Download The Civilization of the Aztec

The Civilization of the Aztec
Geography / Environment
• First established in central
Mexico (Mexico City)
• The Valley of Mexico has
a diverse environment of
fertile marshy island filled
lakes, a moderately warm
climate, and dry desert
land to the north.
• Expanded to include the
Gulf Coast and Pacific
Ocean
The Aztec
Agriculture
• Fertile marshlands allowed farmers to
harvest crops as many as SEVEN times a
year.
• Farmers grew maize, beans, red peppers,
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados.
• Because of the marshy environment, the
Aztec also constructed chinampas.
Agriculture
• Chinampas, or floating
islands, were made by
sinking logs into the
bottom of the lake and
filling in the areas with
mud, boulders, and
reeds.
• Eventually the Aztec
expanded the city’s
land by five square
miles
Chinampas
Urban Centers
• The heart of the Aztec civilization was its island
capital city, Tenochtitlan.
– Plaza, Great Temple, royal palace, marketplace, 3
causeways that connected to the mainland, and fresh
water aqueducts
• The Aztec empire consisted of a loose union of
hundreds of conquered city-states
Tenochtitlan (Florentine Codex)
Economy
• Based on collecting tribute from
conquered city-states
• Tribute collected: food crops, textiles, jade,
emeralds, tortoise shells, jaguar skins,
vanilla beans, and cacao.
Social / Class Structure
Emperor
Government Officials,
Priests, Military Leaders
Merchants, Craftsmen,
Artisans, Farmers
Peasants
Slaves
Social
Mobility
Between
Upper
Classes
Religion
• Many gods and practices developed from
earlier Mesoamerican cultures
• Polytheistic / some nature gods
• Aztecs believed in the existence of two
worlds material and divine (with heaven
and hell)
• All male adolescents took religious training
at temple schools
Aztec Deities
• Huitzilopochtli - (sun god
and god of war) chief god
and symbol of the Aztecs
• Quetzalcoatl – (feathered
serpent god) represented
creation, virtue, learning,
and culture
– The Aztecs believed that
Quetzalcoatl left their
homeland promising return in
triumph to the Valley of the
Mexico
Aztec Religion - Human Sacrifice
• Aztecs believed that the gods would keep the world going in
exchange for sacrifice
• Human hearts and blood were presented to Huitzilopochtli
• The Aztecs would sacrifice volunteers and captives
• Some historians believe the Aztecs might have also used
human sacrifices to frighten other city-states into accepting
Aztec rule
Family Life
• Aztec families were
patriarchal
• Both genders had specific
duties in the household
• Highest Honor in Life
– Men – fight in wars
– Women – giving birth
Achievements
• Medicine and Dentistry - the Aztecs had
advanced ways of caring for their health
• Calendars – like the Maya the Aztecs also
developed an accurate calendar
• City Building – the Aztecs built the largest
cities in the Americas – over 200,000
people
Reasons for Decline
• Eventually the Aztecs were conquered by several
enemies
• This story will be continued in the days to come….