Grade 8 Chapter 8 Aztecs-The good of the people

Omens

believe to get a warning about a future event

Ocelot

a greyish-yellow wildcat with black spots

Calpolli

the Aztec word for "family clan." The basis for Aztec social structure

Artisans

a worker in a skilled trade who made things with their hands

Quetzal

a bird of the trogon family found in Southern tropical America

Quetzalcoatl

a feathered serpent

Tenochtitlan

the Aztecs city that was located on lake Texcoco

Codex

books that the Aztec made out of bark and deerskin

Status

a position in the Aztec Hierarchy

Telpochcalli

an Aztec school for the commoners

Calmecac

an Aztec school for nobles

Conscription

compulsory enrollment of people for military service

Glyphs

a symbolic figure or character

Retributive Justice

you are punished- ex fined or put in jail

Restorative Justice

you make up for what you did- ex doing volunteer work

Aztec social Hierarchy from lowest to highest

slaves, farmers-fishers-women, merchants-artisans-soldiers, nobility-priests, emperor

How do you move up in the Aztec Social Hierarchy?

achieving success on the battlefield by not killing the enemy but taking them as a prisoner

How are you able to tell what level on the Aztec Social Hierarchy the person is at?

your position was indicated by your clothing, jewelry, and the size and location of your house

Who is the Emperor

a leader to the Aztecs who was treated like a god

What does the Emperor do?

he made decisions for the entrie community

What are family clans?

units of organisation called calpolli

How do family clans work?

members of a calpolli lived together in the same neighbourhood as well as worship the same temple

Example of a family clan

feather workers might form a calpolli

Who are the Merchants?

the richest calpolli in Tenochtitlan

What did the Merchants do for the community?

the taxes they paid on their profits enriched the Aztec state

What do Merchants trade for?

they traded for luxury goods such as quetzal feathers and obsidian

Who are the Farmers?

they were skilled hunters and fishers and they also grew crops

How do the farmers contribute to the society?

they would give up a share of their produce in taxes

What do the Artisans make?

they made headdresses, fans, and tunics out of quetzal feathers

How are the Aztec children educated?

nobles learned to read and write, commoners learned history, religion, and citizenship duties orally

How is citizenship important to the Aztecs?

each citizen needed to obey laws or else they would be punished

Who makes laws?

the Emperor

How are the laws enforced?

when you broke the law, you were sent to court

2 important facts about how the Aztecs viewed slavery

it wasn't shameful to be a slave, and they didn't consider it to be a permanent condition

Who was the emperor when the Spanish arrived?

Moctezuma

What did the Aztec society focus on?

producing good citizens

What were the 5 virtues of an ideal Aztec citizen?

courage, self-sacrifice, modesty, clean living, obedience

How did the Aztecs punish citizens that did greater crimes?

they were often killed

The emperor had to be...

a skilled warrior that needed to have military strategy

How did the Aztecs use conscription?

they used it to gain territory and tribute