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The Amazing Aztecs
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- 2. • Write somethingyou already know about the Aztec Empire! • Write something you would like to find out about the Aztec Empire.
- 4. • The Aztecswere rich and powerful people from the valley of Mexico. They were farmers, warriors, traders, engineers, artists and sculptures. 3 million people
- 5. Settling Down • Theyarrived in Mexico about 700 years ago, looking for a new home. • After a long journey, they arrived at Lake Texoco in a large Mexican valley. • A god had sent them a sign telling them where to live. • An eagle with a snake in its mouth perched on a cactus.
- 6. • It wasvery hard to build on the lake because the Aztecs only had a small piece of land in the surrounding marshes. • The Aztecs made the swampy, shallow lake into chinampas. They made islands by piling up mud and reeds in the water. They used them as their city foundations.
- 7. • Built canals,gardens, aqueducts, temples and a very grand palace. • They named their new home Tenochtitlán. • Largest and most beautiful city in the world.
- 8. Then they builtbridges to connect the city to the mainland. The palace was so big, there was even a zoo inside.
- 9. What do youthink these buildings were used for?
- 11. What to Wear? •What do you think they wore? (Discuss in Pairs) • Only rich nobles were allowed to wear bright, patterned clothes. • The best warriors were allowed to wear clothes with lots of feathers and decoration. • Ordinary Aztecs wore plain clothes that were made out of rough material.
- 12. What do younotice?? • Men and women painted their bodies. • They dyed their hair black with mud or a deep blue colour. • For women, the fashionable colour to paint themselves was yellow made from crushed insects!
- 13. Aztecs and Food •What do you think they ate? (Pairs) • Maize, beans, tomatoes, chilli peppers and other vegetables. • People also ate dogs, monkeys, frogs, tadpoles, lizards, ants, caterpillars and insects. • Many kinds of animals and birds were sold live at Aztec markets. • They used cocoa beans, feathers and tools as money.
- 14. • The Aztecseven had a god of chocolate! • They used cocoa beans to make a rich chocolate drink. • They added chillies to make it spicy.
- 15. Religion • Religion wasvery important part of Aztec life. • The Aztec religion was based on worship of gods who represented the Earth, Rain and Sun. • They held lots of festivals to worship them.
- 16. • Can youguess the names of these Gods and what they did? • The god of sun and war was Hummingbird on the Left. • Hummingbird on the Left’s mother was an earth goddess called Snake Skirt. • The Aztecs believed that the god of water brought rain, thunder and lightning. • Smoking Mirror was god of the night sky. He decided if people would be lucky.
- 17. Human Sacrifice • TheAztecs believed that their gods had to be fed with human hearts and blood. • People thought this was a good way to die as it helped the gods. • More than 10,000 people were once sacrificed in just four days.
- 18. Other Aztec Customs • The Aztecsbound their babies’ heads so they grew into a flatter shape. • Cross-eyes were thought to be attractive. Parents used string down the middle of the face to encourage them. • They tried to make children taller by pulling on their necks.
- 19. Would you liketo visit the Aztec Doctor? • To mend a broken leg, they put a paste of cactus and lime and made a splint. • To clean cuts and wounds, they used urine! • If someone had a cold, they gave them a steam bath and dribbled dew from the fields into their nostrils.
- 20. • For earache,the Aztecs poured liquid rubber into the ear.
- 21. Quiz…. • What yeardid they build their city? • What was the name of the city? • How did they build their city on water? • What did warriors wear? • How did normal people dress and look? • What did they eat? • Name a God they believed in. • Name an odd custom they had at the time.
- 22. Ball Sports • Theirfavourite sports included a rough ball game that often ended in injuries or even death! TLACHTLI • This ball game was played by teams of players using a hard rubber ball on a stone court. • Players scored points by knocking the ball through goal rings high up on the walls of the court. • They were not allowed to kick or handle the ball. They had to use their elbows, hips or knees. • The winners could claim clothes or jewellery worn by spectators. The losing team was sometimes killed as a sacrifice to the gods! • Let’s give it a go!
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- 24. • This isthe mask of a very powerful god called Feathered Snake. • It was made from turquoise stone.
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- 28. Aztec Children • Strictrules and punishments to make them good, obedient citizens. • If children were rude or naughty, they were tied up and left outside in the cold all night. • Many children died as infants from diseases or accidents at home.
- 29. • Working fromthe age of four. • Girls: cook and clean. • Boys: worked in fields or hunted and fished with their fathers. • 10: the boys were sent to school to do military training and to learn a craft. • 15: some boys went to a special school where they learned about the history and religion of the tribe. • These boys became religious leaders.
- 30. Childhood Punishments • If theydidn’t pay attention in school, the teacher punished them by pinching their arms or ears or pricking them with cactus spines. • If the girls were naughty, they were given extra housework.
- 31. • The worstpunishment for naughty children was being held over a fire of roasting chilli peppers, so the smoke stung their throats and eyes. • If a family was very poor, children were sometimes sold to passing slave traders.
- 32. Music • Music wasa huge part of religious ceremonies, festivals and story- telling. • The instruments they used were shells, rattles, whistles, horns, bells and drums. • Let’s make our own Aztec music: Write the music using graphic notation and incorporate all of these instruments.