aztec overview
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ANCIENT AZTECSAdapted From: http://www.slideshare.net/jmarazas/wh-chapter-7-aztecs?qid=b29221fd-ec05-4e7e-bcb4-b3b230c78953&v=default&b=&from_search=1
ROOTS OF AZTEC CULTURE
Long before Mayan cities rose in the south, the city of Teotihuacan emerged in the Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a huge oval basin ringed by snowcapped volcanoes, located in the high plateau of central Mexico
MAP OF EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN MEXICO
TEOTIHUACAN
The city of Teotihuacan was well planned, with wide roads, massive temples, and large apartment buildings
The Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon rose majestically towards the sky along the main avenue
Citizens of Teotihuacan worshipped a powerful nature goddess and rain god
Eventually Teotihuacan fell to invaders but its culture influenced later peoples, especially the Aztecs
TEOTIHUACAN
ARRIVAL OF THE AZTECS
In the late 1200s, bands of nomadic peoples, the ancestors of the Aztecs, migrated into the Valley of Mexico from the north
According to Aztec legend, the gods had told them to search for an eagle perched atop a cactus holding a snake in its beak
The people found this sign on a swampy island in Lake Texcoco
Once they settled, the Aztecs shifted from hunting to farming
They slowly built the city of Tenochtitlan on the site of present-day Mexico City
VALLEY OF MEXICO
LAKE TEXCOCO
ARRIVAL OF THE AZTECS
As their population grew, the Aztecs found ingenious ways to create more farmland
They built chinampas, artificial islands made of earth piled on reed mats that were anchored to the shallow lake bed
On these “floating gardens”, they raised corn, beans, and squash
They gradually filled in parts of the lake and created canals for transportation
Three wide stone causeways linked Tenochtitlan to the mainland
CHINAMPAS
TENOCHTITLAN
TENOCHTITLAN
CONQUERING AN EMPIRE
In the 1400s, the Aztecs greatly expanded their territory
Through a combination of fierce conquests and shrewd alliances, they spread their rule across most of Mexico, from the Gulf of Mexico on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west
By 1500, the Aztec empire numbered an estimated 30 million people
War brought immense wealth as well as power
Tribute, or payment from conquered peoples, helped the Aztecs turn their capital into a magnificent city
AZTEC EMPIRE
THE WORLD OF THE AZTECS
When the Spanish and Hernan Cortes reached Tenochtitlan in 1519, they were awestruck at its magnificence
From its temples and royal palaces to its zoos and floating gardens, Tenochtitlan was a city of wonders
WORLD OF THE AZTECS---GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY Unlike the Mayan city-states, each of which had its
own king, the Aztecs had a single ruler Aztec Social Pyramid:
Emperor Nobles, Priests Warriors Commoners Slaves
Long-distance traders ferried goods across the empire and beyond
From the highlands, they took goods such as weapons, tools, and rope to barter for tropical products such as jaguar skins and cocoa beans
They also served as spies, finding new areas for trade and conquest
WORLD OF THE AZTECS---RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Priests were very important to the Aztecs They performed rituals needed to appease
the many Aztec gods The chief god was Huitzilopochtli, the sun
god The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli
battled the forces of darkness each night and was reborn again each morning
To give the sun the strength to rise each day, the Aztecs offered human sacrifices
HUITZILOPOCHTLI
WORLD OF THE AZTECS---RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Priests offered the hearts of tens of thousands of victims to Huitzilopochtili and other Aztec gods
Most of the victims were prisoners of war, but sometimes a noble family gave up one of its own members to appease the gods
Other cultures such as the Olmecs and Mayas had practiced human sacrifice, but not on the massive scale of the Aztecs
AZTEC SACRIFICES
TEMPLE OF BLOOD
Watch Discovery Channel’s ‘Aztec: Temple of Blood
Learn about: Aztec’s sacrifice rituals Temples Fighting techniques How they fell
WORLD OF THE AZTECS---EDUCATION AND LEARNING
Priests were the keepers of Aztec knowledge Besides performing rituals, they also
recorded laws and events, and they also ran schools
Others used their skills in astronomy and mathematics to produce a calendar
The Aztecs believed that illnesses were punishments from the gods
Aztec physicians could set broken bones, treat dental cavities, and also prescribed steam baths as cures for ills
HORRIBLE HISTORIES
Aztec tidbits: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBQ-O3cy-fQ
AZTEC ENTERTAINMENT
Aztecs also had a similar ball game to the Mayans They enjoyed games and gambling Patolli: type of board game, which was played by
the common people as well as the nobles The name comes from the word for small red beans,
which were used to play the game. Sacrifices were made to the "dice" in hopes that the
gods would bring victory Totoloque: another gambling game popular in
Mexico at the time The object of the game was to hit a target with gold
pellets Bernal Diaz, the Spanish historian, wrote that Cortés
and Moctezuma II played totoloque together
LET’S PLAY SOME PATOLLI!
Grab a game sheet and put it together Grab some beans and make them dice Get some game pieces and read over the
rules
DOWNFALL OF THE AZTECS
Hernan Cortes was the Spanish conquistador who took over the Aztec empire
The Aztec emperor, Montezuma, tried to appease the Spanish by offering gold but by then Spaniards could never be given enough to satisfy their liking
After finally defeating the Aztecs, Cortes destroyed Tenochtitlan and rebuilt the city as Mexico City, the present-day capital of Mexico
HERNAN CORTES
SPANISH HONOR
ROUTE OF THE SPANIARDS
MONTEZUMA
CORTES AND THE AZTECS
Fact of Fiction? What were Cortes’ real motives when going to the Americas?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0xm3aiPU-w
MEXICO CITY
MEXICO CITY AT NIGHT
THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE
We’ve looked at how various cultures were destroyed by the Spanish but how did the finding of the New World impact the Americas and Eurasia?
Watch John Green’s take: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPA5oNpfM4&index=24&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
Do you think Columbus’ founding of the New World has made the world less or more?
OTHER SOURCES:
http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-games.html
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