The Aztec society, the great pyramid of Tenochtitlan

An example of monumental archetecture within the Aztec society is the great profit of

Tenochtitlan. It was created by the revered speaker Montecuzoma I, who was the ruler of

the Aztecs in 1466. The gain was not finished until the rule of Montecuzoma II,

around 1508. (Carrasco, Moctezumas Mexico, Pg 49.)

The pyramid was known to the Aztecs as the icpac tlamanacali, or The Great Pyramid.

Its base was square, and 150 yards to a side. It rise toa height of 70 yards, and had

smooth sides. The staircase ascending the front was actually two staircases, one for people

freeing up and one for people going megabucks. The staircases were separated by an ornamental

gutter for blood to flow down. The pyramid was utilize as an sacrificial altar on which

people were sacrificed to the gods, known to the Aztecs as the Flowery Death.

(Jennings, Aztec, Pg 92.)

The temporal and spiritual heart of the Aztec empire was the island capital of

Tenochtitlan, and more specifically, its ceremonial precinct and the Great Pyramid.

Crisscrossed by canals paralleled by streets, it was described by the conquistadors as

another Venice. Like that country, the ready access to water transport make heavy

commerce a reality. It is said that 200,000 canoes could be found on the lake in the early

16th century.



(Coe, Atlas of Ancient America, pg 125.)

It is difficult to estimate the size of the metropolis when Cortes first arrived but it is estimated at

100,000 with the Aztec empire containing more then 10 million. (Coe, Atlas of Ancient

America, pg 128.)

Unlike European provinces, Aztec cities and towns had working drinking water and

waste interposition systems. An intricate plumbing system using clay pipes ran down from the

mountains around Mexico valley to all of the towns and cities in...

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