Download Aztecs

The Rise of the Aztec Empire
• The Aztecs were a small group of people who
migrated into the Valley of Mexico from the north,
establishing Tenochtitlán as their capital around
1400 B.C.
Aztec Empire
Many competing small empires
war ends in 1428
Triple Alliance
(Texcoco, Tlacopan, and Tenochtitlan)
3 states to form the Aztec Empire
Aztec Empire 1428-1520
Tenochtitlan (tee-noch-tit-lan)
ISLAND IN LAKE TEXCOCO = capital
with causeways to mainland
TENOCHTITLAN 200,000- 250,000 in city
(4x pop. of London in 1500)
DRAWBRIDGES
FOR protection
Aqueducts for
freshwater
Clean
Temples, plazas
Aztec Daily Life
• The Aztec Empire in the Valley of Mexico was
home to 800,000 to 1.25 million people in the
early 1500’s
• Aztec city-states were incorporated into the
empire as semiautonomous administrative
units
• Markets, plazas, temples, residences, and fulltime craft specialists were a part of each citystate
• Have texts, codices of life, tribute, war
– Ritual almanacs that priests used
Modern Mexico City and the Zocalo – central plaza
TEMPLE MAYOR
Major temple
1978 found in
Mexico City
Private inner space – drains, altars
SKULL RACK
100’s of named gods and
goddesses
spirits or forces
many were transformations
Feathered Serpent
Quetzal bird and snake
Quetzal god
Rain god
Tlaloc
War god
Huitzilopoctli
(wee-zil-o-poch-tli
War god – needed to be fed every day
Tonalli = animating spirit
is located in the blood
blood concentrates in the
heart when scared
Without sacrifice all
MOTION Stops
Sun would not rise
World would come to an end
sacrifice kept world in balance
Human sacrifice
Dresden Codex
Spanish observations
war captives, slaves, youths, maidens
Why? intimidation, power, world was
unstable, (protein??)
Aztec
Militarism
The End of the Aztec Empire
 Aztec expansion grew to incorporate much of
central and southern Mexico
 Aztec policy was one of expansion, not
consolidation (military and commercial)

nearly impossible to administer
 Spanish conquest - Cortez 1520
has help from “dispossessed” conquered peoples
 Overthrows Montezuma