Then there was 11-13

I went into chapter 13 interested to learn more about the Aztec Empire. I usually start the chapters by reading the headings and then I dive in. This way if I find myself getting bored (it has happened) I have something to look forward to. In this case it was the Aztecs ;)

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and see the pyramids. While I was there our group met up with a tour guide whom shared some information about the area and the people. He shared that his family is native of that area and we were able to meet some of the native people there while also participating in a spiritual ceremony. Having gone through this great experience last year, like I mentioned before, I was interested to read what this book shared about the Aztecs.


Our guide like the book shared that these people produced a lot of goods and then were traded and sold in markets places. The book shares that a Spanish conquistador was impressed by not just the amount of goods but also the variety he saw at the market place. The book goes on to share that he was so impressed by it that he wrote it down. Reading this brought me back to a little town we visited. The town seems small, the streets are narrow, not too many cars, people are mainly walk about town, and it was on the quiet side. At this point we had another tour guide and after taking us around town he finished the tour at the town's market place. Well, it was no longer quiet. The market place was buzzing with people, there was music, food cooking, people talking and each stall had a variety of goods to sell. I actually took a picture of various stalls because their goods were so colorful and their produce looked so fresh. One stall had herbs, another clothing, another tiles, another meats & fish and another yarn and ... the list goes on. We didn't make it through the whole market, it was too big but it was great experience. Reading about the goods they produced and how they had big markets brought me back to my own experience.

Moving along with the reading, I was surprised to read that the Aztecs had slaves and that the people they conquered weren't killed immediately. I some how thought that once they conquered an area and its people that they would kill them since they had such a big population themselves, but according to the reading, these people were instead used. They were used to make goods, certain areas had to produce a certain good and a certain amount. The reading goes to share that these conquered people were also used as sacrifice to their gods. Wow, would hate to of been them. Can you imagine, not only do they make you work hard by making goods for them but at some point, you might be the one chosen to die for their gods.

This was an interesting read. My experience with a tour guide at the pyramids gave it more of a romanticised feel to history of the Aztecs, although he did mention the human sacrifices. The book on the other had gave it more of a gruesome feel to it in regards to sacrifices and the way conquered people were treated.