10 Fascinating Discoveries Made by the Aztecs
We tend to think of inventors as smart people in white lab coats, mixing together little bottles of colorful liquid, and in a puff of smoke something is invented. Or the engineers who work with wrenches in hand while their husbands sit idly by as they languish in their worthy quest to improve the combustion engine. But usually that is not the case.
In fact, most inventions come about when real problems arise that need to be solved. Modern problems require modern solutions, and that adage was as true in the early days of civilization as it is today. The ancient population also had problems, and you will be surprised to know that they had very creative and inventive ways to solve them.
Here are 10 fascinating discoveries made by the Aztecs.
Related: Ten bizarre discoveries about ancient civilizations and our ancestors
10 Chinampas
As the population grew, the demand for more advanced agricultural practices arose. Basically, Chinampas is an agricultural system that uses artificial floating islands built in natural water sources such as rivers and streams. They provide high productivity without the need for complex artificial irrigation methods.
Chinampas were developed by the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico in the 14th century. The combination of nutrient-rich materials used to build them and easy access to water meant they could support a variety of crops, such as corn, beans, squash, tomatoes and chili peppers.
Today, the chinampas remain an important food source, generating 40,000 tons of output per year in one of the most populous cities in the world.[1]
9 Gum
Although technically invented by the Mayans, it was the Aztecs who got the more practical applications we know and love today.
In a process of extracting resin from the sapodilla tree, a substance called chicle is produced. By cutting up the bark in a very specific way, they were able to collect the resin. The Mayans dried it and used it to quench thirst and satisfy hunger. It was the Aztecs who realized they could use it to freshen their breath.
The Aztecs had strict rules about its use, but only allowed children and single women to chew it in public. Married women and widows were only allowed to chew it in private to freshen their breath, while men had to chew it in secret to brush their teeth.[2]
8 Aqueducts
At a time when a massive rat plague and a plague known as the Black Death, due to poor hygiene, brought some countries in Europe to their knees, the Aztecs already had a solution.
The Aztecs realized the need for a constant supply of fresh water in the 13th century and lived a surprisingly hygienic life. Known as the Great Aqueduct (Chapultepec Aqueduct), they built an uninterrupted water supply to provide an endless supply of fresh water to Tenochtitlan, their capital, which also allowed waste to be washed down the stream.
Since parts of the structure can still be found in Mexico City to this day, the design was impeccable, with the length of the aqueduct being followed by a wooden walkway that allowed for easy cleaning and maintenance.[3]
7 Ball game
The Aztec ball game was a revision of the ancient Mesoamerican game and may have its origins in the ancient Olmec civilization. It became an essential part of the Aztec empire, not only as a form of entertainment, but also for political and religious reasons.
The Aztec ball game was played on a tlachtli ball court and was often the first built when the Aztecs settled in a new area. It was considered a very difficult game played with a large rubber ball with the aim of getting the ball through a stone hoop, with the ball never allowed to touch the ground.
A modern version of the sport, known as ulama, is still played to this day.[4]
6 Rubber
Speaking of ball games, the ancient Aztecs (and Mayans) are credited with numerous rubber inventions, including the rubber ball used to play the ball game. Discovering that mixing latex from rubber trees with juices squeezed from Morning Glory vines in different proportions would produce different results.
Changes in resilience increased with more juice, while life and wear were maximized when less juice was used in the mixture. Today, scientists have discovered that by mixing the right amounts they could produce a material that had good bounce but was also durable and could also be used for sandals.
Although only about 100 balls were discovered at various locations, it is clear that they had recorded the process well and accurately.[5]
5 Red paint
When the Spanish conquistadors met the Aztec leader Montezuma, they were blown away by the vibrant red color of his robes. Due to the rarity of a good source of red dye, the Spanish associated the color red with power and royalty.
By harvesting, drying, and powdering cochineal bugs, the Aztecs were able to create a red dye that gave textiles and paints a vibrant red color, unlike anything else the world knew at the time.
The Spanish essentially created a monopoly on drying cochineal by the ton, with the dye’s popularity quickly spreading through the Roman Empire, who decided to dye their army’s uniforms red, and then to the British, who became their royal family decorated with them in an attempt to demonstrate their strength and courage.
The traditional practice still exists in parts of Peru and the Canary Islands, where the cochineal bug is still harvested.[6]
4 Chocolate
The next time you’re feeling down, watching a rerun of your favorite show and munching on your favorite chocolate, think of the Aztecs.
Although technically invented by earlier civilizations of Mesoamerican peoples, it was the Aztecs who perfected it and brought it to the world. Believed to have been gifted by the gods themselves, they enjoyed their cocoa both hot and cold, even using cocoa beans as currency to purchase other goods. That was its value.
There are many stories about how cocoa got all the way to Europe. Still, a popular version is that a conquistador named Hernan Cortes was introduced to the delicacy by the Aztecs. When he returned to Spain with the magical cocoa beans, he initially kept the secret to himself, which, as we now know, was not a secret he took to his grave.[7]
3 Antispasmodic drug
Although the Aztecs had quite an assortment of medicines, from treatments for infections to aloe vera for certain skin conditions, they are known for developing an antispasmodic.
Derived from the passionflower (which is also believed to have properties that may help with epilepsy, insomnia and high blood pressure) and the Lippia dulcisor Aztec sweet herb, the Aztecs treated patients before surgery to relax their muscles and prevent muscle spasms while undergoing a procedure.
More recently, there have been numerous case studies demonstrating some of the efficacy of the various herbs used by the Aztecs in their herbal treatments and which may well have some use in the modern world as an effective treatment for certain ailments.[8]
2 Saunas
We consider ice baths and saunas as modern recovery methods. Yet it was the Mesoamericans, and in particular the Aztecs, who perfected the former.
Built with stone and cement (sometimes volcanic rock) in the shape of an igloo, temazcal was plentiful in most homes of more affluent people who had the space to build their saunas on the side of their homes. Swimmers carried superheated stones from outdoor fires into the center of the temazcal and dosed them with cold water, collecting thick clouds of steam in the small chamber.
More state-of-the-art temazcals had a built-in fire chamber, which allowed heat to flow from the chamber through the walls of the hut, relaxing the muscles in steamy glory.[9]
1 popcorn
Named for the sound it makes when the corn pops, totopoca or popcorn, has been around for centuries and is not only used to chill out on Friday evenings at the cinema or on Netflix.
Popcorn was first found along the coast of Peru and dates back to 4700 BC. It was as much a part of Aztec culture as ritual sacrifices or colorful clothing. Popcorn was used in elaborate ceremonies and even in a dance called the “popcorn dance,” where young women shook their popcorn streamers to the beat. Popcorn was a staple.
Just as it was for many people in modern times, popcorn was an essential food for the Aztecs, with the grains being cooked over an open fire or heated in hot sand.[10]