Aztec

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Member of an American Indian people who migrated south into the valley of Mexico in about 1168. They belonged to the Nahuatl, a Mesoamerican people who remain the largest ethnic group in Mexico today; their language was from the Uto-Aztecan family. The Aztec developed a highly structured civilization, known for its architecture and precious artefacts, and centred on a complex ritual calendar that included large-scale human sacrifice. From 1325 they built their capital Tenochtitlán on the site now occupied by Mexico City. Under Montezuma I (reigned 1437–64), they created an empire in central Mexico which lasted until the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1519. The Aztec subsequently became subjects of Spain, but their lineage continues and some Mexicans still use the Uto-Aztecan language.

The Aztec created fine gold, jade, and turquoise jewellery, sculpture, and textiles. Their form of writing combined hieroglyphs and pictographs, and they used an astronomical calendar that combined a sacred period of 260 days with the solar year of 365 days. Rites to pacify the gods were performed at the intersection of the two, called the ‘dangerous’ period, every 52 years, when temples were rebuilt.

Religion
The Aztec had many gods. Their main god was the war god Huitzilopochtli, but they also worshipped Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, a god inherited from earlier Mexican civilizations. Religious ritual included human sacrifice on a large scale, the priests tearing the hearts from the living victims or flaying people alive. War captives were obtained for this purpose, but the Aztec also sacrificed their own people.

Government
The most powerful person in the Aztec social structure was the emperor. Priests and nobles, who were next in rank, ran the Aztec state, with farmers, artisans, and merchants taxed to support it. Tribute was collected from conquered neighbouring states.

The red disc, set towards the hoist, recalls the fight for independence. Green represents Islam, fertility, and the country's youth. Effective date: 25 January 1972. >>