Aztecs Build Tenochtitlan

 By Alyssa

From the year 1428 to 1519 C.E., the Aztec Empire flourished with many creative and innovative inventions.  They were most proud of their wonderful capital city, Tenochtitlan.  The Aztecs worked very hard to build this city, but there were a few people in particular that were especially influential.  A couple of these important people were Aztec priests.  Legend has it that a god promised the Aztects that an eagle with a snake in it's beak would perch on a cactus for the Aztecs to see.  When the Aztecs saw this eagle, they were to build their city at that location.  In 1325, the Aztec priests were the first to spot the eagle that they had been looking for on an island in lake Texcoco.  There the Aztecs set out to build their great capital city: Tenochtitlan.

  The Aztec priests see the eagle perched on a cactus.

Another person that greatly influenced the success of the Aztec Empire was one of their leaders, Itzcoatl.  For one hundred years after they started building their city, the Aztecs took jobs as mercenaries for the powerful Tepanecs.  Through that alliance, the Aztecs gained money, land, and knowledge of people to trade with.  Itzcoatl lead the Aztecs in rebellion against the Tepanecs because they didn't like the strict rules that they had to live by.  Itzcoatl formed what was called the Triple Alliance with two other city-states and defeated the Tepanecs in 1428.  That was only the beginning of many more battles won by the Triple Alliance that set the Aztec Empire on a strong track.

The Aztecs had many unique and interesting ideas and incorporated them into building Tenochtitlan, which is one of the reasons why this city was so magnificent.  Many of their inventions are used very frequently today.  For example, the Aztecs built three causeways, roads that are raised and built across water, connecting the mainland to the island.  They were made of wood and could be raised in order to let boats pass underneath them.  The Aztecs also used it to keep people that were trying to attack them from reaching the island.  We have very similarly designed bridges today and they are extremely convenient.  The Aztecs also built a dike that was ten miles long to prevent flooding.  We use the same configurations today and they have saved many lives.  Those are only two of the many creative and useful inventions that the amazing Aztecs thought of and built.

Notice the dike and the causeways in the background.

Work Cited

Author unknown. The Art Archive. www.picture-desk.com/.../1_AA334148.jpg. 8/30/07. 

Fiddler, Henry. Untitled. www.htfiddler.net/tsb/tsbimg/tenochtitlan1a.jpg. 8/30/07.

Frey, Wendy. History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond. Palo Alto, CA, Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2005.