Download The Aztecs – Unit Introduction

The Aztecs – Unit
Introduction
Lesson 7.1
I can…
►I
can explain how geography and religious
beliefs influenced the Aztec worldview.
► I can explain how the Aztec worldview
influenced their interactions with other
cultures.
► I can explain how the structure of Aztec
society identifies what was important to the
Aztec people.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=kOwVsmSZeE&list=PLUakfN_pLe7dnE
rp0CREynhSRyHeS8UkX&in
dex=42
Chapter Story
►
Turn to page 232 in your
textbook
►
Read the opening story
►
Choose to EITHER draw a picture OR
write a paragraph based on what you
read.
Who are the Aztecs?
They are a civilization
created by a nomadic
tribe (the Mexica)
who settled in the
Valley of Mexico
during the 15th
century.
Figure 7.3
► Analyze
the following
image and consider
the following
question:
► What
line from the
story helps you
identify what the
image is about?
Think it Through
► Why
do why people
from other regions
of Canada come to
Alberta?
► List
at least 3
reasons.
Immigration Chart
Reasons why immigrants come
to Canada
Reasons why immigrants
come to Alberta
The Physical Landscape
► For
the Aztec, the mountain was more than
a physical site
► They saw a mountain as a sacred or holy
site
► Through it’s height, it brought people
physically closer to God.
Aztec Landscapes
► For
the Aztecs, the
world consisted of two
landscapes:
 Physical
 Sacred
► The
temples that
Aztecs built were
pyramids in the shape
of mountains.
Religion
► Aztec
God – Huitzilopochtli
► The
Aztecs believed he led
them to the place where
they lived
► It
was not an ideal
location; small, swampy
island in a lake with salty
water
Religion
► Religion
was a powerful
force in Aztec society
► The
idea that their God
sent them to this site
gave the Aztecs
determination to survive
there
Map of Aztec Empire
Ixtaccihualti
Popacatapetl
Power of the Mountains
► What
are the advantages and disadvantages
of having mountains near your city?
► The
mountains that surrounded Tenochtitlan
(Teh-noh-ch-teet-lahn) gave the Aztecs a
sense of security.
► The
mountains protected from attack by
invaders.
Power of the Mountains
► Problems
with mountains:
 Flash floods
 Keep out clouds that would bring rain
(drought)
 The Aztecs built an aqueduct to bring in
fresh water from underground springs
outside the city
Causeways
Lake Texcoco (surrounded
Tenochtitlan) provided safety
from their enemies.
 Aztecs built three
causeways linking the lake
to the mainland
 Bridges that connected the
causeways to the cities
could be destroyed to
protect city from invasion
An Island Home
► In
the 200 years that the Aztecs occupied
Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs grew from a band of a
few thousand to a society of several hundred
thousand
► Their
hard work paid off!
► They
became the most productive plant cultivators
of their time
► They
produced more than enough food to support
a growing population.
Squash
► Squash
was one of
the many different
types of food the
Aztecs grew.
► Beans,
corn,
chilies, peppers
and tomatoes were
also grown
The Floating Islands
► Think
back to your
documentary…
► Consider
the following
questions:
 What is a Chinampa?
 What were they used for?
 How would farmers access
their crops?
Changing the Geography
► Tenochtitlan
Texcoco
was in Lake
► There
was no river for
water to flow out of the
lakes
► The
lakes had become
salty – through
evaporation which left
behind natural salts
Fast Forward- Mexico City is Sinking
 Today, what two
major factors are
contributing to the
sinking of Mexico
city?
 How is water supplied
to the 20 million
people that live in
Mexico city?
https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=sra_-ykV7c