Download History Lesson 8 - the Aztecs

History of the Aztecs
Date
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2017
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Aztecs were a group of Mexicans who ruled central Mexico in the 1300s
Legend is an unverified story handed down generations
What else would you call a story that is not real? Non-fiction
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Legend says that the Aztecs were nomadic hunters until God told them to stop moving when
they found an eagle holding a snake in its beak
An eagle is a type of …?
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They saw this eagle on a cactus plant in an island on lake Texcoco, so they built their land right
on it called it Tenochtitlan The Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus
Huge pyramid shaped temple in the middle of the city
What is a temple for?
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Maze of canals for farming
Main roads had water lanes for canoes and rafts and dry land for people on foot
Grew corn and other vegetables
City had palaces, markets, playgrounds
Hernando Cortes of Spain landed in 1519
Spanish said they had never seen anything so big in the world
Were the Spanish amazed or disappointed when they saw the Aztec city?
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Aztec empire was from Pacific Ocean to Gulf of Mexico
Many Aztecs died of Spanish diseases or in battle with them
INSERT MAP OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE
INSERT MAP OF AREA AROUND TEXCOCO