These are some of the symbols that can be found in the Aztec Calendar:

• Deer: Deer meat was a valued food offering and the skins, paid in tribute, were used to produce screenfold codices (books with long double-sided pages like concertinas) and to wrap sacred offerings.
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• Eagle: The eagle was associated with the brave and esteemed eagle-warriors who wore the wings and headdress made from the feathers of the eagle. Likewise live eagles were paid in tax. The eagle is also intimately associated with the founding myth of Tenochtitlan as predicted by the supreme Aztec god Huitzilopochtli who said the Aztec would found their capital when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a stone.
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• Jaguar: The jaguar was revered for its pelt which was worn by the prestigious and valiant jaguar-warriors. Jaguar pelts were paid by tropical regions as a form of tax to the central Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
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Aztlan: which translates as the ‘place of the white heron’ represents the site of origin of the Aztecs. This island, from which they migrated, has never been discovered and is thought to be a mythical location.
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Codices: this is the collective term given to the books produced in Mexico before and after the conquest. Also called painted books these manuscripts contain diverse subjects such as history, genealogies, religious prophecies, and almanacs.
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Conquistadors: Spanish for conquerors is the collective name given to the group of individuals under the leadership of Hernán Cortés, most of whom were Spanish and traveled to Mexico via Cuba, who fought a military campaign against the Aztecs from 1519-1521.
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Huitzilopochtli: is thought to have been a real person who became the supreme Aztec god on his death. Huitzilopochtli, which means ‘hummingbird of the south, led the Aztecs on their journey from Aztlan to a place which he had seen in a vision.
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Mexico-Tenochtitlan: the name of the large capital city built on an island in Lake Texcoco where the Aztecs ruler lived and the Great Temple was located. It was the center of the Aztecs world to which all tribute was brought.
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Mictlantecuhtli: ‘Lord of Death’ Mictlantecuhtli ruled over Mictlan, the Underworld, which was divided into nine layers. Travel through Mictlan was highly dangerous and often accompanied by a dog, undertaken by those who had died a natural death.
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Mixtecs: the name of the inhabitants of the south of Mexico. The Mixtecs were highly skilled goldsmiths and scribes who the Aztecs employed to create much of their jewelry and write many of the painted books.
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Olmec: one of the earliest of the great Mexican civilizations the Olmecs flourished on the Gulf coast of Mexico, near where the conquistadors landed, from 1500-300 BC.
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Ometeotl: is the name of the god who presided over Omeyocan the highest level of the thirteen levels of the Upper World. Omeoteotl was a dual god which meant it had both male and female sides and was responsible for the creation of new souls.
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Tlaloc: was the Aztec god of rain. It is one of many gods that existed before the Aztecs and which they incorporated into their pantheon of gods.
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Templo Mayor: the ‘Great Temple’ of Tenochtitlan was the largest Aztec pyramid and represented the physical and spiritual center of their world. It was rebuilt and enlarged several times and had twin shrines at the top dedicated to Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli.
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Teotihuacan: a large town with numerous pyramids that was abandoned by AD 750 and adopted by the Aztecs as a sacred site. Although the Aztecs gave it its name, which means ‘Place of the Gods’, it is not known who lived there or what language they spoke.
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Toltecs: the Toltecs (AD 900-1200), who inhabited the region to the north of Tenochtitlan and are also associated with the Maya of the Yucatán, were famed for their skill as warriors and traders. Tula was their most northern city and was ransacked by the Aztecs.
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Tribute: refers to the tax system employed by the Aztecs to support their state. Levied against all the regions under their control, and detailed in codices, this helped pay for the nobility, military and priesthood as well as finance the building of Tenochtitlan.
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Tula: a Toltec city which is dominated by a large central pyramid on which stand colossal Atlantean columns of warriors wearing the butterfly pectoral typical of the Toltecs.

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Turquoise: Highly prized material by the Aztec used to decorate masks and highly prized jewelry. Along with jade perhaps the most valued of all materials, much more than gold.
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