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Homework Packet – Social Studies
Homework Assignment
Day
(suggested)
Monday
1/26
Read Article about Aztec farming and complete tasks that
follow in your notebook
Tuesday
1/27
Read Article about Aztec clothing and complete tasks that
follow in your notebook
Wednesday Read Article about Aztec homes and complete tasks that
1/28
follow in your notebook
Thursday
1/29
Read Article about Aztec gods and complete tasks that follow
in your notebook
Name: _______________
Advisory: _____________
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1/30 DURING ADVISORY
Contact Ms. Safirstein if you need anything until 9p.m. at night!
*Call OR text for help: (401)-871-1306
*Email for help: [email protected]
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Aztec life wasn't all about sacrifice and wars with other nations, grand temples
and gods; everyday life was very organized. The people grew food, wove cloth,
made pots, paper, leather, medicines, ornaments etc. They bartered goods in the
market or used them to pay their rents, taxes or tributes.
TREE TRUNKS
USED AS
WOODEN POSTS
MAIZE CROPS
WATER OF LAKE
TEXCOCO
Many 'ordinary' people lived on
Chinampas. These were islands
reclaimed from the lake water by piling
up plants and black sticky mud.
Remember the Aztecs had settled on
swampy ground – they had to build
islands to live on.
First the plot was marked out with
wooden posts, then fenced with woven
branches. Trees were planted to help
hold the soil together with their roots.
Once built, the chinampa was filled with
mud from the lake bottom along with
dead twigs and plant stems mixed
together and allowed to rot. Wooden
dykes kept the salt water away from the
crops.
The new ground was dug using a foot
plough and crops were grown by
planting seeds in the corners. Farmers
had to get permission from the
government before planting their crops.
otherwise they were punished.
THICK STICKY
MUD
If the chinampa plot was well prepared then crops thrived. The rich soil and
plentiful water provided an ideal growing environment. Chinampas were one of
the most highly productive farming methods ever invented. In a good year, seven
separate crops could be grown on one chinampa. The Aztecs farmed their land
intensively. This often led to soil exhaustion and disease. Heavy manuring
helped stop soil exhaustion. The Aztecs used human manure from their public
toilets to fertilise their chinampas. Plant diseases were controlled by organic
methods. The Aztecs knew that pests dislike certain plants, especially marigolds,
so they planted them alongside their crops and the pests kept away.
The chinampa was a very busy place. Turkeys were kept in small 'gardens' with a
hut to go in at night. Dogs ran around freely. When the dogs were fully-grown
they were often killed and EATEN ... the Aztecs found their meat to be rich and
good. The women grew flowers on the chinampa to sell in the market. The men
grew the corn. They dug the soil with a 'digging stick’, a wooden spade! When the
corn was ripe, it was put into corn 'bins' until taken to market or eaten later in the
year.
Fishermen managed to find space to fish
despite the fact that the lake was becoming
full of chinampas. The fishermen used
dugout canoes.
Their nets were made of strands of grass woven together. They also speared the
fish. The spears were made of shafts of wood, with three sharp points of stone.
The fishermen waited until a fish was beneath their canoe, and then quickly
threw the point of the spear at it.
TASKS – write in notebook
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What were Chinampas?
Copy diagram 1 and label it.
Explain how chinampas were made.
How did the Aztecs keep pests off of their crops?
What four things might you see on a Chinampa?
Do you think the Aztec's fishing nets would last long? Give a reason for your answer.
How else did the Aztecs catch fish?
The Aztec people wore clothing according to their status. It was a very serious
offense to dress above your status. Ordinary people used cloth made from
maguey fibres. This was a type of cactus plant. Noble people wore clothing
made from cotton.
The basic dress for an Aztec man was a loin cloth around the hips
and a cloak knotted over one shoulder. The length of the cloak
depended on their status –
A man that had been in battle and received scars or
wounds could wear a long cloak below his knees.
If he had not been in battle, a man had to wear his cloak
above the knees.
It was considered very serious if you wore the wrong length of cloak!
The amount of decoration on the garment indicated how wealthy and important
the person was. The more one's clothing was decorated the higher rank they were
thought to have. Gold was an important adornment to a noble's dress. Another
accessory to noble dress was feathers on the head and on their robes. Bright
colours were also a sign the individual was of high rank.
Commoners and serfs dressed with much less accessories and
the colours used were less bright. For men of these ranks a
loincloth was often all that was worn. The major reason for
dress for these ordinary people was modesty. They also
dressed for convenience and utility on the job. For example,
they dressed differently for agricultural work and hunting.
All men carried a small pouch under their cloak or poncho
that was slung over their shoulder. In it they carried cocoa
leaves to chew. These were like tobacco leaves.
They also carried amulets (good luck charms.)
Aztec women wore a wraparound skirt that came just below the
knees and a tunic such as a poncho which was decorated
according to their status. Often this was brightly coloured with
fringes along the side.
The Aztec army dressed much differently than the rest of the culture. The main
reason for this was for protection in times of war. The dress of higher warriors
was very elaborate. Their bodies were covered with a close vest of quilted cotton.
