The Aztecs Essay -- Native Americans Spanish Conquest Papers

The Aztecs Throughout time women have had to fill a role, defined by her culture, in order to be considered desirable. Wherever or whenever she might have been from she struggled with the pressure to fill her niche in society. These pressures vary greatly from one culture to another, but some cultures are particularly demanding. Women in pre-Colombian Aztec society were held to a very strict code of behavior. From the day they were born to the day they died their domesticity was held up as being the most important aspect of their lives. This was probably necessary because of the warfare oriented nature of the men in their culture. This made having a woman at home to keep the civilian life going incredibly important. Without her there the home would be in shambles at his return. The National Standards for Geography that apply to â€Å"Aztec Women† are: 6. Knows and understands that culture and experiences influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences. The Aztec women had a very hearth-centered life and therefore a very distinct worldview. 10. Knows and understands the complexity of the Earth’s cultural mosaic. The Aztec were a people of many people’s They adopted many cultures into their own and the Spanish adopted some of the Aztec characteristics. 12. Knows and understands the processes, patterns, and functions of human development. Women are central to the lifestyle of the family. They control and keep the family together in the Aztec culture. The Aztecs built their great society long after another great society had already grown to a peak and fallen. The Olmecs, antiquity to the Aztecs, had a high level of society beginning around 1200 BC. They were the most highly advanced culture at the time in America. The... ...hile the Spaniards waited several miles away Tenochtitlan became a horrific death trap. The city of Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521. Aztec life continues on a small scale in the valley of Mexico even now. The people remember the past but it is not only history to the modern Aztec women. Theirs is a living history in which they see life as a continuing cycle of destruction and creation. They continue with their everyday lives speaking their native language of Nahuatl and holding on to the traditions of a long fallen empire. The loss is expressed in a Nahua poem written in 1523: Nothing remains but flowers and sad songs In Tlatelolco and Mexico Where once there were Warriors and wise men Works Cited: www.albany.edu/~mesmith/tlahuica.html http://www.corona.bell.k12.ca.us/student/adrian/2.html www.geocities.com/athens/5003/aztec.html