He Hītori Katoa o te Ao Aztec
Ko te iwi Aztec tētahi o ngā iwi tino whai mana i Amerika i mua i te taenga mai o ngā Pākehā. I hanga e rātou tētahi emepaea nui i Mesoamerica (tata ki te wāhi e kiia nei ko Mexico i waenganui) me tōna pokapū mana i Tenochtitlan, he tāone whakahīhī i waiho hei tohu mō tō rātou kororia. Ehara i te mea he kōrero pakanga me te whānui noa iho te hītori o Aztec, engari he kōrero anō hoki mō tētahi pūnaha tōrangapū uaua, he ōhanga kua whakaritea pai, he whakatutukitanga hoahoanga, me ngā tikanga whakapono kaha. Ka arotakehia e tēnei tuhinga te hītori katoa o te iwi Aztec, mai i tōna tīmatanga ki tōna hekenga.
Ngā Takenga Mai me ngā Hekenga o te Iwi Mexica
Ko te kupu "Aztec" e whakamahia ana i te nuinga o te wā hei tohu i te rōpū e kiia nei ko te Mexica, arā, te iwi nāna i whakatū a Tenochtitlan i muri mai. E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, i ahu mai te iwi Mexica i tētahi wāhi pūrākau ko Aztlán te ingoa, e whakaponohia ana kei te raki o Mexico. I haere rātou i tētahi hekenga roa mō ētahi whakatipuranga, i raro i te pēhanga mai i ētahi atu rōpū, me te rapu kāinga e whakaponohia ana kua "whakatauria" e tō rātou atua tiaki, a Huitzilopochtli.
I a rātou e haere ana, i kitea pinepinetia te iwi Mexica he hunga whenua kore, he manene kore mana. I noho rātou hei hōia utu, hei kaimahi rānei mō ētahi atu tāone i te Raorao o Mehiko. Nā tēnei āhua i hanga tō rātou āhua: he hunga whai tikanga, he hunga hōia, ā, he tino whakawhirinaki ki te kotahitanga o te rōpū.
Te Whakatūnga o Tenochtitlan
E ai ki te pūrākau rongonui, i whakahaua e te atua a Huitzilopochtli te iwi Mexica kia whakatūria he tāone i reira ka kite rātou i tētahi tohu: he ekara e noho ana i runga i tētahi kākāriki e kai ana i tētahi nakahi. I kitea tēnei tohu i tētahi moutere i te roto o Texcoco, ā, i te tau 1325 CE (he whakatau tata), i whakatūria e rātou a Tenochtitlan. Kāore i pai te wāhi i te tīmatanga: he paru te oneone, ā, he ngāwari ki te waipuke. Engari i konei ka puta te pūkenga hangarau o te iwi Aztec.
I hanga e rātou he pareparenga, he awaawa, me ngā rori e hono ana i a rātou ki te tuawhenua. I whakawhanakehia hoki e rātou he pūnaha chinampas—he moutere hangai mō te ahuwhenua—nāna i tino whai hua ai te rohe huri noa i te roto. Kātahi ka tipu a Tenochtitlan hei tētahi o ngā tāone nui rawa atu o te ao i taua wā, me te taupori e kiia ana he rau mano.
Te Whanaketanga o te Mana me te Kotahitanga Toru
I te tīmatanga, i raro te iwi Mexica i te mana o ngā tāone nui pērā i a Azcapotzalco (e whakahaerehia ana e te iwi Tepanec). Heoi, i te tīmatanga o te rautau 15, i puta he panoni nui. Whai muri i ngā pakanga tōrangapū me ngā pakanga hōia, ka hono te iwi Mexica ki ētahi atu tāone e rua: a Texcoco me Tlacopan. I whakatūria tēnei hononga, e mōhiotia ana ko te Triple Alliance, i te tau 1428 pea.
Ko tēnei hononga te tūāpapa o te Emepaea Aztec. I roto i te mahi, ka noho a Tenochtitlan hei mana nui i roto i te hononga, nā te kaiārahi o ngā tlatoani (ngā kīngi) pērā i a Itzcoatl me ōna uri. I horapa atu rātou ki ngā rohe rerekē o Mesoamerica mā te raupatu me te whakatūnga o ngā whatunga takoha.
