"Wage Garland Wars against your neighbors, rule a vast empire from a floating city, and defend it from the Spanish conquistadors with droves of experienced infantry. Harness the power of the gods through austere priests with a thirst for human sacrifice! Backed by a thriving economy, unstoppable hordes of Jaguar Warriors and Eagle Warriors will tear your enemies to shreds!"
Their unique unit is the Jaguar Warrior, the highest rank of warrior in the Aztec army, wielding a wooden club studded with obsidian sharp shards. The Jaguar Warrior is thus a heavy infantry unit which is strong against other infantry units. Their Castle Age unique technology, Atlatl, represents a tool employed by hunters and Warriors that was used for throwing spears or javelins. Their Imperial Age unique technology, Garland Wars, references the "flower wars" which the Aztecs organized among their allies in order to provide more sacrifices. The Aztecs were also known as a hard working and innovative civilization, and their Villagers carry more resources (and got the Loom technology free before The Forgotten). Being a highly military civilization, the Aztecs also have a general creation speed bonus across the board for all their military units. They were famous for their bloody and ardent faith, with their Relics generating extra gold and their Monks receiving extra HP per each Monastery technology researched, allowing their Monks to join other soldiers on the battlefield. The Aztecs did not have horses or gunpowder. Thus, they completely lack Stables (and with it the entire cavalry branch) and cannons. Also, they start random map games with an Eagle Scout (an Eagle Warrior in The Conquerors) as a scouting unit instead of a Scout Cavalry.
In-game, Aztec units are supposed to speak Classical Nahuatl, but the in-game voices are not even close to any dialect of Nahuatl. They are probably from some Mayan language, though the exact source language is unknown.
Lumberjack is pronounced like ajsi, which means lumberjack in some Mayan languages such as Yucatec (si means wood and aj- is a prefix which forms names of profession).
Fisherman (female) is pronounced somewhat like ajkix. The first part, aj-, is probably the same prefix as ajsi (lumberjack), and the second, kix, means fish in another Mayan language: Mam. Similarly, ajtsaq (builder) means bricklayer in several Mayan languages such as Kaqchikel.
So they are possibly from some Mayan language, such as Yucatec, Kaqchikel, Quiche, or Mam, but they do not exactly conform with any of these languages.
When playing a random map game against the computer, the player may encounter any of the following Aztec AI characters:
Acamapichtli (1356-1395): First ruler (tlatoani) of the city state Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1376-1395. Astute politician who favored diplomacy above war.
Ahuitzotol (?-1502): Eighth ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1486-1502. Greatly expanded Aztec territory and further developed Tenochtitlan.
Axayactl (1449-1481): Sixth ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1469-1481. Led some successful military campaigns, but was also responsible for the first major Aztec defeat at the hands of the Tarascans.
Chimalpopoca (1397-1427): Third ruler of the city state Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1417-1427. Presumably killed by Itzcoatl in a coup d'etat, while the Tepanecs were blamed.
Cuauhtemoc (1497-1525): Eleventh and last Aztec ruler (1520-1521). Taken prisoner after the Siege of Tenochtitlan, eventually tortured and hanged by Cortes. He is the narrator in the Montezuma campaign where he rises from a common Eagle Warrior to emperor.
Cuitlauac (1476-1520): Tenth ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled in 1520 for 80 days after which he died in a smallpox epidemic. Led the Aztec rebellion against the Spanish occupation of Tenochtitlan.
Huitzilihuitl (1379-1417): Second ruler of the city state Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1396-1417. While young and inexperienced, he sought alliances with neighboring city states and made war on Texcoco.
Itzcoatl (?-1440): Fourth ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1428-1440. Threw off the domination of the Tepanecs and forged the Triple Alliance, forming the basis of the Aztec empire.
Maxixca (?-1520): Chief of the Tlascalans and ally of Cortes, helped him recover and reassemble a host after La Noche Triste and the Battle of Otumba. Died of smallpox.
Montezuma: Montezuma II (1466-1520), ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1502-1520. The Aztec empire reached its greatest extent. Made prisoner during the Spanish conquest, and killed during the Aztec rebellion.
Tizoc (?-1486): Seventh ruler of Tenochtitlan, ruled from 1481-1486. Suggested to have died from illness or poison.
Political control of the populous and agriculturally rich central valley of Mexico fell into confusion after 1100. Gradually assuming ever-greater power were the Aztecs, probably a northern tribe that had migrated to the valley and occupied a minor town on the shore of the great central lake. They were a society that valued the skills of warriors above all others, and this emphasis gave them an advantage against rival tribes in the region. By the end of the 15th century, the Aztecs controlled all of central Mexico as a military empire that collected tribute from rivals.
The Aztec culture drew upon the experience of those that came before it and invented little that was new. They had an advanced agriculture that supported a very large population. They built immense buildings of grand design and flourished in many arts. They were adept metal workers, but had no iron. Lacking any suitable draft animal, they made no motive use of the wheel.
One of the distinctive features of the Aztec culture was its penchant for sacrifice. Aztec myths dictated that human blood be fed to the Sun to give it the strength to rise each day. Human sacrifices were conducted on a grand scale; several thousand in a single day were not uncommon. Victims were often decapitated or flayed, and hearts were cut from living victims. Sacrifices were conducted at the top of tall pyramids to be close to the sun and blood flowed down the steps. Although the Aztec economy was based primarily on corn (or maize), the people believed that crops depended on the regular provision of sacrificial blood.
The incessant demand for sacrificial victims meant that the Aztecs tolerated loose control over satellite cities because frequent revolts offered opportunities for capturing new victims. During times of peace, “garland wars” were arranged strictly as contests of courage and warrior skill, and for the purpose of capturing victims. They fought with wooden clubs to maim and stun, rather than kill. When fighting to kill, the clubs were studded with obsidian blades.
Despite their great agriculture and arts, the Aztecs appear in retrospect to have been a waning society. They passed on no significant technology or ideas of religion or political theory. Their civilization was brought to an abrupt end by the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century. Already devastated by European disease passed by early traders, they fell to a small Spanish army armed with steel weapons, firearms, and riding a few horses. The cruelty of the Aztecs contributed to their downfall by making it easy for the Spanish to enlist allies among the non-Aztecs in Mexico.[1]
The Aztec civilization's icon is modeled on an Aztec shield design depicted several times in the Codex Mendoza (1541).
Jaguar Warriors wear the same shield in The Conquerors, but not in the Definitive Edition. Instead, they use a design similar to the Eagle Warrior's but with the background in the player's color instead of the foreground. These two designs also appear in the Codex Mendoza.
The Jaguar Warrior's original shield design is worn by the Xolotl Warrior.
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The Age of Kings
The Conquerors
The Forgotten
The African Kingdoms
Rise of the Rajas
The Last Khans