HSS8, Aztecs 1

The aztecs originally lived in

northern mexico

Huitzilopochtli

the tribal god of the aztecs, encouraged them to settle in the valley of mexico, warlike aspects

Huitzilopochtli commanded the people to

go south

Huitzilopochtli told the people to look for

an eagle on a cactus

once they found the eagle, Huitzilopochtli wanted them to

build a great city there

1168

the year that Huitzilopochtli got the aztecs to search for the eagle

the aztecs looked for the eagle for —- years

over 150

in 1325 the aztecs arrived in

the valley of mexico

the only unoccupied land the aztecs could find was

swampy island

what did the aztecs see on the swampy island

eagle on cactus

Tenochtitlan

what the aztecs called the swampy island

what was the lake that Tenochtitlan was located near

texcoco

texcoco climate

desert to tropical

the aztecs saw mountains as

sacred and holywhy d

why did the aztecs think that mountains were holy

because they were tall they brought people to the gods

what kind of temples did the aztecs build

pyramids like mountains

positives of mountains

protection

problems for the aztecs

tenochtitlan was an island in the middle of a lake, the lake was saltwater

to solve their problems, the aztecs

built chinampas and a barrier to separate the saltwater and freshwater

how many causeways did the aztecs build connecting their city to the land

3

how did they ensure safety with the causeways to protect their city

they made it so that the bridges could be destroyed

chinampas

floating islands used to grow crops

how were chinampas built

drive stakes in a rectangle, put reed mats on them, pile dirt on top

did the aztecs have animals?

no

how would farmers access crops

canoeing through the waterways that were in between the chinampas

what did the aztecs believed controlled every aspect of their world

the gods

aztecs believed in

many gods, some were more powerful than others

what did they sacrifice to honor the gods

humans

tezcatlipoca

most powerful god, sees the future through a black mirror,eternally struggling with huitzilopochtli

quetzalcoatl

god of wind, left mexico after a fight with tezcatlipoca, would return and destroy the aztecs

tlaloc

god of rain, feared by the aztecs

codices

a type of library

aztecs recorded —— in their libraries

information about their society

the spanish almost destroyed —— when they conquered the aztecs

the codicies

the aztecs thought the world would end if they didnt

sacrifice people

2 aztec calendars

solar calendar and sacred calendar

sacred calendar length

260 day

how long did the sacred calendar take to catch up with the solar calendar

52 years

the sacred calendar shows

how the world began and how it will end

they thought that there were —- eras before the current one and each of them had been —-

4, destroyed

the first era was destroyed by

jaguars

the second era was destroyed by

hurricanes

the third era was destroyed by

fiery rain

the fourth era had been destroyed by

flood

the fifth would be destroyed by

earthquakes would destroy the sun

new fire ceremony happened when

when the 2 calendars caught up to each other

during new fire, people would

fast and extinguish their fires, wait for the sacred fire to be lit on tenochtitlan, and then their fires would be re lit with the sacred fire

new fire ceremony is similar to

easter vigil

aztec philosophers thought the earth was

a flat circle divided into four sections

in the middle of the four sections there was

tenochtitlan

the four sections tenochtitlan was divided in symbolized

the four directions

the large square in the middle of tenochtitlan contained

temples, including the great temple

the aztecs thought tenochtitlan was a model of

the world

the great temple was regarded as the

spiritual and physical centre of the universe

because they didn’t have enough resources they had to

trade with neighbors

the merchants also acted as

spies

they believed that their group was more important than

the individuals within it

aztecs would sacrifice themselves for

the good of the group

military service was

required

once the aztecs conquered another group, they collected

tribute

tribute

valuable gifts and taxes

what did the aztecs use as currency

cocoa beans