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Aztec Culture
Tiffany Stevens
Tiffany Stevens
Sra.Eldredge
Liberty High School
2011
5/25/2011
Aztec Culture
The daily life: Aztecs were very different from the people who were living during their
times. They customs were similar to Americas. The husband supported the family and the wife
stayed home and did household work. What was different from today was they husbands taught
their son until they were ten, then the boys went to school to learned religion and did military
training. Girls sometimes went to school but the majority of them stayed home with the mother
and learned household skills. The husbands went fishing and hunting daily to get the meal for the
evening. They were very heavy on religion. Every day they made a sacrifice to the sun because
they believed the world would end and the son will vanish.
Geography: The Aztecs were located on an island in Mexico. The climate was very hot and
humid most of the time. They had the perfect land for growing crops that’s why farming was a
major deal to the Aztecs. Their water was very salty. They had tall mountains which were an
advantage because can see anyone who was coming down the mountains.
Government: The Aztec government was very different from other systems during that time.
The Aztec people showed appreciation Aztec empire. The cities the empire took over the more
money they made. That helped them make money because they built roads so they can trade
goods. The Aztecs rulers were very powerful and rich, they were considered upper class. Like
today the Aztecs had an upper class and a lower class. After an amount of time the Aztecs
became resentful of their leader because of the extent of money the rulers had. The capital of the
city was Tenochtitlan. That’s where the rulers and nobles lived. The greatest and biggest temples
were located there.
Language: The Aztecs language was very unique. The Aztec language is part of the Indiana
languages. Aztecs didn’t really have writing because it didn’t completely express complete ideas.
Instead of letters they had symbols like hieroglyphs. Poetry was very important to the Aztecs
because they used numerous symbolism and metaphors. Poetry was used in rituals. The Aztecs
numbers were very important because they were used in the calendar and mathematics. Without
the Aztec numbers the Aztec calendar would have been hard and complex to come up with
because it played a major role in the calendar.
Religious Beliefs: The Aztec religion was difficult to understand. They had three gods
main gods which were Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, and Quetzalcoatl. Huitzilopochtli was chief
god of war and sun god. Tezcatlipoca was chief god of Aztecs in general. Lastly, Quetzalcoatl
was chief god of civilization, priesthood, and learning. The Aztec goddess was Xochipilli. She
was the chief goddess of feasting. Sacrificing played a major role in the Aztec religion. They did
rituals because they believed the gods needed to be nourished by the humans. These rituals killed
many Aztecs because they were taking out their heart which killed the instantly.
Social Levels: The Aztec people had music and had a specialized dance which was used on
religious ceremonies. They had instruments called the Ayotl and the Omichicauaztli. They Ayotl
were made from a tortoise shell. The Omichicauaztl were made from bones of a deer. They had
many different rattles such as, Ayacahtli, Cacalachtli, and Chicahuaztli which was filled with
beads, seeds, and pebbles. They had a ball game called Tlachtli and a board game called Patolli.
Architecture: The Aztecs architecture included temples, houses, roads, and political
buildings. Aztec architecture expressed the empire's values and its civilization. All the major
cities had at least one sacrificial pyramid. Every time the Aztecs wanted to enlarge the temple
they would build another level to the temple. The temples had statues and decorations of the
gods and goddess. Aztecs homes were made out of adobe. The homes were two buildings, each
building had one room. Most Aztecs had the same basic design of house, but the nobles had
larger ones, and often had decorations or statues.
Agriculture: The farming techniques the Aztec used are still used today in Mexico.
Chinampas were used for their crops. Chinampas is a technique to farming when a farmer
used a small rectangular area. It would grow the crops on a shallow lake bed in the Mexican
valley. Religion was also used in the agriculture life because there was a corn goddess. the
Aztec farmers also used terracing to provide more usable land. The most common crops
where maize also known as corn and squash. Maize, squash, and beans were referred to
“Three Sisters”, they were planted together to keep the nutrients in the soil.
Math and Science: The Aztecs had a number system which was advanced during their
time. Aztec math played a major role in science when creating the calendar. They also
studied astronomy because it was used on the creating of the calendar. The Aztecs were
also advanced in the medicine field. Aztec medicine was found in many forms, such as
ointments, drinks, and salves.
Works Citied
1. "Aztec Daily Life." Aztec Indians | Culture, Religion, Civilization, Daily Life, Art, Gods
of the Aztecs. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-daily-life.html>.
2. "The Aztec Civilization." Aztec Indians | Culture, Religion, Civilization, Daily Life, Art,
Gods of the Aztecs. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/azteccivilization.html>.
3. "Aztec Religion | Human Sacrifices, Rituals, Mythology, Gods & Goddesses." Aztec
Indians | Culture, Religion, Civilization, Daily Life, Art, Gods of the Aztecs. Web. 25
May 2011. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-religion.html>.
4. "Aztec Culture." Aztec Indians | Culture, Religion, Civilization, Daily Life, Art, Gods of
the Aztecs. Web. 25 May 2011. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-culture.html>.