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All About Aztecs

All About Aztecs. By Manasi Shah. The Basics. Lived in Northern Mexico in Tenochtitlan, an island in Lake Texcoco Modern day Mexico City Called themselves the Mexica Lived in a warm climate with lots of water available

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All About Aztecs

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  1. All About Aztecs By Manasi Shah

  2. The Basics • Lived in Northern Mexico in Tenochtitlan, an island in Lake Texcoco • Modern day Mexico City • Called themselves the Mexica • Lived in a warm climate with lots of water available • Had a relatively large empire which was only surpassed by the Incas • Spoke Nahuatl

  3. Government & Economic Lifestyle • Groups of families were called calpulliand they owned land together • The leader of a calpulli would make decisions for the group • Nobility and the priests had a lot of power • In cities, all of the calpulli leaders would come together and form the city council • Nomadic until they settled down • No real form of money • Horticultural

  4. History: Past to Present • Believed to have originally lived in Aztlan which was somewhere in northern Mexico • This may be myth because they cannot actually find Aztlan • Moved around a lot because of wars with other native groups, but finally settled in what is now Tenochtitlan (one of three major city councils that became known as the triple alliance) • In 1519 Spanish traveler, Hernan Cortes, reaches Mexico. By the end of the year he is headed towards Tenochtitlan

  5. History Continued The leader at the time, Montezuma II assumes Cortes is Qeutzalcoatl, an Aztec God, so he welcomes him Cortes tries to convert the Aztecs to Christianity and is repulsed by their practice of sacrifice Cortes realizes that his people might still be in danger so he plans to take the emperor out of power

  6. More History He has him kidnapped and then manages to take control of the empire Cortes has to go back to Cuba and while he is there, his people lose control for a while When he returns they regain power and eventually take down the Aztec civilization.

  7. Religion Polytheistic Had many agricultural gods because their life was mostly based on farming Had a hierarchy of gods with 3 main gods, 4 gods below them, and then hundreds below them i.e. god of rain, god of growth, the sun god, etc. Warriors were honorable and believed to become stars in the night sky after they died. Other people could become almost anything

  8. Religion: Sacrifice Believed that the gods sacrificed themselves to become the Sun, Earth, wind, etc. Made human sacrifices because they believed that human blood was the gods’ diet Bloodletting was common People of a higher status were expected to give more blood Hearts were also good believed to be good nourishment. Whoever was the bravest at war had the strongest heart and would be taken to a temple to be sacrificed.

  9. Customs Polygyny was permitted The dead were cremated Men got married in their early 20s, women in their teens Marriage was a rite of passage into adulthood and independence It was believed that babies were trapped in their mothers’ wombs so when they were born religious leaders read hymns It was also common to have someone study the child’s astrology

  10. Aztec Contributions and Firsts • Introduced popcorn, chocolate, and chewing gum to the Europeans • “Physicians” were curious about the body and medical research • One of the first to have a system, of roads built • Their culture did not spread, but many of their inventions did. A lot of the food we eat today was introduced to Europeans through the Aztecs and Mayans

  11. Trading With Others • Merchants were called pochtecas • They kept to themselves and lived in a separate part of the city • Served as spies when they traveled to nearby lands • A class below nobles but above common farmers • Traded golden jewelry, feather caps, tortoise shell cups, spices, cocoa beans, cotton, rubber, etc. • No real money, cocoa beans were valued so they were often used for trade • Did not interact with other civilizations except for trade or during war

  12. Resources, Technology, and Clothing • Didn’t have plows or vehicles for transportation • Used mostly crops, plants, and water as resources • Clothing was colorful • Cloth was made form twisting cotton and fibers on a stick and then put on a spindle to make threads • Men wore capes and loincloths, women wore dresses

  13. Literature • System of writing similar to the Mayans • Books were folded like a fan and were called codices • Some famous codices include the Paris Codex, Dresden Codex, and Madrid Codex

  14. Education and Music Education in the early years was the responsibilty of the parents One of the first to make education mandatory for everyone Children had to attend school until age 15 Music was an important subject in school Many songs were sacred hymns which told stories of things the Gods had done

  15. Food Relied mostly on crops Maize (corn) was a common ingredient It was used to make tortillas, bread, tamales, and even some drinks Domesticated a lot of animals such as turkeys for meat and bees for honey Hunted and fished to get food Chocolate, especially cocoa beans, were highly valued Did not eat chicken

  16. Aztec Art • Most art depicted Aztec gods and much of it was used in worship • Variety of pottery, sculptures, and reliefs of gods were made • Used pictographs representing objects or sounds, as symbols • Masks and warrior art was made to honor Aztec gods or important Aztec leaders

  17. Works Cited Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Aztecs.” HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa12 "Aztec Clothing." Aztec Clothing. 2010. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-clothing.html>. "Aztec Climate and Enviroment - The Amazing Aztecs." Aztec Climate and Enviroment - The Amazing Aztecs. Google Maps. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://sites.google.com/site/theamazingaztecs/aztec-climate-and-enviroment>. "Aztecs." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/>. "Aztec Inventions." Aztec Inventions. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-inventions.html>. "Aztec Art." Aztec Art. Aztec-Indians.com, 2010. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-art.html>. Carr, Karen. "Aztec," Kidipede - History for Kids. 2012. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/ southamerica/before1500/literature/aztec.htm>. "The Aztecs/Mexicas." The Aztecs/Mexicas. The American Indian Heritage Foundation. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.indians.org/welker/aztec.htm>. ThinkQuest Team 16325. "Empires Past: Aztecs: Trade, Economy and Merchants" 31 August 1998. Web 04 June 2012. http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-eco.html?tql-iframe Dunnell, Tony. "Aztec Food -What Did the Aztecs Eat?" Suite101.com. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://suite101.com/article/aztec-food--what-did-the-aztecs-eat-a315203>. "Aztec Society Family." Aztec Society Family. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-society-family.html>.

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