MB TD SG PD 1 Aztecs

1. Aztecs MB TD SG

2. Geography -The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico around AD1200. -There were large shallow lakes, tall mountains accessible resources and fertile soil. MB

3. Pre-Aztecs -Teotihuacán was built over 1,000 years before the Aztecs inhabited Mesoamerica -It was one of the first great cities built in the Americas. -It still remains a mystery who built it, and why it was abandoned. -The city was filled with amazing architectural feats, such as the Pyramid of the Sun. -This great pyramid is in the heart of the city, and is over 200 feet tall. -The city peaked in the 6th century, its population over 125,000 people -By 750, the city was abandoned. Pyramid of the Sun Toltec stone pillars -The Toltecs rose to power in around 950 -Their capital, Tula, was located in Northern Mexico. -The Toltecs were a war-like tribe, and expanded their territory throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and the Yucatán Peninsula -The Toltecs built pyramids, temples, and carved tall pillars out of stone in the shapes of warriors -Like the Aztecs, the Toltecs believed in Quetzalcoatl, "The Sovereign Plumed Serpent" and created a legend about him -To the Toltec, Quetzalcoatl was the creator of mankind and a warrior god who had been shunned from Tula -Their reign ended by the early 1200's. SG

4. Early Aztecs -The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico around A.D.1200, which is where some small Toltec city-states were. -The Aztecs were called the Mexica and were poor, nomadic people from the harsh deserts of northern Mexico. They were fierce and ambitious people who got jobs as soldiers for their local rulers.-In 1428 the Aztecs joined forces with Texcoco and Tlacopan to form the Triple Alliance, which became the leading power in the Valley of Mexico.-By the early 1500s they controlled a vast Mesoamerican empire, which stretched from central Mexico to the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and south into Oaxaca; it was made up of 38 provinces with a population up to 15 million.-The power of this society was based on military conquest and the tribute it gained from those they conquered. There was a loose control of the empire and the people demanded tribute in the form of maize, gold, cacao beans, cotton, jade, etc. If the Aztecs didn't receive tribute, then the ruler would respond brutally. TD

5. Religion -The culture of the Toltec people influenced the hundreds of temples throughout the Aztec empire, that were dedicated to their gods. From this we can see that the Aztecs were polytheistic. -The religion of these people shaped their lives and even designed ceremonies to communicate with gods to win their acceptance. To show respect to the gods the priests made offerings and sacrafices. The Aztecs performed dramas, songs, and dances with masked performers to show their dedication to the gods as well. -To know when these ceremonies took place, the Aztecs had a ceremonial calendar filled with their religious festivals; however, it depended on what god was being honored. -The Aztec sun god, Huitzilopochtli told the people of this society to find a city of their own and to look for a place where an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake in it’s mouth; it was found on a small island in Lake Texcoco, at the center of the valley and in 1325 founded their city, Tenochtitlan. -The most significant god was the sun god, Huitzilopochtli because he made the sun rise everyday; however, he needed human blood to do so. this goes to show that the most important ritual was for Huitzilopochtli, due to the fact that without these offerings the sun would fall from the sky and all life would decline. -Prisoners of war had their hearts carved out by using obsidian knives; appearantly, most of these people held captive were used for human sacrafice. The Priest held these war captives and because so many were needed for sacrafice, so the military had to carry out new conquest so that they can capture these prisoners of war. TD

6. Social Structure -3 main social classes: the nobility, the common people and the slaves -The emperor was at the top. He had absolute power and was treated like a god. -The noble class consisted of government officials, priests and military leaders. Nobles owned vast estates and held power. -The commoners included merchants, artisans, soldiers and farmers. Merchants traveled as spies for the emperor. -Slaves were captives and were treated well. However slavery was not hereditary. Slaves' children were free and slaves could also buy their own freedom. -The basic structure of society was family. Families were grouped together into calpulli. Each calpulli owned land and had a leader responsible for collecting taxes and providing basic needs. Each calpulli had a leader. All the calpulli leaders formed a council and these councils were important in the Aztec government. This council was similar the the Roman senate. MB

7. Daily Life Aztec daily life was very similar the the daily routines of modern day cultures... -In the earlier years, parents were responsible for the education of their young-fathers would teach their sons and mothers would teach their daughters. -Once their children reached the age of ten, they were sent to school. -Noble children were sent to schools specifically for them called calmeacs. -At calmeacs, children were taught about government, their history, and living prudently. -Peasant, or working-class children (Macehualtin) were sent to local schools where they were taught about occuptional skills, warfare, and good citizenship. -Exceptionally smart Macehualtin children were sent to calmeac schools on scholarship. The Aztecs played two different games, Tlachtli and patolli: -Tlachtli was a ball game played between teams with rubber ball. -The court was 60 meters long and 10 meters wide. It was shaped like a capital I. -The object of the game was to make a basket into hoops on opposite sides of the court without using their hands and knees. -The first basket won the game. -Patolli was a gambling game played with pebbles and dry beans. -The game board was shaped like an X and divided into square. -Each player has to bet jade pebbles and get their piece around the whole game board. Whoever gets their first gets is owed one game pebble by their opponents. -You lose when you run out of pebbles. Food and Drink: -Maize, a type of corn, was the main food source for the Aztecs. -They also ate tomatoes, avocados, atole (porridge), tortillas, and tamales. -They ate chocolate. It was reserved for warriors and noblemen. -Aztecs ate twice a day. Their main meal was eaten during the hottest point in the day. -They ate edible flowers, dogs, and birds. -Aztecs had an alcoholic drink called octli. -Octli was made out of the rotten sap of a maguey plant. It was reserved strictly for nobles. strictly for nobles. -Anyone who got drunk from it would be put to death. SG Fathers taking their sons to school

