Download While they were living in the swamps, the Aztec

Warm-up #5
• Describe how the Mayan social
class system was organized.
• When did the Mayan empire
begin to decline? Why do you
think it happened?
Chapter 14 Standards Review
• 7a. What plants did early farmers in Mesoamerica grow for
food? What pants did farmers grow in South America?
• Mesoamericans grew maize, beans, and squash. South
Americans grew maize, beans, and potatoes.
• 7b. What do Olmec towns, sculptures, and other items tell
us about Olmec society?
• Olmec towns, sculptures and other items tell us that the
Olmec were the first complex civilization in the Americans.
They developed religions, government, science, and trade
systems which influenced later Latin American peoples.
• 8a. What were two important trade goods for the early
Maya?
• Cotton, cacao, jade and obsidian were important trade
goods for the early Maya.
• 8b. Why did the Maya civilization decline?
• The Maya civilization may have declined due to a
population increase, food shortage, weak soil, competition
for land, harsh demands of Maya Kings leading to
rebellion, war, or climate issues like a drought.
• 8c. For which people in Maya society was life probably
pleasant and secure? For which people was life less
pleasant or secure?
• Life was pleasant for kings and the upper classes but less
pleasant for the lower classes who farmed and were forced
to work on building projects and fight in wars.
• 9b. How did daily life for the upper and lower classes of
Maya society differ?
• Members of the lower classes work all day to support
themselves and serve the upper classes. Members of the
upper classes lived very comfortably.
• http://www.brainpop.com/social
studies/worldhistory/azteccivili
zation/
Essential Question
• Where did the Aztecs
build their empire and
how did they adapt the
land make it work for
them?
The Aztec
The Legend
While they were living in the swamps, the
Aztec priests received a vision. In this
vision, the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, told
them to look for a place to settle where
they saw an eagle perched on a cactus,
eating a snake. The Aztecs found this sign
on a small reed-covered island in the
middle of a shallow lake. There they
started building their capital city,
Tenochtitlan, in 1325.
But what really happened?
I. Geography
Aztecs
A. Tenochtitlan
• Main Aztec City
• Built on an island in
the
middle of Lake Texcoco.
• Located in modern Mexico in
North America
• Limited space but excellent
farmland
Technology
B. Chinampas
• Since the Aztecs didn’t have much land,
they made their own!
• They would take dirt from the bottom of
the lake and add it to their islands.
• They ended up with a “floating garden”.
Video Break!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=OJNygP28_0k
II. Religion and War
A)
• For the Aztecs, religion and war
went together.
• The Aztecs went to war to capture
enemy soldiers who would become
slaves to be sacrificed.
• It was basically a much bloodier
version of the Maya religion.
B. Aztec Sacrifice
• Aztec history says that during
one religious ceremony over
20,000 people were killed in 4
days.
• While this may have been
possible, it is probably
exaggerated.
• Either way, sacrifices were
common for the Aztecs.
C. The Ball Game
• Another religious tradition copied
from the Mayans was the ball
game.
• Legend says the gods fought for
control of man by playing this
game.
• The losers, and sometimes the
winners, would be sacrificed.
III. Government
Growing the Empire
• 1421 Triple Alliance – three biggest
city-states came together under one
rule to conquer the other city-states.
• The Aztecs grew in size by
conquering their neighbors.
• The Aztecs were so scary that most
tribes didn’t even fight back.
• Some rumors said they even wore human
skin…
IV. The Sun Stone
The Sun Stone
• Calendar modeled Sun
after the Mayan one.
• The original
weighs almost
25 tons.
• Each ring
represents
something different
(“suns”, days, etc.)
Stone
Tonatiuh’s
Face- the face
of the sun,
Lord of
Heaven,
around which
takes place all
daily and
periodic
phenomena.
Claws of the
sun god- The
Sun God is
supposedly
suspended in
space by its
claws. We see a
human heart in
its claw.
Jaguar Sun
(The first
sun): Aztecs
believe this
age was
ruled by
giants who
were
eventually
eaten by
jaguars.
The Winds
Sun- the
gods turned
man into
apes so they
could hang
onto the
Earth during
terrible
hurricanes.