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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