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Ancient Civilization And The Aztec Civilization Essay

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One of the greatest ancient Mesoamerican civilizations lies right below modern day Mexico City. (Yellow,16) Legends have been told about the history of Mexico City, but not until recently was the great city of Tenochtitlan uncovered while construction workers were digging in Mexico City. There are very few physical remains of the ancient city today, but the history of this great civilization is still with us. This civilization was created by the Aztecs, who built their empire in 1325 AD. (Yellow,15). The capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan, flourished rapidly as their life revolved around their religion, which greatly helped them expand their empire. Religion played a key role in the ancient Aztec society and consisted of numerous gods, ceremonies, and temples. According to Aztec legend, the Aztec civilization came about when the god Huitzilopochtli told his people to find a new home for their civilization. The people traveled and eventually ended up at Lake Texcoco. This is where they see an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake, which was the gods sign that this will be their permanent home. So, the Aztecs settled on an island inside of Lake Texcoco, called Tenochtitlan. By listening to their god, they began one of the greatest civilizations in Mesoamerica, which would continue to flourish until 1521 AD (yellow 16) The Aztec people had a polytheistic religion. This means that the Aztecs worshiped hundreds of gods,, and they all had a certain role in the

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