Aztecs' Capital, Tenochtitla
This is an excerpt from the paper...
In order to make the Aztecs' capital, Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) a useful center for Spanish operations, it is necessary to make many important changes and additions. As the person charged with planning a new capital, I firmly believe that, despite numerous drawbacks, it is better to proceed with rebuilding and expanding Tenochtitlan, rather than attempting to build an entirely new city elsewhere. In many respects, basic attributes of the existing city will be of use to us. The location of the city is very good, especially in terms of the economic situation of the valley and the need for an efficient center for administration of the region. Though much of the city was ruined, and the population severely reduced, during the war in which the Aztecs resisted our conquest of their nation, there is no reason why rebuilding, employing their labor, cannot be fast and effective. In a review of Tenochtitlan's potential as a capital for us, I shall discuss the pros and cons of the city in terms of location, defense, resources, the native population, the existing agricultural infrastructure, and additions that we can make to the city and its operation. Despite appearances, the city will prove to be as practical for us as, historically, it has been for the Aztec rulers. The Aztecs chose the site near Lake Texcoco, in the central Mexico valley for very good reasons. Their legends say that, as the tribe wandered in search of a place to build, they came upon an island-like rock on
. . .
he empire of the Aztecs. In the outlying areas, the peasant population , unable to rely entirely on rainfall agriculture, developed an elaborate system of terracing and irrigation that reclaimed the maximum available land. This system enabled them to produce large maize and bean crops for their own support. They also produced a large cotton crop, and cloth constituted their basic item of trade (Smith 80). In addition to textiles, however, the rural population also produced a number of goods (paper, for example) that could be traded. These items were traded for materials (such as obsidian) and goods (such as ceramics) across an elaborate trade system that had Tenochtitlan as its center (Smith 81).
As we have discovered, the idea that the city's island location provided a natural defense against attack only held up so long as the place was being attacked by other native groups. Against our superior military abilities, a relatively small force managed to reduce "the supposedly impregnable island-fortress [to] a charnelhouse for its occupants" (Kandell 125). The subjugation of the Aztecs, while it seems nearly total at this point, could be reversed if they were allowed to regain their strength, and return to their old ways.
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Spain Kandell, Bernal Diaz, Lake Texcoco, Mexico City, Texcoco Kandell, CortTs Crown, Father Sahagun, Acolman River, lake texcoco, Latin America, American Sept, native population, fresh water, kandell 125, quoted katz, bernal diaz del, bernal diaz, aztecs resisted, katz 137, religion course, diaz del castillo, diaz del,
Approximate Word count = 2079
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
