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The Aztec empire is gone, but descendants of the Aztecs remain.
Some traditions from the once great civilization still exist today.
◀ Mexico City is the capital of modern-day Mexico. It was built on top of what was once Tenochtitlan. The National Palace was built on the foundation of Montezuma’s palace. In 1978, an electric worker digging in the streets found a large statue of an Aztec goddess. Shortly after, the base of the Great Temple was uncovered.
Veracruz is a state on the Gulf of Mexico. Today, people in the northern part of the state celebrate the Volador, a ceremony that dates back to Aztec times. Mexican men dressed like birds twist down to the ground on ropes from the top of a big pole. Each man circles the pole 13 times, the number of days in an Aztec week. Above is a drawing of the Volador long ago. ▶
◀ The island gardens of Xochimilco (so-chee-MEAL-co) are a reminder of Mexico’s Aztec past. The name comes from a word meaning “where the flowers grow” in Nahuatl (NAH-wahtl), the Aztec language. Seedbeds for these island gardens are built on reed mats that float in a lake. Tourists like this area, where they visit the gardens in colorful flat-bottomed boats. It’s a World Heritage site, which means it’s a place that should be preserved and protected.
▲ You can see another reminder of Mexico’s Aztec past all over the city. It’s Mexico's flag. In the center are the eagle and the cactus, the symbol of Tenochtitlan.
◀ Next time you sip hot chocolate or eat a candy bar, remember the Aztecs. Rich Aztecs drank xocatl. That’s a bitter-tasting beverage made from the cacao bean. Our word chocolate comes from that. Montezuma served it to Cortés at the Aztec court in 1519. Cortés took it back to Spain, where cooks added cinnamon and vanilla and served it hot, as we do today.
The largest collection of Aztec artifacts is in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. It includes everything from serving dishes to gold-plated statues. Pictured here is a snarling, crouching stone jaguar. ▼
▲ At dinner on Thanksgiving Day, thank the Aztecs, too. Like chocolate, the turkey was first brought to Europe by the Spanish around 1519. The Aztecs called this bird a uexotl. But when it came to Britain from Spain, the British renamed it turkey after another bird that originally came from the area around Turkey.
◀ Descendants of the Aztecs are called the Nahua (NAH-wah). There are about 1.5 million of them. Some still speak Nahuatl. Many Mexicans like to explore their nation’s Aztec past. They hold celebrations like the Sun dance ceremony, in which the people ask the jaguar god for rain.
▲ This piece of Aztec jewelry is called a pectoral. Made of turquoise and shell, it was worn across the chest on special occasions.
