Download The Aztecs Control Central America

THE AZTECS CONTROL
CENTRAL AMERICA
THE VALLEY OF MEXICO
• Mountain basin 7,500’
above sea level
• Large lakes and fertile
soil
• Originally inhabited by
the Teotihuacan (200
B.C.-700) and Toltec
(900-1100) civilizations
TEOTIHUACAN
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Place of the Gods”
Outside Mexico City
obsidian (volcanic glass)
“Avenue of the Dead”
“Pyramid of the Sun”
“Pyramid of the Moon”
Power and wealth based
on trade
• Decline – 750
TOLTECS TAKE OVER
• 900-1200
• A warlike people
• They worship fierce war
god and offer human
sacrifices
• Topiltzin
– Encourages worship
of Quetzalcoatl
• Rebellion forces
Topiltzin, and
Quetzalcoatl, into exile
• Legend of Quetzalcoatl
•
AZTEC ORIGINS
• Wandering nomads in
the Valley of Mexico
• The sun god,
Huitzilopochtli, speaks
and nothing is ever the
same.
FOUNDING OF
TENOCHTITLAN
• Lake Texcoco
• On one of the islands, saw an
eagle standing on the prickly
pear cactus on a rock
• Built their city
• Eventually linked islands
• Palaces, temples, markets,
residential areas
• Other cities formed around
the lake
TENOCHTITLAN
• Causeways connect island city
to mainland areas
• Canals enable people to carry
goods to city and its huge
main market
• Chinampas, floating islands,
used to grow crops
• Central area has palaces,
temples, government
buildings
AZTECS GROW STRONGER
• Triple Alliance—1428
agreement of Aztec ,
the Acolhua, and the
Tepanec
• 10 -15 million people
by 1500
• Power from tribute
AZTEC SOCIETY
• Emperor
– Power is absolute
– Lives in palace
– Revered
• Noble class
– Military leaders,
officials, priests—
rules Aztec society
– Nobles own vast
estates, live life of
wealth and luxury
• Commoners:
– Merchants, artisans,
soldiers, farmers
• Lowest class:
– Enslaved people
AZTEC WRITING
AZTEC CALENDAR
• Derived from the Maya
• 2 main calendars
– Religious: 13 months of
20 days
– Solar: 18 months of 20
days w/ 5 day period
• Every 52 years, the 2
calendars started on same
day & marked by ceremony of
fire
RELIGION: THE CENTER OF
AZTEC LIFE
• Major role in Aztec society
• Over 1,000 gods
• Public ceremonies and
festivals
– Priests make offerings,
ritual dramas, songs,
dance by masked
performers
SACRIFICES FOR HUITZI
• Sun god: Huitzilopochtli
• Human sacrifice carried
out on massive scale
– as many as 200,000 a
year
• Object of war was to
obtain victims for
sacrifice
PROBLEMS IN THE AZTEC
EMPIRE
• In 1502, Montezuma II
was crowned emperor
• Beloved ruler
• New demands
• In 1519, the Spanish arrive
– Why is this year
significant?
1480?-1520
THE ARRIVAL OF THE
SPANISH
• 5’4” tall, bow-legged,
thin
• 1519 Cortes w/ 600 men
reach Tenochtitlan
• Montezuma II offers him
gifts of gold & his palace
to stay
• Demands more gold and
silver
REBELLION OF THE AZTECS
• In 1520, the Aztecs rebel
against the Spanish and
drive them out
• Montezuma II pleads for
Aztecs to make peace
– The crowd
denounced him as a
traitor
– He is stoned to death
by his people
FALL OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE
• 1521, Cortes and his men
return & conquer the
Aztecs
• They destroy pyramids,
temples, palaces & use
the stone to build
government buildings
and churches
• The rivers & canals were
filled in