Aztec Environments

The Beginning of the Aztec Empire
The ancient Aztecs were a people constantly on the move, making their way through Mesoamerica. They believed that when they spotted an eagle perching on a cactus while holding a snake, their gods had told them that they have found a good home. The people saw this near the lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico, and began settling in what is modern day south-central Mexico. It was not as much of an empire as it was a group of city-states forming an alliance. Tlaxcala, a city east of the capital Tenochtitlan, was not really conquered.

The Surrounding Environment
From the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, the Aztec Empire had swampy areas and fertile soil to grow tobacco, sweet potatoes, beans, onions, maize, cocoa, vanilla, jicama, red and green tomatoes, squash, bananas, huautli, chili, and pumpkins. Wild turkeys, deer, crabs, shrimp, snakes, fish, oysters, and rabbits can be hunted or caught. At 7,000 feet above sea level, the Valley of Mexico provides cooler summers. The mountains had water flow into the many lakes in the area, making the valley a closed hydro-graphic unit. The portion of the year from May to October was the rainiest part of the year.

Tenochtitlan, the main capital built on Lake Texcoco islands and at the same location as modern day Mexico City, is at an altitude equal to the Yucatan Peninsula. Most of the eastern cities were once conquered and had to begin paying tributes to the Aztec Empire. Surrounding tribes did not feel comfortable living near the Aztecs due to their sacrificial ceremonies. A graveyard for sacrificial victims was found in modern-day Morelos. Several temples would have to be repaired because they would sink into the swampy ground they were built on. Most structures were made from stones, rubble, plaster, obsidian, and wood including their infamous pyramids with double staircases on each side. Some of these structures include:
 * Templo Mayor: The main religious building in Tenochtitlan, the Templo Mayor was built in the city's sacred area. Built for worshipping Tlolac and Huitzilopochtli.
 * Great Pyramid of Cholula: Once a sacred city, Cholula was declared by Hernan Cortes as the most beautiful Non-Spanish city. The largest monument ever built, the Great Pyramid of Cholula has 5 miles of tunnels dug from the 1930's to today. One of the altars has seashells under it as Quetzalcoatl's offerings.
 * Pyramids of the Sun and Moon: These two pyramids were built to worship the sun and the moon: Tlaloc and Chalchihuitlicue. Tlaloc was the god of rain and fertility, and Chalchihuitlicue was the goddess of streams and lakes. With the Pyramid of the Sun being the third-largest pyramid built, these pyramids are rumored to be plastered and covered with bright red paint.