Is the Florentine Codex a primary or secondary source?

The Florentine Codex is unquestionably a troubling primary source. Natives writing in Nahuatl under the supervision of the Spanish Fray Bernardino de Sahagún apparently produced the manuscript in the 1500s.

Did the Aztecs get smallpox?

The native people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, were especially vulnerable to smallpox because they’d never been exposed to the virus and thus possessed no natural immunity. “As the Indians did not know the remedy of the disease, they died in heaps, like bedbugs.

Is the broken spears a primary source?

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992. This book is an excellent resource of compiled indigenous resources. Though not listed as a primary source due to the fact that Portilla himself translated it, it should be considered one.

What technology did the Aztecs invent?

Axe blades, for example, were being made with either stone or copper. Aztec technology was so advanced that they even made drills, which were made of reed or bone. The Aztecs also made a variety of weapons. One weapon, the atlatl, made it easier to throw a spear.

How many Aztecs died from smallpox?

3 million Aztecs

What were the Aztecs known as?

The Aztecs were also known as the Tenochca (from which the name for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was derived) or the Mexica (the origin of the name of the city that would replace Tenochtitlan, as well as the name for the entire country).

What were the Aztec warriors called?

Eagle warriors or eagle knights (Classical Nahuatl: cuāuhtli [ˈkʷaːʍtɬi] (singular) or cuāuhmeh [ˈkʷaːʍmeʔ] (plural)) were a special class of infantry soldier in the Aztec army, one of the two leading military special forces orders in Aztec society, the other being the Jaguar warriors.

Is the Codex Mendoza a primary source?

Compiled in 1542, and richly illustrated, the Codex Mendoza is one of the key primary sources from Aztec times. The original Codex Mendoza resides in the library of Oxford University. (The ship carrying it from New Spain (Mexico) back to Spain in colonial times was attacked by French buccaneers.

Why did the Aztecs pray to Quetzalcoatl?

Among the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best-documented in the historical sources, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of the planet Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge.

What made Aztecs unique?

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. They were a civilization with a rich mythology and cultural heritage. Their capital was Tenochtitlan on the shore of Lake Texcoco – the site of modern-day Mexico City.

Are there any full blooded Aztecs left?

Yes, many full blooded Nahuatl people(the Aztecs were a particular Nahuatl tribe also known as the Mexica) still live today in Mexico.

Where did the Aztecs come from originally?

The legendary origin of the Aztec people has them migrating from a homeland called Aztlan to what would become modern-day Mexico. While it is not clear where Aztlan was, a number of scholars believe that the Mexica—as the Aztec referred to themselves—migrated south to central Mexico in the 13th century.

How did Bernal Diaz view the Aztecs?

From his almost lyrical descriptions of Tenochtitlán, it is clear that Bernal Díaz had high respect for Aztec political and social organization, for the skills and talents of Aztec workers and craftsmen, for the remarkable city that stood on pilings and built-up land in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

Why is Cortes letter a primary source?

Cortes’ letter is a primary source because he witnessed the events he wrote about first hand. The way he was able to give his reader, or readers, vivid descriptions of Temixtitlan from the outside in, gives us reassurance that his letter is indeed a primary source.