Download The Aztecs (with review of all)

Ruler’s Head-dress
The
Aztecs
Can you guess what
these artifacts were
used for?
Bi-face tool for
cutting, scraping or
spreading
Aztec Drum
The Aztec Empire
1200s - 1521
(use this to answer questions #8 & #9)
Aztec social structure…
society was divided into 3 social classes;
the nobility (pilli)
Aztecs had social
mobility (they
could move up in
class & rank…
Anyone could
challenge the
ruler at any time,
but there were
rules &
regulations…
the peasantry (macehualli or ‘people’)
and slaves.
(use this to answer questions #1, #2, #4 and the Aztec hierarchy on the back)
Aztec Family life…
In the context of the
family, men and
women played distinct
roles.
Aztec women married
at about 16.
In school, boys were
taught arts and crafts,
and girls were taught
to cook and other
necessities.
They did not flatten
their heads for beauty.
(use this to answer questions #10 & #20)
Aztec Warfare & religious beliefs…
War was a very important activity. They believed
that the gods had sacrificed themselves for
mankind, that their blood had given man life, and
that the Sun was nourished with the blood of
human hearts. This belief led them to sacrifice
prisoners at their temples. They didn’t have jails.
They believed that war was required to provide
food & energy for the sun so that it could continue
on its course. They believed when the 4 original
gods decided to create the sun they 1st had to
create war so that the hearts and blood needed by
the sun would be available. No, they didn’t use
animals in their ceremonies.
The Aztecs murdered (sacrificed) at least 2 people
every day, one in the morning and one in the
evening. Often they sacrificed many more. It is
estimated that the Aztecs sacrificed 30,000 people
per year. That is roughly 82 per day or 5 per hour
(from sun up to sundown)…or one every 12
minutes!!! One account describes 20,000 Aztec
(use this to answer questions #3,
sacrifices in a single day!
#5, #13, #21 & #22)
Aztec slavery…
Slaves also constituted an important class.
Some argue that it wasn’t even like real slavery.
First, Aztec slavery was personal, not hereditary: a
slave's children were free.
You could become a slave as punishment for a crime.
A slave could have possessions & even own other
slaves.
Slaves could buy their liberty, and slaves could be set
free if they were able to show they had been mistreated
or if they had children with or were married to their
masters.
Typically, upon the death of the master, slaves who had
performed outstanding services were freed. The rest of
the slaves were passed on as part of an inheritance.
(use this to answer questions #4 & 6)
Aztec art, language, and architecture…
The Aztec sculptures which adorned their temples and other
buildings were among the most elaborate in all of the Americas (to
please the gods). Many of the sculptures reflected their perception
of their gods and how they interacted in their lives. The most
famous surviving Aztec sculpture is the large circular Calendar
Stone, which represents the Aztec universe.
(use this to answer question #17)
What do you
think this piece
of Aztec art
represents?

Which class (Nobility, Peasantry, or slaves)
do you think this piece of Aztec art represents?
What about this one? 
Language… The Aztecs spoke a language called Nahuatl
(pronounced NAH what L). (Comanche, Pima, Shoshone and
others in North America also spoke Nahuatl). The Aztec used
pictographs to communicate through writing. Some of the pictures
symbolized ideas and others represented the sounds of the
syllables. Variations of this language are still spoken in some of
the more remote areas of Mexico in which the indigenous cultures
are still alive.
(use this to answer question #18)
(use this to answer question #19 )
Agriculture…
Farming was the principal activity. Much of
Aztec life was built around farming, which was
extremely necessary to feed the growing
population. Since the land that the Aztecs
farmed was not fertile enough to grow enough
food to support the population, the Aztecs were
forced to invent methods to increase
productivity. These methods included irrigation,
fertilizer, and even building terraces on hills that
were previously not farmable.
Without many hills, terrace farming was not
widly practiced by the Aztecs. Their most
famous invention were the chinampas.
Chinampas were floating gardens built on
swamps. The process of making chinampas
was a relatively simple one. First, canals were
built through the marshes and swamps. Then,
the mud from the canals was placed on mats,
which were made from weeds and straw. Then,
trees were planted at the corners. When these
trees took root, they secured the chinampa
firmly in place. Once the floating island was
secure and useable, the Aztecs used it to plant
their principal crop: corn.