Pūnaha Tōrangapū me te Hapori
Ehara te Emepaea Aztec i te whenua kotahi o ēnei rā, engari he whatunga tāone i hiahiatia kia utu takoha. I puritia ngā rangatira ā-rohe e ngā rohe raupatu engari i hiahiatia kia tukuna ngā taonga pēnei i te kānga, te miro, te kakao, ngā huruhuru manu, ngā kōhatu utu nui, me ngā hōia. Nā tēnei pūnaha i whai rawa ai te emepaea, engari i whakaoho anō hoki i te riri i waenga i ngā rohe maha i pēhia.
I tino mārama te hanganga pāpori o ngā Aztec. Kei runga ko ngā rangatira (pipiltin), ā, muri iho ko te iwi noa (macehualtin), ā, muri iho ko te paparanga o ngā pononga (tlacotin), ahakoa kāore i te tuku iho ngā pononga i ngā wā katoa, pērā i te pononga o ēnei rā. I reira anō hoki tētahi akomanga kaihokohoko tino nui (pochteca). Ehara i te mea he kaihokohoko noa iho rātou, engari he kaikohi mōhiohio, ā, i ētahi wā he tutei, hei āwhina i ngā Aztec ki te mārama ki ngā āhuatanga tōrangapū i ētahi atu rohe.
Ōhanga Ahuwhenua me te Auahatanga
Ko tētahi take i angitu ai ngā Aztec ko tō rātou kaha ōhanga. He nui ā rātou mākete, ko Tlatelolco (te tāone tuahine o Tenochtitlan) te mea rongonui rawa atu. I roto i ēnei mākete, he maha ngā taonga i hokona—mai i te kai me te kākahu ki ngā taonga o te whare ki ngā taonga papai. I whakamahia whānuitia te hokohoko, engari ko ngā pīni kakao me ētahi papanga i whakamahia anō hoki hei huarahi whakawhitiwhiti.
He mahi auaha nui te mahi ahuwhenua Chinampa. Mā te waihanga whenua momona i runga i te mata o ngā roto, ka taea e ngā Aztec te hauhake i ētahi hua i ia tau. Nā tēnei i tautoko te taupori nui, ā, i whakakaha ake te haumarutanga kai. I mahi anō hoki ngā awa hei huarahi kawe waka, ā, i pai ake ai te tohatoha o ngā hua ahuwhenua.
Te Karakia, te Tikanga, me te Patunga Tapu
Ko te whakapono te mea nui ki te oranga o ngā Aztec. I mahi rātou i te karakia atua maha, me ngā atua nui pērā i a Huitzilopochtli (atua o te rā me te pakanga), Tlaloc (atua o te ua), me Quetzalcoatl (atua o te whakaaro nui me te hau). I whakapono ngā Aztec me taurite te ao, ā, i kitea te patunga tapu—tae atu ki te patunga tapu tangata—hei huarahi ki te "whāngai" i ngā atua, kia mau ai te nekehanga o te rā me te oranga tonutanga o te ao.
Ahakoa he maha ngā wā e whakaatuhia ana i roto i ngā kupu whakahirahira, i roto i te hītori o Aztec, he hononga tata te patunga tapu ki te ao tōrangapū me te pakanga. He maha ngā wā i patua ai ngā herehere o te pakanga, ā, he taha whakapono tō te pakanga. I reira anō te ariā o ngā pakanga putiputi, arā, te pakanga karakia mō te hopu i ngā herehere, ahakoa kei te tautohetia tonutia ngā taipitopito o te mahi e ngā kaituhi hītori.
Te Kororia i te Wā o Moctezuma me ngā Taupatupatu ā-roto
I te mutunga o te rautau 15 me te tīmatanga o te rautau 16, ka eke te mana o ngā Aztec ki tōna taumata teitei. I whakawhānui ake ngā rangatira pērā i a Ahuitzotl i ā rātou raupatu, i whakanui ake i te temepara matua (Templo Mayor), ā, i whakapakari ake i ngā huarahi takoha. I noho a Moctezuma II (1502–1520) hei peresideni i tētahi wā i tino whai rawa ai te emepaea engari i ngoikore hoki.
