason? The high priests and merchants. They would seek out the best-looking and most talented slaves. If you could sing and dance and were really smart, all the better. For you weren’t about to be put on a dating website to fill in your profile answers, but sadly you were the best man for the job of being sacrificed to please a god.
In the build-up to the sacrifice, there were many festivals. There were grand feasts for the noblemen and merchants. The slave of course entertained while the other Aztecs got a pat on the back for picking such a great slave to be given to the gods. Nine days before the slave was given up he was washed in holy spring water given to the Aztecs by one of their many gods, such as Huitzilopochtli, a war god who took many different forms and meanings with each altered spelling of his name. The slave then began religious preparations for his own sacrifice. On the big day, the slave was led four times around “the Great Temple” (the gods’ temple) and brought up the steep steps of the pyramid to the high priest. The priest, dressed as the god the slave was being sacrificed for, lay the slave across a sacred stone. The chest was then sliced open and the palpitating heart was torn from its cavity.               The Aztec daily life was quite simple. In fact, Aztec family life was very similar to many modern day cultures. For example, the husband was primarily responsible for supporting the family and the wife’s role was to provide the family with clothing and food. As such, the Aztec daily life for many of the men was to farm or engage in craftwork. The female Aztec life, on the other hand, mainly consisted of weaving and cooking.
Most Aztec households included the husband and wife and their unmarried children. In addition, many of the husband’s relatives lived with in the home. The Aztec daily life was filled with work. Every member of the household, including children, helped in the household. Many also created goods that could be used by the empire in trade for goods that were highly valued in the Aztec culture, such as Jaguar skins.