aztecs – c. 1350- 1550 a continuation of the olmec and maya cultures
Post on 03-Jan-2016
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Location / Geography
• Central Mexico (not the Yucatan)
• Capital at Tenochtitlan (island) 500,000 people
• Total Pop: 10-20 million
Politics• Theocracy led
by divine king/Priest
• Military – nearly constant brutal wars for conquest, collect tribute, captives
for slaves and sacrifice
Economics• Agriculturally based• merchants are limited by
what they can carry since they don’t have large pack animals
• Chinampas – huge floating islands for agriculture
• The great market – daily trade in the merchant section of large cities
Religion• Polytheistic• Many Temples based
on astronomy for worship, agricultural planning and sacrifice
• Each holiday included ceremonies involving human sacrifice/cannibalism
• Fatalistic and cyclical view of the world
Social
• Large gap between upper/lower classes
• Role of Women – decide fate of prisoners, domestic chores (grinding maize), can inherit land
• Common people in constant fear of war/sacrifice/slavery
Intellectual
• calendar, numbers and pictorial writing similar but not identical to Maya
• Capital built on an island required great planning and coordination
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