(use this to answer
questions #11 & #12)
They also grew various vegetables (avocados, beans, Modern-day Chinampas
chili peppers, squash, and tomatoes), sometimes even
flowers. After a crop (usually corn) was harvested, the
Aztecs had several ways of dealing with it. One
common way of preparing corn was to mash it with a
round grinding stone (called mano) against a flat stone
(called a metate). From this process, the Aztecs got a
corn meal. This corn meal was used to prepare
tortillas, which was the main food of lower classes.
The Aztecs also noticed that sap on the sapodilla tree
could be hardened into a chewable gum. The liquid
was referred to as "chicle", and commonly used by the (use this to answer
people of Aztec society.
question #7)
The upper classes also ate tortillas, but had other choices for food.
These choices included:
Turkeys
ducks
geese.
(use this to answer
question #14 & #15)
Hernan Cortes showed up on the
shores of central Mexico with 550
men, 16 horses, 14 canons and a few
dogs. They were greeted by
messengers from the Aztec ruler
Montezuma. They had never seen
white men, horses, or canons before.
When did they come?
From where did they come?
What happened?
Who did they conquer and how?
The Spanish!!!
Spain
• The Aztecs had a population of 5,000,000 (25,000,000 counting their
conquered neighbors). Hernán Cortés & the Spanish had only 500
people. How could 500 defeat 25,000,000? 4 reasons:
•
•
•
•
1) Thanks to the Spanish most of the Aztecs died of smallpox
2) The Spanish Conquistadors were able to convince enemy tribes to join them to
overthrow the Aztecs
3) Cortes conquered the Nahuas and Tlaxcaltec (Tlaxcalans) first, converted many of
their woman and married Malinche (Donna Maria), who spoke Maya and Nahuatl and
helped the Spanish with translation and valuable info
4) The Aztec warriors’ weapons were no match for Spanish arms
• By 1521, the Aztecs were completely overthrown
THE AMERICAS: Maya - Inca - Aztecs
North America
Gulf of
Mexico
South America
Atlantic Ocean
The Spanish!!!
•
The Aztecs had a population of 5,000,000 (25,000,000 counting their conquered
neighbors). Hernán Cortés and the Spanish had only 500 people. How could an Army of
only 500 defeat an empire of 5,000,000? 4 reasons:
•
•
•
•
1) Thanks to the Spanish most of the Aztecs died of smallpox
2) The Spanish Conquistadors were able to convince enemy tribes to join them to overthrow the Aztecs
3) Cortes conquered the Nahuas & Tlaxcaltec (Tlaxcalans) first, converted many of their woman and married
Malinche (Donna Maria), who spoke Maya & Nahuatl & helped the Spanish with translation & valuable info
4) The Aztec warriors’ weapons were no match for Spanish arms
•
By 1521, the Aztecs were completely overthrown, and the survivors joined Cortés
•
The Incas had an army of 40,000 and population of 20,000,000. Francisco Pizarro and the
Spanish had only 180 people. How could an Army of only 180 defeat an army of 40,000
men? 4 reasons:
•
•
•
1) Thanks to the Spanish most of the Incan army died of smallpox
2) The Spanish convinced other tribes, already under Incan rule, to side with them & overthrow the Inca
3) The Inca were in the middle of a civil war and already killing each other. The ruler Atahualpa and his brother
were fighting for control of the empire
4) The Incan warriors’ weapons were no match for Spanish arms
By 1535 Incan society was completely overthrown, Pizarro moved the capital from Cuzco to Lima
•
•
The Spanish!!!
Spain
Match the Words to
the correct Empire
Capital is
Tenochtitlan
1st powerful empire
Conquered by Cortes
Flattened heads
Conquered by Pizarro
Near present-day
Alpaca & Llamas
Mexico City
Andes Mountains
Blue symbolized
Machu Picchu
death
80 sacrifices per day
No written language
Apocalypto
Terrace Farming
Chinampas
Emperor’s New Groove
Peru, Chile, Equator
Guatemala, Belize