Aztecs or Mexica? What is the Proper Name for the Ancient Empire?

*A little setting-the-record-straight for your afternoon. Share this, spread the knowledge. VL


about_educationBy Nicoletta Maestri, Archeology.about.com

Despite its popular use, the term “Aztec” when used to refer to the Triple Alliance founders of Tenochtitlan and the empire that ruled over ancient Mexico from AD 1428 to 1521, is sadly incorrect.

History of the Use of “Aztecs”

None of the historical records of the participants in the Spanish Conquest refer to “Aztecs”: not the conquistadors Hernán Cortésor Bernal Díaz del Castillo; not even the famed chronicler of the Aztecs, the Franciscan friar Bernardino Sahagún. Instead, this word was first used by the 18th century Jesuit teacher of New Spain, Francisco Javier Clavijero Echegaray, who wrote an important work on the Aztecs called La Historia Antigua de México.

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The term reached popularity in the 19th century, when it was used by . . . READ MORE



[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia]

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