The Seven Factors Of The Aztec Civilization

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Aztecs The ancient Aztecs were a civilization that was based in central Mexico. They were considered a civilization because they had all of the seven factors that make a civilization. One, the Aztecs had a centralized government; which was more of a tribute then a single system government, it was organized in city-states, and the government was ethnically diverse. Two, it had class structure; which had a class system, and each class contributed to something in the Aztecan civilization. Tree, the Aztecs also had merchants and trade; which was promoted by the Aztecan Empire and the traders supplied a number of different items. Four, the Aztecan people all had occupational specifications which were luxury artisans, merchants, and commoners.…show more content…
They used cacao beans as currency. Cacao beans were treated as a delicacy in the Aztec Empire as they used it to make chocolate. This currency was often used in local markets where they could buy tools, clothes, and jewelry. Caravans of merchants also used this type of currency as they would trade rarer items such as jewelry, rubber, cotton, and animal skins [5]. Since the Aztecs did not have wagons or any other types of vehicles, they had no way of transporting goods. So when they traveled south, they traveled by canoes or used slaves to carry their goods. If a traveling merchant knew they were going to travel through dangerous territory, they would be accompanied by an Aztec warrior. In return, the merchants would provide a service to the empire by spying on enemies of the empire while trading in their cities. This helped strengthen the relationship between merchants and the empire [6]. The tribute and trade systems incorporation with the empire had both positive and negative impacts on the civilization. On the positive side, the empire promoted commerce and trade throughout their land, and exotic goods from obsidian to bronze managed to reach the households of both commoners and nobles. On the negative side, the tribute imposed a huge burden on commoner households. Therefore, commoners had to increase their work to pay off their share of the tribute. If they did not pay off the tribute they would most likely become slave due to…show more content…
Believe it or not but the Aztecs had libraries just like we do today. The Aztecs were actively involved in finding medical cures for a verity of illnesses and injuries. The physicians of their time were familiar with remedies, they were able to restore people back to good health, they were able to set broken bones, and they were expected to be able to administer drugs and potions. A number a different herbs were used to treat illnesses and wounds, although different herbs were with associated with different cures. Sweat bath were very popular among the Aztecs as it was said to cure various illnesses. Sweat baths were also very important in the birthing process of Aztecan women. Sometimes, people believed that certain illnesses were related with the supernatural. If this occurred, a shaman would attempt a cure that included medicinal herbs but also included ritual procedure [8]. The Aztecs, just like us, were obsessed with keeping track of time. They would keep track of the night sky and counting the days until familiar stars

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