8. Trade -Aztec merchants were called pochtecas. They made Tenochtitlan a thriving trading center. -They lived in a separate area of the city. They lived by their own laws, and had their own temples for worshiping the merchant gods. -They wore very basic clothes and used their money for feasts to try to impress other pochtecas. -Pochtecas carried many valuable items with them and so they always left their cities at night. They had secret places to store their goods so that thieves would not steal from them. -Pochtecas were also spies for the ruler of Tenochtitlan, when they visited other cities for trade. Because they were also spies, pochtecas spoke many languages and blended in with other tribes. -Porters were sued to carry the merchants' products to and from cities. The idea of using carts or horses had not been discovered yet. MB

9. Technology Calendar -2 calendars: regular time and religious The regular time calendar indicated the best days for planting crops. It had 365 days with 18 months made up of 20 days. There was a 5 days period at the end of the year which were known as bad days where disasters might occur. -The religious calendar showed the Aztecs when to consult the gods. It had 260 days. -The calendars only fell at the same time once every 52 years. Medicine -Aztec doctors used herbal remedies to cure and prevent sicknesses. Examples: Fevers were treated with steam baths. Colds were treated by putting a drop of dew in each nostril Farming -The Aztecs didn't have farmland, so they came up with the chinampas method. -The chinampas were manmade islands built from mud from lakes. The lakes were also greats resources of water. -This method was very efficient and allowed the Aztecs to grow corn, tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, and squash. -They did not have any plows or wheel-driven vehicles. Instead the Aztecs used wooden digging sticks and hoes. Weapons -the maquahuitl: a sword, made of wood, 1 or 2 handed, could also be used as a club -the cuauhololli: a mace, made of wood, used for smashing and crushing -the atlatl: a spear, sharp and long, throwing device for longer distance combat. -the tlahuitolli: a bow -the sling: made of fibers from maguey plant, used to fling stones at the enemy, very powerful, could damage a soldier's armor MB

10. Urban City By the early 1500's, Tenochtitlan had become an extraordinary urban center. -Aztec engineers built three elevated roads called causeways over the waters and marshlands surrounding the city. It connected Tenochtitlan to cities around Lake Texcoco. -Palaces, temples, markets, and resedential neighborhoods were connected by streets and avenues. -Canals divided the city in four directions and allowed canoes to bring people and cargo to the center of the city. -Aqueducts brought fresh water from the mainland to Tenochtitlan. -The entire city was divided into five quadrants. -The city layout was organized along gridlines, a technique also used by the Inca. -In the center of the city, there was a huge walled complex filed with palaces, temples, and government buildings. Then and Now SG

11. Decline of the Aztecs -Despite the growth and expansion of the empire, the Aztecs had run into problems. In 1502 the newly crowned emperor, Montezuma II. Due to the growth in population, he had to increase tribute and human sacrifice which caused many to rebel. as hate expanded, the amount of government officials decreased. -The decline of the Aztecs was also a result of the arrival of the Spanish and it reminded the people of the legend of Quetzalcoatl. -In the Toltec society the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, demanded blood and human sacrifice from his followers. King Topiltzin tried to replace him with a god of peace; though eventually, the ruler and god merged creating a single god-king, and ruled in peace; however, it caused the warlike followers to rebel. The god Quetzalcoatal was banned but later remembered by the people due to the arrival of Hernando Cortez, who later conquered Mexico. -The next civilization was rising in the valley of the Andes, the people of this civilization made up the Inca civilization. TD

12. Bibliography " Aztec Pyramids." Aztec History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_pyramids>. "AZTEC CHINAMPAS AND AGRICULTURE." Moved. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://clio.missouristate.edu/chuchiak/new%20webpage%20images/HST%20397--Theme%2022--Aztec_chinampas.htm>. Arnold, Whitney. "Home / Aztec Sacrifice and Cannibalism." PLU - Pacific Lutheran University, academically rigorous liberal arts combined with professional programs, located in Tacoma, Washington, USA.. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.plu.edu/~arnoldwp/>. "Aztec History." Aztec History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.aztec-history.com/>. "ENGLISH LLEBEIG: Project: Inca Civilization." ENGLISH LLEBEIG. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://anglesllebeig.blogspot.com/2011/01/project-inca-civilization.html>. "MEXonline.com Hernan Cortes - Explorer of Mexico, conquerer of the Aztec empire." MEXICO TRAVEL GUIDE | Hotels | Rentals | Real Estate | Business | Activities | Culture | History | Holidays | Food | Maps | Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.mexonline.com/hernan-cortez.htm>. "Quetzalcóatl." Archaeological Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://archaeology.asu.edu/tm/pages2/mtm38B.htm>. "Sustainable Table » Blog Archive » Corn Challenge." Sustainabletable. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/2007/11/corn-challenge/>. "The Ancient Aztecs." The Ancient Aztecs. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <library.thinkquest.org/27981/>. "The Mexica / Aztecs." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington . N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/AZTECS.HTM>. "aztec." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/spirits/html/body_aztec.html>. <http://www.lostcities.us/lostcities_cities.htm>

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