The Aztecs lived in the Valley of Mexico, a high plateau with fertile soil from volcanoes. They were skilled engineers and architects, building cities on islands in lakes connected by causeways and aqueducts. The Aztec empire grew through warfare to control Mesoamerica by 1500. Their absolute monarchy was advised by councils but the king had ultimate power and collected tribute. The Aztecs were very religious and sacrificed people to please the gods. Society consisted of nobles and commoners who farmed or worked as artisans. The Aztecs excelled at engineering, arts, jewelry, and oratory despite having no strong written language.

1. Section 2: The Aztecs
Picture of an Aztec pyramid. Image taken from: travellng.com.

2. The land of the Aztecs
• The Aztec was located predominately in the Valley of Mexico. The Valley
of Mexico was an area of a broad high plateau that stretched across the
central highlands. The temperature of the area was cool due to its high
elevation. Volcanoes rose above the plateau, thus the basin located below
the volcanoes had fertile soils. This was excellent for farming and
population growth.
• The Aztec were brilliant at architecture. They managed to built causeways
that connected the island city to the lake shore. They were also able to
build chinampas, which were manmade islands that they farmed to
increase their crop production. This also allowed for a growth in
population. Finally, they were able to secure fresh water by building a dike
that held back brackish water from the city.
• The Aztec wanted to have a larger empire and they were able to acquire a
larger empire through warfare. By the 1500s the Aztecs controlled a
significant part of Mesoamerica. They had a full- blown empire, which
included pyramids and glittering palaces.

3. Aztec Government
• The Aztec government had a king that had absolute power,
otherwise known as an absolute monarchy.
• The Aztec king had an alliance with the kings of Tlacopan and
Texcoco, but the Aztec king had the most power of the three.
• The kings of the Triple Alliance, as they were called, collected
tribute from the kingdoms that they took over. According to the
text, tribute flowed through the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in
abundance.
• When the Aztec king died, the Supreme Council chose a member of
the ruling family as the new king.
• The king of the Aztecs is advised by three councils: The Supreme
Council, War Council, and Council of Four, but ultimately it was the
king who made all decisions regarding the Aztec people and
civilization.

4. Aztec Society
• The Aztec people were very religious people. They believed that the
Gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc controlled everything and their
everyday lives.
• The God Huitzilopochtli brought success in battle and made the sun
rise.
• Every year the Aztecs sacrificed many people as offerings to their
Gods. They believed that without human blood, the Gods would
become weak.
• The Aztec people had two social classes. The first social class
consisted of the nobles and the second of the commoners.
• The commoner’s life centered on farming and household duties.
The men tended the fields, while the women cooked, cleaned, and
raised the children. Some commoners worked as artisans while
those who were considered to be wealthy traveled the empire as
traders.

5. Aztec Achievements
•The Aztec people achieved greatly in the areas of arts
and engineering.
•The Aztecs were brilliant engineers, as they created
canals within cities and build aqueducts that carried
fresh water from the lake to the surrounding hills.
•The Aztec was also great in making jewelry and
speeches. Their jewelry included rings, necklaces, and
other jewelry made out of gold, silver, and other
precious stones.
•The Aztec people did not have a strong written
language, but they were excellent speakers.