Aztec society before the Spanish

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73 Terms

1
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What was Tenochtitlan?
A city built in 1325 in the middle of Lake Texcoco, estimated to have had a population of 150,000-300,000 people. It was one of the largest cities of its time.
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When was Tenochtitlan built?
1325
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What feature provided the city with freshwater?
aqueducts
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What did dykes do?
control flood waters and drive salt water away
5
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how many causeways linked to Texcoco’s shore?
3
6
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Who used these causeways?
Aztec warriors, traders & tribute bearers
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How did the Aztecs reclaim marshy lands from the lake?
dug canals through the marshes and piled mud on either side to increase the island’s size
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What was the main temple of Tenochtitlan?
Templo Mayor
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what was the templo mayor made of?
monumental stone
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who was the templo mayor built for?
Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc
11
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What were Chinampas?
Floating gardens created by the Aztecs for farming. Soil was loaded onto rafts made of wood and vegetation, and trees were planted on the corners to anchor the rafts to the lake bottom.
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What did the Aztecs grow?
Maize, beans, squashes, tomatoes, chilli peppers, decorative flowers
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what animals were eaten?
fish, geese, axayacatl, agricultural worm
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What is the marsh fly that was eaten by Aztecs?
Axayacatl
15
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Alcoholic Aztec drink. What was it made of?
Pulque, Agave
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Wild hallucination-inducing mushrooms were prevalent among…
religious class and poets
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What was Tlateloc?
A great market in Tenochtitlan where various produce and goods were sold
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What was sold at Tlateloc?
cocoa, quetzal feathers, obsidian, paper, gold, silver, salt, tortilla, maize, turkey eggs, custard apple, tuna, all tropical fruits
19
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Why was Sacrifice important for the Aztecs?
The Aztecs believed that offering blood and human lives to the gods was necessary to prevent the Sun from dying and the world from coming to an end.
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Who were sacrificed
prisoners, extreme cases where family might offer someone in order to procure favours from the gods, rebellious slaves
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about how many people were sacrificed?
between 10 000 - 50 000
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Where did sacrifices take place?
top of Templo Mayor
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How many priests were involved in the sacrifice process?
5
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What would happen to the body after sacrificing it?
thrown down stairs of temple and taken by owners to be eaten
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What would the priests do to the person being sacrificed?
held on stone tablet by four priests, other priest slices abdomen and takes out beating heart
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what would be taken during sacrifice process and what would happen to it?
the heart would be placed in a special bowl
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What was Tzompantli?
An enormous rack of skulls discovered in Tenochtitlan, consisting of rows of skulls and mortar lined up on vertical posts connected by crossbeams. It was used for display and ritual purposes.
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What is Tlachtli?
A sport played by the Aztecs where a ball had to be shot through hoops using only the hips and elbows. The game ended when the shadow reached a specific line.
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What is Volador?
A ceremonial ritual performed by four men dressed as birds who climbed a high pole and dived down while being attached to ropes. The drummer on top of the pole kept them swinging around before they touched the ground.
30
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Outline the Aztec Social pyramid
emperor at the top, followed by the nobility, merchants and craftsmen, farmers and laborers, and peasants and slaves at the bottom.
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What colour clothes did the emperor wear?
turquoise-green clothes
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Everyone had to approach the emperor…
barefoot, with downcast eyes, bowing when meeting him
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who was the great priest?
the emperor
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at what did noble boys join priesthood?
17
35
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What was the most important honour for a priest?
To perform human sacrifice
36
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what percent of the population were nobles?
10-20%
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what did nobles wear?
brilliantly feathered costumes
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Nobles were the only people allowed to…
wear jewellery, decorated capes, and to live in two storey houses
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what could noble members become?
priests, military leaders or emperor advisors
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merchants and craftsmen class included…
goldsmiths and stonemasons
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which class often acted as spies?
merchants and craftsmen
42
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At what times did Aztec warriors not fight?
at night or harvest times
43
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Aztec warriors aimed to , instead of
stun and capture, kill
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What was the name for Aztec armour?
Ichcahuipilli
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Define ichcahuipilli
quilted armour covered in feathers
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What is the name for Aztec shields?
chimalli
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Define chimalli
brightly covered shield decorated with feathers
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What is the name for Aztec clubs?
Maquahuitl
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Define maquahuitl
clubs made of obsidian and wood
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What is the name for Aztec spear throwers?
Atlatl
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Define atlatl
spear thrower
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What were Aztec long bows called?
tlahu tolli
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What would happen to the obsidian on Aztec weapons after the first strike?
They would shatter and would need to be prepared
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Who made up the army?
common people
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What is the name for nobles leading warriors into battle?
Pipiltin
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How could you raise your rank in the army?
capturing more people
57
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Why were eagle and jaguar warriors revered?
respective animals were known for agility and ferociousness
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what was elite warrior membership based on? Who could become one?
taking captives, anyone from a commoner
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What did Eagle warriors wear?
headdress that was either blue, yellow, red or white, decorated with feathers and beak and ichcahuipilli completely covered in bright feathers
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What did Eagle warriors do?
scout
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What did jaguar warriors wear?
jaguar skins and helmets resembling jaguar head
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Why did jaguar warriors wear jaguar skins?
to give them the strength of a jaguar
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Who were the most deadly Aztec warriors?
shorn ones
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What did the shorn ones do to their hair
wore long braids on the left side and shaved the rest of their head
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how could warriors who hadn’t taken anyone captive be identified?
long lock of hair at the back of head
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What happened when you took your first captive?
lock of hair was cut, allowed to paint face, received capes
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what happened when you took your second captive?
allowed to wear sandals in battle, received new capes and bodysuits decorated in red feathers
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What were Aztec boys taught?
basic fighting skills and practiced with clubs and spears
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What were noble boys taught?
received more training, learned war tactics, military strategies and how to lead armies
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When did boys join the war? what did they do?
around 15, carried weapons and supplies and watched battles to learn from older warriors
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when did boys become warriors?
17
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what were flower wars?
small planned battles with real fighting for young warriors
73
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what happened to those who disobeyed orders or ran away? (Aztec warriors)
often killed by other Aztecs