Although impenetrable the garment was very light. The wealthier chiefs often
wore a thin layer of gold or silver instead of the vests. Covering this inner layer
was a coat of extravagant feathers. Helmets were often made of wood and
fashioned to look like the heads of animals. They also carried shields to fend off
arrows and spears. The shields were made of woven reeds with feathers lining the
outside. On the cover of some shields there were figures of some animals that
represented different strengths that the Aztecs believed they received from these
animals. Figure 3 shows a typical Aztec shield. They often wore collars, bracelets
and earrings made of the stones and precious metals. Warriors could earn the
right to wear costumes of animals for the amount of prisoners they capture.
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TASKS – in your notebook
Name two ways that noble clothing and commoner’s clothing were
different.
Name two ways that men’s and women’s clothing were different.
If you were in the army, what would you wear? Describe in at least 3
sentences.
In what ways are Aztec clothing similar to our clothing?
Aztec homes and houses
The rich
Rich nobles lived in large 2 story houses surrounded by a garden and enclosed by a high wall.
They were made from stone or adobe (mud bricks covered with plaster). Most houses had flat
roofs and some had gardens on the roof.
Houses were usually built in the
shape of a hollow square with a
courtyard in the middle.
An Aztec palace.
This is a 2 story
building built
around a courtyard
garden.
The outside walls were blank and were painted white or dark red. The inside walls around the
courtyard often had large pillars as decoration. The rooms that opened onto the courtyard
were large and airy. Courtyards of noble houses often contained colourful gardens and
fountains to provide cooling water. Buildings were raised up on a platform between 2 and 12
metres high.
Homes of rich Aztecs had many rooms. Inside there was a dining room, reception room, sleeping room
kitchen, servants’ quarters and a punishment room. The floors were made of cement or polished stone
Outside doors were usually heavy wooden things whereas inside doorways were hung with cloth curtain
or mats. There were no locks so the Aztecs sewed bells onto the curtains so that they would hear intrud
The walls of every house had small niches where statues of the gods were placed. Each family made
sacrifices of food and drink to these shrines.
Tasks
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe the layout or a nobleman’s house.
What would the outside have looked like?
What was the inside like?
Imagine you are an Aztec noble. Collect a planning sheet and draw out a plan
for a house you are going to build.
Aztec Gods
The Aztecs worshiped many gods. One of the most important aspects of Aztec religion was the sun. The
Aztecs called themselves the "People of the Sun". They felt that in order for the sun to rise each day the
Aztecs needed to perform rituals and sacrifices to give the sun strength.
Main Gods. Despite worshiping many gods, there were certain gods that the Aztecs considered more
important and powerful than others. The most important god to the Aztecs was Huitzilopochtli.
Huitzilopochtli - The most fearsome and powerful of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli was the god of
war, the sun, and sacrifice. He was also the patron god of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. The
Great Temple in the centre of the city was built in honour of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. His name is
thought to mean "left-handed hummingbird". He was often drawn with feathers and holding a sceptre
made from a snake.
Tlaloc - Tlaloc was the god of rain and water. While Tlaloc helped the Aztecs much of the time by
sending rain and causing plants to grow, he also could get angry and send thunder storms and hail.
Tlaloc was worshiped at the Great Temple in the city of Tenochtitlan and also at the top of a tall
mountain named Mount Tlaloc. He was often drawn with fangs and big goggle-like eyes.
Quetzalcoatl - Quetzalcoatl was the god of life and wind. His name means "feathered serpent" and he
was usually drawn as a serpent which could fly, very much like a dragon. When Cortez first arrived at
the Aztecs, many thought that he was the god Quetzalcoatl in human flesh.
Tezcatlipoca - Tezcatlipoca was a powerful god associated with many things including magic, the night,
and the earth. He was a rival god to Quetzalcoatl. According to Aztec mythology, he was the first god to
create the sun and the earth, but was struck down by Quetzalcoatl and turned into a jaguar. There was a
large temple built to him in the city of Tenochtitlan just south of the Great Temple. His name meant
"smoking mirror".
Chicomecoatl - Chicomecoatl was the Aztec goddess of agriculture, nourishment, and corn. She was
often drawn as a young girl carrying flowers or a woman using the sun as a shield. Her name meant
"seven snakes".
Priests. The Priests were responsible for making sure that the gods were offered the correct offerings
and sacrifices. They had to perform all sorts of ceremonies in the temples to make sure that the gods
were not angry with the Aztecs. Priests had to undergo extensive training. They were well-respected and
powerful in the Aztec society.
Human Sacrifice. The Aztecs believed that the sun needed the blood of human sacrifice in order to rise
each day. They performed thousands of human sacrifices. Some historians think that more than 20,000
people were killed when the Great Temple was first dedicated in 1487.
The Aztecs believed in a number of levels of heaven and the underworld. Depending on how you died
would determine where you went. Those who died in battle would go to the top level of heaven. Those
who drowned would go to the underworld. Sometimes people were selected to impersonate the gods.
They would dress like the gods and then act out stories from the Aztec mythology. The largest of the
Aztec festivals was the Xiuhmolpilli, which meant "new fire". It was held once every 52 years in order
to prevent the world coming to an end. The Aztecs believed they were living under the fifth, or final,
sun. They feared the day when the fifth sun would die and the world would come to an end.
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TASKS – Complete in notebook
Describe three gods other than Huitzilopochtli. Write two sentences
in your own words.
Draw one of the gods described in the reading above in your
notebook.
How is Aztec religion similar to the religions we have studied this
year? How is it different?
The Aztec called themselves the “People of the _____”.