I puta mai tēnei ngoikore i ngā āhuatanga e rua: tuatahi, he maha ngā whenua raupatu kāore i tino pono, engari i ngohengohe nā te wehi. Tuarua, nā te pūnaha takoha taumaha i whakakaha ake ngā kare ā-roto o te mauahara. I te āhua kaha te emepaea mai i waho, engari i pupuri i ngā taupatupatu tōrangapū ka taea e ngā hoariri te whakamahi.
Te Taenga Mai o ngā Pāniora me te Hinganga o te Emepaea
I te tau 1519, ka tau a Hernán Cortés ki te takutai o Mehiko me tētahi ope iti. Heoi, ehara i te mea nā te hangarau patu anake i angitu ai ia, engari nā te rautaki tōrangapū me ngā hononga ā-rohe. I kite ngā hoariri nui o Aztec, pērā i a Tlaxcala, i tētahi whai wāhitanga ki te turaki i a Tenochtitlan. I whakamahia anō hoki e Cortés ngā kaiwhakamāori me ngā takawaenga ahurea pērā i a Malintzin (La Malinche), he tūranga nui tā rātou i roto i te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero me te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro.
Ko te tūtakitanga i waenganui i a Cortés rāua ko Moctezuma tētahi o ngā wā tino whakaharahara o te hītori. I whakaaetia e Moctezuma ngā Pāniora ki Tenochtitlan mō te wā poto, engari i kino haere te āhua tae noa ki te whakakeke. I te tau 1520, i puta a La Noche Triste, i te wā i akiakihia ai ngā hōia Pāniora kia hoki whakamuri i te tāone me te nui o ngā mate. Heoi, i hoki mai ngā Pāniora me te tautoko kaha ake o ngā iwi taketake, ngā patu whai hua ake, me te mea tino whakamate: te mate.
I horapa te rewharewha i waenga i te iwi o te rohe, nā te mea kāore i te kaha te ārai mate, ā, i tino heke te tokomaha, ā, i ngoikore te ope taua Aztec. Whai muri i te whakapaenga roa, ka hinga a Tenochtitlan i te tau 1521. Koinei te mutunga o te Emepaea Aztec me te tīmatanga o te raupatu a Pāniora i Mehiko.
Te Taonga Tuku Iho o te Ao Aztec
Ahakoa te hinganga o te emepaea, kei te ora tonu te taonga tuku iho o ngā Aztec. He maha ngā āhuatanga o tō rātou ahurea e ora tonu ana i roto i te reo, te kai, te toi, me ngā tikanga tuku iho a te iwi Mehiko. Kei te kōrerotia tonutia te reo Nahuatl e ētahi hapori i ēnei rā. Ko te tohu o te ekara i runga i te kākati, i ahu mai i te pūrākau whakatū o Tenochtitlan, he wāhanga o te tohu ā-motu o Mehiko.
Mō te hītori o te ao, e whakaatu ana ngā Aztec i te āhua o te puta mai o tētahi ao nui i te hekenga me te whakarērea, kātahi ka whakawhanake i tētahi pūnaha tōrangapū me te ōhanga matatau. He tauira anō hoki rātou mō te tere o te hinganga o tētahi emepaea nā ngā āhuatanga ā-roto—pērā i te kore whakaae i waenga i ngā whenua raupatu, ina koa ka tūtaki ki ngā pēhanga o waho pērā i te koroni me te mate.
He kōrero uaua te ao Aztec mō te wikitoria me te aituā. Mā te mārama ki tō rātou hītori whānui, ka taea e tātou te kite i ngā Aztec ehara i te mea he tohu patunga tapu, he tohu pakanga rānei, engari he hapori whai whakatutukitanga nui i roto i te ahuwhenua, te noho tāone, te hokohoko, me te ahurea. Ko tō rātou hītori he wāhanga nui o te mosaic o te ao tangata.
