The Aztecs

About The AztecsAround 1300 CE, a wandering tribe of Indians wandered in to the Valley of Mexico. These people were called the Aztecs.When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already in residence. They had already taken the best land. The Aztecs had to make do with the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.But this did not bother the Aztecs. Not only were they clever people, but they had every faith that their main god had sent them to the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco so obviously this place was perfect for them.

The Aztec Family LifeThe family structure was very important to the Aztecs. The husband generally worked on a job outside of the home as a farmer, warrior or craftsman. The wife worked at home cooking food for the family and weaving cloth for the family’s clothes.

Aztec Family

School

School was tough in the Aztec time. There was no lunch breaks or time to relax in school. But all schools included instruction on song and in dance, not because it was a beautiful art, but because songs and dances were very important to religious festivals

Food

The Aztec’s main food source was maize. The Aztecs also ate a kind of meal that was made from steamed maize stuffed with vegetables or meat. They also ate tortillas made from maize, tomatoes, tamales, atole (a type of porridge) , avocados and chocolate.Chocolate was set aside for warriors and nobility.

Maize

Clothes

The Aztec men wore loincloths and long capes. The women wore long skirts and blouses. Poor people generally wove their own cloth and made their own clothing. It was the responsibility of the wife to make the clothes.

women’s clothing

Men’s clothing

GamesThe Aztecs enjoyed playing games. One of the most popular games was a board game called Patolli. Just like many board games today, players would move their pieces around a board by rolling a dice.Another popular games was Ullamalitzli. This was a ball game played with a rubber ball on a court. Players had to pass the ball around by using their hips, shoulders, heads and knees. Some historians believe that this game was used in preparation for war.

Ullamalitzli

Fun Facts

1. They called themselves ‘Mexica’.2. They were short , sturdy people with dark coarse hair. They had

brown skin.3. Tenochtitlan was their capital city.4. They used two calendars for calculation of time and worshipping their

gods.5. Nahuatl was the official language of the Aztecs and the people who

belong to the Aztec origin still speak the language.6. The Aztecs always buried a dead member of their family in their own

house

About the project

This project was by Faye and Emma and we hope you enjoyed it!