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The
aztec
empire
The Aztec empire
The expansion of the Aztec empire through conquest.
The Aztec empire
The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan was built on
an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
This is where Mexico City is today.
The Aztec empire
Another map of the
Aztec capital city of
Tenochtitlan.
The aztec empire
2000BC
1500BC
The Aztecs
settled on the
shores of Lake
Texcoco in
AD1325.
1000B
C
0
The Aztec Empire
was at its most
powerful from
AD1490 to
AD1500.
AD1000
AD1500
AD2000
The Aztec Empire was
destroyed by the
Spanish in AD1521.
The Aztec empire
Templo Mayor
Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztec Empire.
It was first built in 1390. It was rebuilt and expanded 6 times
before it was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521.
Tlaloc – the god of rain and agriculture
Huitzilopochtli – the god of war
The Aztec empire
Templo Mayor was dedicated to these two gods.
The Aztec empire
The Aztecs practice
human sacrifice for
various reasons.
Sometimes it was to
please the gods – to
repay their debt to
them or to keep the
universe in balance.
Other times sacrifice
was to punish a
prisoner of war.
Aztecs practiced human sacrifice.
The Aztec empire
HUMAN sacrifice
The Aztec empire
It often took several people to
perform a ritual sacrifice. One
or more priests would have to
hold the victim down onto a
stone table. Next, another
priest would slice open the
victim’s abdomen with a flint
blade. Then, the last priest
would reach up through the
incision and rip the beating
heart from the victim. The
heart would be placed in a
bowl held by a statue of the
honored god, and the body
would be thrown down the
temple’s stairs.
A royal
headdress
that was
worn by an
Aztec
emperor.
The Aztec empire
Scull Rack
The Aztec empire
There are many theories
about the skull racks
found in the area of the
Aztecs.
Some say they were
used to display the skulls
of executed war captives.
Others believe they are
the heads of the winners
(or losers?) of their ball
tournaments.
A skull rack.
The Aztec empire
The Aztec
Sun Disc
shows the
Aztec
calendar.
The Aztec empire
Aztec Sun Stone
The Aztec empire
This is a ball court. Aztecs
played a 2 team ball game in
a court like this one. The
object of the game was to
get the ball into a ring like
the one shown below.
The team members of the
winning team were often
sacrificed to their gods. This
was considered a great
honor. Their skulls were
displayed on skull racks for
all to see.
The Aztec empire
Chinampas
The problem for
the Aztecs was
not lack of water,
but too much of it.
They created
floating gardens
just like the
gardens in the
picture. They
heaped up mud
from the surrounding lake bottom and made very useful and fertile
land to farm on. Many areas still have working chinampas in
existance.
The Aztec empire
Some examples
of Aztec writing.
Aztecs used
picture writing
or “glyphs” to
tell stories or
document
information.
The Aztec empire
Modern Aztec
dancers.
The Aztec empire
Masks like this one were used in
religious rituals and ceremonies.
They were worn by dancers and
priests.
Masks were made from a wooden
base with decorations of
materials such as turquoise,
shells, or clay.
They mainly colored their masks
with primary colors like red and
blue, and sometimes green.
The Aztec empire
An Aztec
Warrior in
traditional
warrior attire.
The Aztec empire
Aztec Goddess – Coatlicue.
She was the goddess of life
and death. She was also the
mother of the sun god.
She has a necklace made of
human hands and human
skulls.
Instead of a head herself,
she has two serpents that
come out of where her neck
and head should be.
She is made from 3 tons of
rock and stands over 8 feet
high.
Mask of Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl was a
very important Aztec
god. He is thought to
have created the
world and humans.
This mask is made
from wood with
turquoise mosaic
stones and shells for
the eyes and teeth.
The Aztec empire
In 1519 the Aztec
empire was invaded by
the Spanish. The
Spanish soldier, Hernan
Cortes, captured the
Aztec ruler, Montezuma
II, and claimed the land
for Spain.
The Aztec empire
Montezuma II was
the final ruler of
the mighty Aztec
empire.
Montezuma II
The Aztec empire
Tenochtitlan is
gone and Lake
Texcoco is dried
up now. Today,
Mexico City sits
where the lake
and island used
to be. The three
distinct cultures
of this area are
shown in this
picture.
Modern Mexican
Architecture
Spanish Church
Aztec
Marketplace
plaza de las tres culturas