7-A 5/3/12
Ms. Yao
How did the Aztecs Rise to Power? How did the Aztecs rise to power? To conquer is to acquire by force of arms. This is how the Aztecs took over more territory in its rise to power. They fought for land and constructed more land to create the magnificent city of
Tenochtitlan in the middle of Lake Texicoco. They used many techniques to get food, survive and strive. The Aztecs had a vast empire of allies and captured tribes. Their primary way of how they gained territory was to acquire allies. The Aztecs went to nearby tribes demanding that they join their empire, because they wanted more land and to gain more power. The tribe had sixty days to agree to join. If the tribe agreed, all they had to do was to pay tribute, respect the Aztec ruler, and worship the Aztecs main god,
Huitzilopochtli.
If the tribe said no, they were forced to go to war against the Aztecs. The war usually ended after one battle with an Aztec victory. The Aztecs would then bring the captured warriors to Tenochtitlan. Some captives became slaves, but most became sacrifices to the gods. Tenochtitlan started as a small island, but the Aztecs added timber, rocks, mud and reeds to form chinampas, or floating gardens. They used the chinampas to make the island bigger and connect with different islands. They also used the chinampas to farm for food. They prospered mainly from the tributes that they had received from the other tribes. I conclude that the Aztecs created their empire with strong warriors and great warfare techniques. They had great skill because they allowed other tribes to have time to decide, instead of just attacking the other tribe right away. The Aztec empire might have been strong, but they weren't a unified type of empire. Even though the tribes were conquered, they were still allowed to follow their old traditions. This ultimately led the Spanish conquistadores to conquer the Aztecs and the destruction of the Aztec empire.
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