Although Omar and Alvaro started their trip here in Mexico, which is where the Aztec civilisation was centred, the areas we visited were not occupied by the Aztec. But Omar and Alvaro didn’t let that stop them finding out a little about the Aztecs.

Mankind Gets to America

The human race started out in Africa. People over several thousand years migrated (which means moved) into Asia and Europe, because these were connected by land to Africa, and so people were able to walk across with their animals. There were no humans in the Americas, because there was no way for man to walk across to there. In the last ice age, about 30,000 years ago, the water levels dropped and the land between Asia and North America became visible. This land is known as the Bering Land Bridge. Groups of people then walked across from Siberia in the East of Asia to Alaska in the West of America. They then spread down through the Americas, with civilisations settling in the Middle Americas around Mexico.

The Maya

The longest lasting civilisation in the whole of the Americas is the Maya. They started out about 3,500 years ago, and are still in Mexico and Guatamala today. They were partially defeated by the Aztecs, but because they were spread over such a wide area, they weren’t completely beaten by them. These ruins at Chichen Itza were not reached by the Aztecs, for example. Today, the Mayan language is still taught at schools, and it is an official language of Mexico.

The Aztecs Didn’t Get This Far

The Aztecs did not conquer the whole of Mexico. The Mayan town of Chichen Itza was never part of the Aztec empire. Some people say that this is because the Mayans were spread over such a large area, and also that some of their towns were in areas that were hard to reach, such as jungles.

Clever Steps

The Mayans were clever builders. They built this pyramid with four sides, each side having 91 steps. At the top, there was one more step. What does 4 x 91 + 1 make, and what is the significance of that number?

The pyramids in the Americas were mainly step pyramids, not like the ones in Egypt. This was the same for the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Incas and many other American civilisations. This is because here, the purpose of the pyramids was for holy men to climb up to the top to be closer to their Gods. In Egypt, pyramids were mainly for burial, and there was no need to climb them.

Maya to Aztec

The Aztecs started in a village called Aztlan in Mexico, and spread from there. They used to call themselves the Mexica, which is where the name of Mexico originates.

The Thirst for Human Blood

The Aztecs sacrificed people by the thousands. It is estimated that by the time the Spaniards came, they sacrificed over 50,000 people every year.

Their main God was the God of war and the sun. This was a dangerous combination. It meant that every morning he had to fight away the monsters of the night, which were the moon and the stars. But to do this, he needed a cintunal supply of food and energy, and his favourite delicacies were human blood and hearts. To keep a supply of humans available to sacrifice, the Aztecs had to keep on conquering more and more tribes.

(commentary by Alvaro & Omar’s dad, videos by Omar and Alvaro with guest appearance from Aida)