Download The Aztec Empire - White Plains Public Schools

The Aztecs lived in Central Mexico as
early as the 1100s. They learned to grow
maize and developed an advanced
civilization.
The Aztecs were skilled warriors and
conquered a vast empire.
Like the Mayas before them, the Aztecs
built beautiful pyramids. The Aztec
capital of Tenochtitlan had temples,
pyramids, gardens, and markets.
The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was
built on an island in 1325. As many
as 300,000 Aztecs lived in the capital.
the island capital was connected to
the main land by causeways.
The Aztecs invented a calendar.
The Aztecs worshipped many gods.
They were polytheists.
The sun god was
an important
Aztec god. The
Aztecs believed
that the sun
god required
human sacrifice.
The sun would
not rise without
human blood.
To supply the sun god with human blood,
the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice
on a massive scale.
From the 1300s to the early 1500s,
the Aztecs made war with neighboring
tribes. Sometimes the Aztecs engaged
in warfare just to capture people to
sacrifice.
In 1519, a European conquistador
arrived in the Aztec capital.
Cortes arrived with his soldiers in
search of gold and silver.
Cortes allied himself with the enemies
of the Aztecs.
Cortes defeated the Aztecs by
1521.Guns, horses, and European
diseases led to the demise of
a great and powerful Mesoamerican
civilization.
The native population of the Americas
was enslaved and abused.
The Aztecs
Tenochtitlan
Decline
Accomplishments
Religion