Download The Aztec Empire

Social 8: Unit B - Worldviews in Conflict: The Spanish and The
Aztecs
Chapter One: The Aztecs Before the Spanish
Big Questions/Outcomes
 1. How does a society’s worldview influence its choices, decisions
and interactions with other societies?
 Eg. Spanish worldview led to their intolerance of other religions.
 2. How were Aztec and Spanish identities and worldviews
affected by intercultural contact?
 Eg. Aztec identity as special and superior was challenged by
Spanish weaponry and disease.
 3. How does rapid adaptation and change radically alter a
society’s beliefs, values and knowledge.
 Eg. Aztec encounter with Spanish led them to believe they were
living in end times.
Section I
Key Question:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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A. Religion
 Aztecs were incredibly religious and their religion informed much
of their view of
____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________.
 The Aztec religion would eventually sow the seeds of its own
destruction.
 Aztecs believed in a ______________ religion. Their supreme
god was ______________ their god of light and the sun.
 The Aztecs believed that in order to help the gods raise the sun,
they needed to supply their gods with
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Major Gods of the Aztecs
God
Nickname
God of What?
The Left Handed
Hummingbird
He Who is Made of
Earth
Smoking Mirror
The Feathered Serpent
B. Environment
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Created Tenochtitlan on an island in _____________________
which was surrounded by mountains and 2000 m above sea-level
in the ____________________.
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This gave the Aztecs _____________________________ from
other nations, but would present challenges.
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The Aztecs believed their land was a sacred gift from their god
Huitzilopochtli so it was their ________________________
much like Israel is to Jews.
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Aztecs had to tame environment to survive:
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1. Added land to islands by building __________________ to
have more farmland.
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2. Built __________ to separate more fresh drinking water from
brackish (salty) water.
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3. The ___________________ that led to Tenochtitlan provided
more safety as it forced invaders to attack through one of three
channels.
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All of this Aztec brilliance in engineering would lead to them
becoming _____________
_____________________________________, much like the
Roman feats of engineering would make them feel superior to
other cultures.
C. The Great Migration of the Aztecs
 Occurred in the 1100s. Aztecs left their ancestral home in
________________ and down to central Mexico. Most historians
believe they were looking for more suitable farming land as the
north was a ________________.
 Aztecs believed that the Great Migration was divinely inspired
and they were led by Huitzilopochtli to a new, promised
homeland. Almost mythic.
 Along the migration the Aztecs came across the ancient city of
__________________ from which they borrowed gods and ideas
for architecture. Aztecs would call Teotihuacan the city of the
gods.
 Led to belief of Aztecs being
______________________________ to their neighbours.
 The Aztecs most likely believed they were destined for greatness
and of course this belief led to a self-fulfilling prophecy: The
Aztec Empire.
Section II
Key Question:
________________________________________________________
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Aztec Social Hierachy: Draw and label a pyramid showing the different
social classes in Aztec Society. Ensure to highlight the noble class
versus the commoner classes
The Aztec Emperor
 Always from the ___________________ and elected by the
nobles.
 Official title was ________________, which means
_______________.
 Had absolute power and lived a life of absolute luxury.
 Official duties included being the _______________________
______________________________________________
Social Mobility with the Aztecs
 Unlike in Europe, Aztecs could move from one class to another.
 You could move upwards in Aztec society through warfare by
capturing ___________________.
 You could move downwards by becoming ___________ and not
being able to repay your debts.
 Slavery was often _______________ until you had paid off
your debts.
Social Organization with the Aztecs
 Aztecs were organized into clans called ____________. Members
of a calpolli lived together in the same neighborhood and were
responsible for the upkeep of that neighborhood.
 Members of a calpolli were grouped together by ____________
__________ (eg. Feather workers would have their own calpolli)
 Members of the calpolli elected a captain and council who were
responsible for the taxation and administration of that calpolli.
Signs and Status in Aztec Society
 Aztecs placed a strong emphasis on status and the different
classes. In this they share more in common with ____________
than with their First Nation cousins in N.A.
 Only nobility could wear ___________________, much like in
Europe, only royalty could wear purple. How you dressed
indicated your place in the Aztec social pecking order.
 So why were Aztecs so different from other First Nations? Some
historians believed that this was a natural result of the Aztec
natural _______________. Others believe that status became
more important as the Aztecs became richer and more powerful
as an ____________.
Aztec Militarism
 The Aztec were an empire and like all empires, placed a strong
emphasis on a strong and large military force to defend and
expand the empire.
 The Aztecs formed an alliance with three neighboring tribes in
the ____________________ region and overthrew the top dog
of the Valley of the Mexico.
 Aztec strategy was to attack weaker allies of more stronger city
states. Over time, the Aztecs conquered everything from the
Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico.
 Aztecs required conquered territories to worship Huitzipocthli,
pay _________. Then they would leave the local ruler in place
and the army would depart. It is believed that Aztecs kept such a
_______________ in the hopes of rebellion so they could
capture more captives for sacrifice.
The Aztec Empire
 Many conquered tribes/nations ________ under Aztec rule due to
the Aztec desire for captives for sacrifice. One city state that
revolted had all men and women slaughtered with the children
sold into slavery.
 The Aztecs also had an arch-enemy that they could not conquer.
 This would have dire consequences for the Aztecs when the
Spanish showed up as both the enemies and the conquered
would support the Spanish against the Aztecs.
Education
 __________ for all Aztec children, both girls and boys.
 There were separate schools for the Noble Class and the
Commoner Class. Only nobles learned to read ______, while
commoners learned through ______________ instruction.
 Education was designed to prepare a young Aztec for his or her
role and tasks as an adult. For example, boys were taught
combat skills.
Architecture and Art
 Aztecs were inspired by Teotihuacan and older ______________
cultures, notably the ____________. The Aztecs viewed the
Aztecs as the Romans viewed the Greeks and Europeans in the
Renaissance viewed the Romans. This influenced their art,
religion and architecture
 Before the Toltecs were the _____________, the founding
culture of Meso America. Many of the gods of the Aztecs would
be borrowed from the Olmecs and Toltecs.
 The Aztecs actually invented their own creation by saying they
were descended from the ____________, much like Romans
believed they were descended from Trojans.
Aztec Virtues and Values
 Men were valued for their ____________while women were
valued for their __________ and commitment to the home and
family.
 ___________________: All Aztecs put the group and society
above the individual.
 _________________________: Aztecs were trained to be
humble as this emphasized the individual over the group.
 _______________: The social hierarchy had to be followed.