Aztecs Essays - Altepetl, Aztec Society, , Term Papers

Aztecs The Aztec Empire was a Native American state that ruled much of what is now Mexico from about 1427 until 1521, when the empire was conquered by the Spaniards. The empire represented the highest point in the development of the rich Aztec civilization that had begun more than a century earlier. At the height of their power, the Aztec controlled a region stretching from the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico east to the Gulf of Mexico and south to Guatemala. The Aztec built great cities and developed a complex social, political, and religious structure. Their capital, Tenochitlan, was located on the site of present-day Mexico City. An elaborate city built on islands and marsh land, Tenochtitl?n was possibly the largest city in the world at the time of the Spanish conquest. It featured a huge temple complex, a royal palace, and numerous canals. After the Spanish conquest, the empire of the Aztec was destroyed, but their civilization remained an important influence on the development of Mexican culture. Many present-day Mexicans are descended from the Aztec, and more than 1 million Mexicans speak Nahuatl, the native Aztec language, as their primary language. In Mexico City, searches continue to uncover temple foundations, statues, jewelry, and other artifacts of the Aztec civilization. Aztec refers both to the people who founded the empire, who called themselves Mexica, or Tenochca, and, more generally, to all of the many other Nahuatl-speaking ethnic groups that lived in the Valley of Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. The name Aztec is derived from Aztlan, the mythical homeland of the Mexica; according to tradition, Aztl?n was located northwest of the Valley of Mexico, possibly in west Mexico. The name Mexico is derived from Mexica. Long before the rise of the Aztec, the Valley of Mexico was the center of a highly developed civilization. A fertile basin, the valley was located 7800 ft above sea level. In its center lay five interconnected lakes dotted with marshy islands. From about AD 100 to 650 the valley was dominated by the city of Teotihuacan, center of a powerful religious, economic, and political state. After the decline of Teotihuac?n, the Toltec people migrated into central Mexico from the north and established a conquest state there. The Toltec civilization reached its height in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the 13th century wandering bands of Nahuatl-speaking warriors, often called Chichimec, invaded the valley. They took over Toltec cities, such as Atzcapotzalco, and founded new ones, such as Texcoco de Mora. The Chichimec combined their own cultural traditions with those of the Toltec to form the early Aztec civilization, whose social structure, economy, and arts would reach their height under the rule of the later empire. The group that eventually founded the Aztec Empire, the Mexica, migrated to the Valley of Mexico in the middle of the 13th century. As late arrivals, the Mexica, a hunter-gatherer people, were forced by other groups in the valley to take refuge on two islands near the western shore of Lake Texcoco (one of the five lakes in the area). The Mexica believed in a certain legend, which held that they would establish a great civilization in a marshy area, where they would first see a cactus growing out of a rock with an eagle perched on the cactus. After the Mexica arrived at the swampy site on the shore of Lake Texcoco, their priests proclaimed that they had seen the promised omen. The site turned out to be a strategic location, with abundant food supplies and waterways for transportation. The Mexica began farming for a living, and in 1325 they founded the city of Tenochtitl?n on one of the lake islands. For the next 100 years they paid tribute to stronger neighboring groups, especially the Tepanec of the city-state of Azcapotzalco, whom they served as mercernaries. As the Mexica grew in number, they established superior military and civil organizations. Gradually, they revolted against the Tepanec and won control of some territory on the mainland. In about 1427 the Mexica of Tenochtitl?n formed a triple alliance with the city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan (now Tacuba). Under the Mexica ruler Itzcoatl, his successor Montezuma I, and the Texcocan ruler Netzahualcoyotl, the three states began a series of conquests. They eventually established an empire that extended from central Mexico to the Guatemalan border and included many different states and ethnic groups, who were forced to pay tribute to the alliance. Tenochtitl?n became the dominant power within the alliance. Aztec society was highly structured, based on agriculture, and guided by a religion that pervaded

Slavery vs. Jim Crow essays

Slavery vs. Jim Crow essays The Dred Scott case was one, which had a major impact on bringing the nation nearer to war (Mullane 132-133). Dred Scott was a slave owned by army surgeon Dr. John Emerson, and accompanied him when he left his Missouri home to spend several years in Illinois and the Louisiana Purchase Territory (now Minnesota). Illinois at the time was a free state under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, as was the Louisiana Purchase Territory, but according to the terms of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Missouri was a slave state. After they returned to Missouri, Dr. Emerson died, and Dred Scott sued Emersons wife for his freedom. The Circuit Court of St. Louis County sided with Scott, but the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the decision by a ruling which said that just because Scott had resided in a free state, that did not make him a free man. Emersons brother, John F. A. Sanford of New York bought Scott for the purpose of bringing a case in federal court which, according to the Constitution, had the power to decide cases between citizens of different states (Mullane 132-133). However, in 1856, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of the Supreme Court delayed the case for a year to avoid giving a ruling in a presidential election year. The outcome of the eventual trial showed a deep division surrounding the issue of slavery, but the prevailing opinion was that of Chief Justice Taney who argued that Scott did not gain his freedom just by traveling into free territory, and that he could not be considered a citizen of the state of Missouri or be protected under federal law. Taney contended that slavery could not be banned by the territories and so the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional. Six other justices agreed that Scott could not be a citizen, while two justices who were anti-slavery, John McLean of Ohio and Be njamin R. Curtis of Massachusetts, declared that Scott was free once he traveled into free territory. The ver...

Magnum Ice cream Launch in the US Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Magnum Ice cream Launch in the US Market - Essay Example According to the study the product has a unique appearance as it is golden in colour, which resembles liquid gold. The value proposition of the company is to provide the ultimate ice-cream experience for adults. The chief competitive advantage of the company is that it is the first ice-cream brand to target its products at adults. It is the biggest brand of Unilever ice-creams.   From this paper it is clear that Magnum Ice Cream is a part of the Unilever company. Over the past few years, the company has recorded rapid growth in its business. Recently, the company has been trying to emerge as the top player in the U.S. ice-cream industry.  The U.S. market produced about 1.53 billion gallons of ice-cream and related frozen desserts in 2011. The revenue from ice-cream sales was above 10 million in 2010 with take home market sales comprising 67.7 % of the total market value. The retail volume sales of ice-cream are expected to decline by 1% in 2013 because of the global economic rece ssion.  The U.S. has very low political risk for any business that wishes to enter into the country. As the company will mainly operate in the food industry, it may be subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration laws for fair business practices.  The economic situation of the country is at an all time low as U.S. is one of the most developed countries of the world. The country has witnessed one of the most severe recessions, which began in 2007 and continued till 2009.