Download Unit 2: The Aztecs

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Unit 2: The Aztecs
In what ways did intercultural contact between the Aztecs and the Spanish affect each society's
worldview?
Was conflict inevitable?
What factors contributed to the dominance of the Spanish over the Aztecs?
To what extent does present day Mexico reflect the experience of Aztec/Spanish contact?
Chapter 7: The People of the Sun
Physical Landscape:
1) The people called the
lived in the desert lands of Northern Mexico. They
were told to migrate
by their God,
,
where they should settle and build a great city. They founded a great city called
.
2) Where does the term "Aztec" come from?
3) For Aztecs, the world consisted of two landscapes:
and
that
were closely connected. Their temples were
.
4) Their new home was not an ideal location. It was a
Religion was a
.
force so the belief that their god had sent them gave the Aztecs the
.
5) How were mountains beneficial? How were they dangerous?
Beneficial:
Dangerous:
What are two structures and their uses that the Aztecs constructed to offset the challenges of
living by a mountain?
6) The Aztecs lived on an island connected to the mainland by
. These
structures could be destroyed to protect the Aztecs from
.
population grew dramatically and they became one of the
cultivators of their time, producing
The
plant
.
Aztec
7) What are "chinampa?"
8) Why is Mexico City sinking?
The Sacred Landscape:
1) The Aztecs believe that
controlled
and
they looked to the gods for signs on how to live. They believed in many gods, but believed that
some were
.
2)
encouraged the Aztecs to leave their homeland to settle in the Valley of
Mexico. The tribal god of the Aztecs who needed blood sacrifices to overcome the night's darkness.
, the most powerful god, sees visions of the future and is locked in
eternal battle with Huitzilopochtili.
is the god of wind and was foretold to bring destruction to the Aztecs on
his return in the year "
."
was the god of the rain, whom the Aztecs
controlled their survival through
3) The Aztecs had 2 calendars:
long). The Aztecs believed there were
. It took exactly
or
because
he
.
(260 days long) and
(20
days
eras before this one and that each had been
years for the calendars to be in sync.
4) Aztecs believed that human sacrifice was the strongest expression of
. They believed the victim's blood
it the gods would
. If the gods died, the world would
and without
. This is why
was so important. It gave them an opportunity to
.
5) What was the "new fire" event?
6) Aztecs believed that earth was a round flat disc in four sections that met in the middle where
Tenochtitlan was situated, placing them in the center of the earth (sound familiar?) The Aztecs
firmly believed that the gods had assigned them
.
How did they model their city after their beliefs of the earth or universe?
Expanding the Empire:
1) Aztecs took great pride in the two aspects of their character:
and
.
Why did Aztecs need to trade, despite their agricultural prowess?
What was the second role of the Aztec merchant?
2) By the time the Spanish came in 1519, the Aztecs had an
much larger than any
in North America. They believe that the group, or society, was more important than the individuals
within it. Every Aztec was prepared to
3)
.
As soon as a boy was born, the parents placed a
symbolizing his commitment to
4) Military service was
.
, which means:
5) Once the Aztecs conquered another group, they began to collect tribute, meaning:
6) Cocoa beans were used in what ways?
in his hands,