Download The Aztecs

The Aztecs
www.artzia.com
Background
• Originally named
Mexica
• Located in what is now
central Mexico
• The empire lasted
during the 14th, 15th,
and 16th centuries CE
http://www.geocities.com/kimmykim7072003/aztec_empire.jpg
Background
• Tenochtitlan was the
capital city and is located
in what is now present
day Mexico city
• The Aztec empire caused
the biggest demographic
explosion in
Mesoamerican history
http://www.mte.asd103.org/art/images/Aztec.jpg
Government
• The Aztecs where ruled by a single emperor
called the Huey Tlatoani which roughly
translates to “The Great Speaker” and was
located in the capitol city of Tenochtitlan
• There was also a ruling counsel comprised of
the wisest and most powerful leaders from the
Calpulli
• Calpulli is a group of extended families that
controlled the use of local lands and preformed
other territorial and social functions
Government
• Each urban settlement had a calpulli and four
main leaders would be selected to a governing
board the most powerful being named Tlatoani
• The Tlatoani from the all over the emperor would
then comprise the main ruling counsel in the
capital city
• The Aztecs grew rapidly by conquering nearby
cities and would force them to pay tributes
• These tributes would eventually result in the
increased welfare of the common people
•
Characteristics of the Nahuatl
Language
It is an agglutinant language. Words and
phrases are constructed by joining prefixes, root
words and suffixes to form an idea.
• It is a flexive language. The morphology of
words may change (flex) according to their
function in a phrase.
• It uses mostly reverential forms of speech that
gives a respectful frame to human relations.
Social Structure
• The Aztec society was divided into three socal
classes: the macehualli (people) or peasantry,
the pochteca or merchants and traders, and the
pilli or nobility
• Slaves or tlacotin consisted as a large part of the
Aztec society
• Though people were born into a certain class it
was possible to move up the ranks within a life
time
Religion
• Main deity in the Aztec religion was
Huitzilopochtli and was known as both the sun
god and war god
• Human sacrifice was practiced heavily in the
Aztec religion
• The Aztecs believed that by performing these
sacrifices that it gave power to the gods which in
turn would insure the survival of the Aztec
universe
Religion
• War captives were used in the sacrifices and in
times of peace the Aztec would have to resort to
ritualistic warfare or flower war
• In the year 1487 the Aztecs reported killing
84,400 war prisoners in four days at the great
pyramid of Tenochitlan
• After a town was conquered the inhabitants
where no longer eligible of sacrifice and became
Aztec citizens
Art
• The favored form of art in
the Aztec empire was
sculpture
• Most Sculptures were made
from limestone, which is still
abundant in Mexico today
• Aztec sculpture was like
most other Mesoamerican
cultures and was mostly
directly related to religion
http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html
Art
• The Aztecs also made other
religious and non-religious
artifacts such as jade masks
• Clothing was also a popular
art form and women from
around the empire would use
bead, flower, and metal
decorations
• These artifacts were sold in
markets by visiting merchants
www.latinamericanstudies.org/.../aztec-mask.gif
Architecture
• There where four main types of architecture in
the Aztec society: sacrificial temples, emperors
temple, and shines of the gods
http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html
Sacrificial Temple
http://www.chipotletx.com/assets/images/aztectemple.jpg
Emperor Palace
http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html
Homes
http://www.sylviastuurman.nl/stories/four corners/english.php
Tenochtitlan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec
Resources
• http://www.mte.asd103.org/art/images/Aztec.jpg
• www.artzia.com
• http://www.geocities.com/kimmykim7072003/aztec_empir
e.jpg
• http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html
• www.latinamericanstudies.org/.../aztec-mask.gif
• http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html
• http://www.chipotletx.com/assets/images/aztectemple.jpg
• http://www.sylviastuurman.nl/stories/four
corners/english.php
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec