Name: Aztecs

The Aztec Empire

1 The Aztecs moved from their home of Aztlan in the 1200s. They went south to today’s Mexico. The myth says that they came to a stop when an eagle ate a snake on a cactus. That was the place where they built the city of Tenochtitlan in 1325. They were known as the Aztec, they all spoke the Nahuatl language. Thoughts were expressed by a writing made of pictures. They used this form for business and civic records.

2 The Aztecs lived in a tropical land. This was a hot, humid, and damp area in the lowlands. Though, the valley was thousands of feet above sea level. This gave the region a mild climate. There were over 400 large and small towns. The region had 20 million people. Most of these Aztecs lived in the valley and in the capital. Lake Texcoco was there in the central part of the empire. An island was at the center of this giant lake. That was where Tenochtitlan was built. This was the capital and the largest of all the cities. It was linked to the mainland by raised earth roads, or causeways. At the height of the Aztec world, more than 200,000 people lived there.

3 Aztec culture had four classes of people. It was very structured with nobles at the top. The king was from this group and had a title that meant “great speaker”. He was the most powerful man in the empire. He was from the royal house and picked by the mighty nobles. The people felt he had mystic powers which gave him great talents. These nobles held government jobs. They served as the Aztec warriors as well. A large group, commoners, were people who owned small plots of land and worked those fields. Serfs were a level below and were assigned to work on a noble’s farm. Slaves were in the lowest level. They were men captured in war or those unable to pay their debts. They were owned by the nobles, but their children were not born into bondage. The nobles and commoners went to school. They were taught combat skills and about Aztec culture. Warriors were housed around the realm to keep peace and protect the land.

4 The Aztecs had a diverse diet that was very spicy. Corn was the main crop of Aztec farming. Tlaxcalli was the main food, a very thin pancake made out of corn. They hunted deer and other game for protein to add to their spicy meals. Also, they fished and raised animals such as turkeys and dogs for their meat. They would stuff tlaxcalli with this meat and threw in hot peppers. They grew avocados, tomatoes, and beans to add to their meals. At times, a chocolate drink was enjoyed by the nobles. The empire relied on farming to feed its people. To keep the land lush, they used slash-and-burn methods. They removed trees from large areas and burned them, clearing farmland. Then, the Aztecs fertilized their lands with the ashes.

5 A family had parents, kids, and others all in one home. All were obliged to fill certain roles in the empire and in the home. Cooking, weaving, and teaching the girls how to do these tasks was the mother’s role. Craftwork and farming was the duty of the husband. Though, boys helped with farming duties as well. Women wore colorful skirts and shirts. Men wore cloth around their hips and a cloak covering their shoulders. The elite wore cotton clothes with colors and decorations. They wore colored feathered cloaks for special events as well. Families took steam baths in a building called the sweat house. Most families lived in adobe homes, or buildings made from clay, hay, and mud.

6 The Aztec religion was based on the gods of nature. They felt the gods controlled farming, so the two most worshipped were those of corn and rain. They honored their deities through song, dance, music, and prayer. To the shock of conquered tribes, human sacrifice was a huge part of life. The massive stone temples were stained in blood and heads were placed on display. Men captured in war were the main victims of these bloody events. However, slaves were sacrificed to the gods as well. Sometimes animals were killed in place of people.

7 When the Spanish reached the city in 1519, they were stunned at its size. Yet, they were shocked at the bloody rituals of the Aztecs. The Spanish leader, Hernan Cortes, vowed to crush the Aztecs. He planned to make them Christian and plunder their gold. He jailed King Montezuma and killed many in 1520. A revolt occurred but the Spanish put it down and won the next year. They destroyed Aztec towns and their grisly temples. They then built Mexico City on the remains of the capital. They felt it was their duty to god to rid the world of the Aztec culture. The Aztec Empire was no longer.

G4.4 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 1

Aztecs

G4.4 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 2

4. How did the Aztecs communicate through a written language?

A. they used letters and spoke the Nahuatl language

B. they used pictures that stood for ideas

C. they used letters and pictures

D. they only spoke the Nahuatl language

5. How did the Aztecs use their surroundings for shelter?

A. they built temporary homes from animal hides, mud, and stone

B. they used huge amounts of wood to build permanent homes

C. they built their capital city in the middle of a lake

D. they used clay and mud to construct adobe homes and stone for temples

6. How did the nobles dress differently from others?

A. they wore cloth around their hips and a cloak

B. they wore colorful, cotton clothes with decorations and feathers

C. they wore colorful cloaks only for religious events

D. they wore cotton cloths around their hips and shirts

A. they cut down trees for farming

B. they used huge irrigation canals

C. hey only planted crops that used little water

D. they used slash-and-burn methods

2. Why would the layout of capital city be easy to defend?

A. the Aztecs had a huge army of warriors

B. you could only get to the city in the lake by bridges

C. the city had stone buildings for defense

D. the sight of human sacrifice kept enemies away

3. How did the Aztec Empire control and keep their lands safe?

A. through a strict social order and placing soldiers around the empire

B. by using human sacrifice to scare rival tribes

C. through humans sacrifice which controlled slaves

D. by having a strong king who used magic

1. How did the Aztecs make sure crops would grow in healthy soil?

Directions: Read each question and circle the best answer.

Aztecs

G4.4 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 3

9. What resource would you use to find a synonym for the word obliged from paragraph 5?

A. an atlas B. an almanac C. a thesaurus D. a dictionary

10. Which word below does not use the prefix un— as in the word unable from paragraph 3?

A. uncertain B. unused C. under D. unskilled

11. What would be a synonym for the word mystic in paragraph 3?

A. strange B. magical C. plain D. ordinary

12. Which sentence from the article is an opinion?

A. A family had parents, kids, and others all in one home.

B. A revolt occurred but the Spanish put it down and won the next year.

C. The Aztecs moved from their home of Aztlan in the 1200s.

D. When the Spanish reached the city in 1519, they were stunned at its size.

A. horrible B. peaceful C. proud D. huge

8. What does the word grisly mean in paragraph 7?

7. What did the Aztecs do that shocked the Spanish?

A. they built huge structures

B. they sacrificed people

C. they used slaves D. they were not Christians

Name: Aztecs

The Aztec Empire*

1 The Aztecs moved from their home of Aztlan in the 1200s. They went south to today’s Mexico. The myth says that they came to a stop when an eagle ate a snake on a cactus. That was the place where they built the city of Tenochtitlan in 1325. They were known as the Aztec, they all spoke the Nahuatl language. Thoughts were expressed by a writing made of pictures. They used this form for business and civic records.

2 The Aztecs lived in a tropical land. This was a hot, humid, and damp area in the lowlands. Though, the valley was thousands of feet above sea level. This gave the region a mild climate. There were over 400 large and small towns. The region had 20 million people. Most of these Aztecs lived in the valley and in the capital. Lake Texcoco was there in the central part of the empire. An island was at the center of this giant lake. That was where Tenochtitlan was built. This was the capital and the largest of all the cities. It was linked to the mainland by raised earth roads, or causeways. At the height of the Aztec world, more than 200,000 people lived there.

3 Aztec culture had four classes of people. It was very structured with nobles at the top. The king was from this group and had a title that meant “great speaker”. He was the most powerful man in the empire. He was from the royal house and picked by the mighty nobles. The people felt he had mystic powers which gave him great talents. These nobles held government jobs. They served as the Aztec warriors as well. A large group, commoners, were people who owned small plots of land and worked those fields. Serfs were a level below and were assigned to work on a noble’s farm. Slaves were in the lowest level. They were men captured in war or those unable to pay their debts. They were owned by the nobles, but their children were not born into bondage. The nobles and commoners went to school. They were taught combat skills and about Aztec culture. Warriors were housed around the realm to keep peace and protect the land.

4 The Aztecs had a diverse diet that was very spicy. Corn was the main crop of Aztec farming. Tlaxcalli was the main food, a very thin pancake made out of corn. They hunted deer and other game for protein to add to their spicy meals. Also, they fished and raised animals such as turkeys and dogs for their meat. They would stuff tlaxcalli with this meat and threw in hot peppers. They grew avocados, tomatoes, and beans to add to their meals. At times, a chocolate drink was enjoyed by the nobles. The empire relied on farming to feed its people. To keep the land lush, they used slash-and-burn methods. They removed trees from large areas and burned them, clearing farmland. Then, the Aztecs fertilized their lands with the ashes.

5 A family had parents, kids, and others all in one home. All were obliged to fill certain roles in the empire and in the home. Cooking, weaving, and teaching the girls how to do these tasks was the mother’s role. Craftwork and farming was the duty of the husband. Though, boys helped with farming duties as well. Women wore colorful skirts and shirts. Men wore cloth around their hips and a cloak covering their shoulders. The elite wore cotton clothes with colors and decorations. They wore colored feathered cloaks for special events as well. Families took steam baths in a building called the sweat house. Most families lived in adobe homes, or buildings made from clay, hay, and mud.

6 The Aztec religion was based on the gods of nature. They felt the gods controlled farming, so the two most worshipped were those of corn and rain. They honored their deities through song, dance, music, and prayer. To the shock of conquered tribes, human sacrifice was a huge part of life. The massive stone temples were stained in blood and heads were placed on display. Men captured in war were the main victims of these bloody events. However, slaves were sacrificed to the gods as well. Sometimes animals were killed in place of people.

7 When the Spanish reached the city in 1519, they were stunned at its size. Yet, they were shocked at the bloody rituals of the Aztecs. The Spanish leader, Hernan Cortes, vowed to crush the Aztecs. He planned to make them Christian and plunder their gold. He jailed King Montezuma and killed many in 1520. A revolt occurred but the Spanish put it down and won the next year. They destroyed Aztec towns and their grisly temples. They then built Mexico City on the remains of the capital. They felt it was their duty to god to rid the world of the Aztec culture. The Aztec Empire was no longer.

G4.4* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 1

Aztecs

A. they cut down trees for farming

B. they used huge irrigation canals

C. hey only planted crops that used little water

D. they used slash-and-burn methods *

2. Why would the layout of capital city be easy to defend?

A. the Aztecs had a huge army of warriors

B. you could only get to the city in the lake by bridges *

C. the city had stone buildings for defense

D. the sight of human sacrifice kept enemies away

3. How did the Aztec Empire control and keep their lands safe?

A. through a strict social order and placing soldiers around the empire *

B. by using human sacrifice to scare rival tribes

C. through humans sacrifice which controlled slaves

D. by having a strong king who used magic

4. How did the Aztecs communicate through a written language?

A. they used letters and spoke the Nahuatl language

B. they used pictures that stood for ideas *

C. they used letters and pictures

D. they only spoke the Nahuatl language

5. How did the Aztecs use their surroundings for shelter?

A. they built temporary homes from animal hides, mud, and stone

B. they used huge amounts of wood to build permanent homes

C. they built their capital city in the middle of a lake

D. they used clay and mud to construct adobe homes and stone for temples *

6. How did the nobles dress differently from others?

A. they wore cloth around their hips and a cloak

B. they wore colorful, cotton clothes with decorations and feathers *

C. they wore colorful cloaks only for religious events

D. they wore cotton cloths around their hips and shirts

G4.4* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 2

Directions: Read each question and circle the best answer.

1. How did the Aztecs make sure crops would grow in healthy soil?

Aztecs

A. horrible * B. peaceful C. proud D. huge

9. What resource would you use to find a synonym for the word obliged from paragraph 5?

A. an atlas B. an almanac C. a thesaurus * D. a dictionary

10. Which word below does not use the prefix un— as in the word unable from paragraph 3?

A. uncertain B. unused C. under * D. unskilled

11. What would be a synonym for the word mystic in paragraph 3?

A. strange B. magical * C. plain D. ordinary

12. Which sentence from the article is an opinion?

A. A family had parents, kids, and others all in one home.

B. A revolt occurred but the Spanish put it down and won the next year.

C. The Aztecs moved from their home of Aztlan in the 1200s.

D. When the Spanish reached the city in 1519, they were stunned at its size. *

G4.4* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 3

8. What does the word grisly mean in paragraph 7?

7. What did the Aztecs do that shocked the Spanish?

A. they built huge structures

B. they sacrificed people *

C. they used slaves D. they were not Christians