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calpolli

Neighborhood of families sharing an occupation and ruled by one noble.

Xipe Totec

The Flayed One; god of agricultural renewal and fertility.

Cuitláhuac

Emperor after Motecuhzoma II; led resistance in 1520 and died of smallpox.

Climate regions of Central Mexico

Tierra caliente: hot lowlands. Tierra templada: temperate middle elevations. Tierra fría: cool highlands, Aztec heartland.

Five highland lakes of Basin of Mexico

Chalco and Xochimilco: freshwater. Zumpango and Xaltocan: salty. Texcoco: saltiest.

Aztec cannibalism as ecological necessity theory

Claims cannibalism was necessary for protein. Rejected because maize, beans, algae, and insects provided protein.

Teotihuacán and Tula influence on Aztecs

Teotihuacán: gods, sacrifice, grid planning, art. Tula: Aztec kings claimed Toltec ancestry for legitimacy.

Aztec migration myth

Seven Nahua tribes left Aztlán. Mexica followed Huitzilopochtli's sign and founded Tenochtitlan in 1325.

Hegemonic vs. territorial empires

Hegemonic: indirect rule, cheaper, local rulers remain. Territorial: direct rule, expensive, greater control.

Direct vs. indirect rule

Direct: replace local rulers and govern territory. Indirect: keep local rulers who pay tribute and obey the empire.

Strategies of Aztec imperial expansion

Economic strategy for wealth and taxes; frontier strategy for military protection.

Economic strategy of Aztec imperial expansion

Conquer wealthy city-states, collect taxes, encourage trade, reward local elites. Example: Calixtlahuaca.

Frontier strategy of Aztec imperial expansion

Use border city-states for defense rather than taxation. Example: Oztoman.

Extensive vs. intensive agriculture

Extensive: more land, less labor, lower yield per area. Intensive: more labor, higher yield per area.

Aztec vs. Classic Maya subsistence strategies

Aztecs: intensive terraces, chinampas, irrigation. Maya: extensive swidden farming and managed landscapes.

Who controls subsistence in the Aztec world?

Households: gardens and terraces. Neighborhoods: chinampas. City-state: large irrigation systems.

Aztec taxation system and Codex Mendoza

Provinces pay tribute to elites. Codex Mendoza records towns, goods, quantities, and taxes owed.

Aztec market system

Weekly markets in most towns; daily market at Tlatelolco. Mostly independent of state. Cacao beans and cotton capes used as money.

Social class structure of Aztec Empire

Nobles: 5%. Commoners: 95%, including merchants, artisans, farmers. Enslaved people at bottom.

Mechanisms and limitations of social mobility

Warfare, priesthood, and merchant wealth increased status, but commoners could not become hereditary nobles.

Goals of Aztec warfare

Gain wealth through taxes and capture enemy soldiers for sacrifice.

Aztec battle tactics

Offer peaceful submission first. Attack capitals if refused. Capture warriors and target weaker enemies.

Templo Mayor and Aztec state religion

Tlaloc represents rain and agriculture; Huitzilopochtli represents war and sun. Religion justified warfare and imperial expansion.

Heroic birth of Huitzilopochtli

Coatlicue's daughter Coyolxauhqui plotted to kill her. Huitzilopochtli was born armed and defeated his sister.

Creation of the Fifth Sun

At Teotihuacán, Nanahuatzin became the sun and Tecuciztecatl the moon. Gods sacrificed themselves to set the sun in motion.

Quetzalcoatl's autosacrifice

Retrieved bones from the underworld and gave his own blood to create humanity.

Aztec religious festivals

Calendar-based celebrations involving offerings, dancing, feasting, and sacrifice. Xipe Totec's festival involved ritual flaying.

Religious and political reasons for human sacrifice

Religious: repay gods and sustain the universe. Political: intimidate enemies and demonstrate imperial power.

Duties of Aztec priests

Conduct sacrifices, perform rituals, maintain temples, and interpret religious calendars.

Internal vs. external factors in Spanish conquest

Internal: unhappy subjects, rivalries, Indigenous alliances with Spain. External: Spanish warfare, weapons, and introduced diseases.

Tlatelolco importance to the empire

Largest market in the pre-Hispanic Americas, with 60,000+ buyers and sellers daily.

Fragility of the Aztec Empire

Indirect rule allowed local states to rebel. Enemies could ally with the Spanish, weakening imperial control.

Cocoliztli epidemics

Deadly epidemics in colonial Mexico, especially in 1545 and 1576. Contributed to Indigenous population collapse.

Templo Mayor massacre

In 1520, Pedro de Alvarado's forces killed Aztec festival participants, provoking revolt against the Spanish.

Demographic collapse after conquest

Indigenous population declined drastically from disease, warfare, forced labor, hunger, and colonial exploitation.

Teotihuacán

NE Basin of Mexico; Classic, 150–700 CE; Teotihuacán culture. Known for pyramids, grid planning, and state sacrifice. FRQ: influence on Aztec religion and urban planning.

Tula

Hidalgo; Early Postclassic, 900–1150 CE; Toltec. FRQ: Aztec kings claimed descent from Toltec rulers to legitimize their power.

Tenochtitlan

Mexico City, Lake Texcoco; 1325–1521; Mexica. Imperial capital with 200,000+ people. FRQ: urban planning, imperial power, and state religion.

Calixtlahuaca

Toluca Valley; 1100–1521; non-Nahua altepetl. Conquered in 1478 but retained local ruler and wealthy elites. FRQ: economic strategy and indirect rule.

Xochimilco

Southern Basin of Mexico; 900–1521; Nahua. Chinampas supplied Tenochtitlan with produce. FRQ: intensive agriculture.

Tlatelolco

Mexico City; 1337–1521; Aztec. Largest pre-Hispanic American market, 60,000+ people daily. FRQ: commercial economy.

Texcotzingo

Eastern Basin, near Texcoco; 1420–1521; Aztec. Nezahualcoyotl's 300+ room palace and royal baths. FRQ: elite wealth and social inequality.

Tlaxcallan

Tlaxcala; 1250–1521; Nahua. Independent republic that resisted Aztec conquest and allied with Spain. FRQ: limits of imperial power.

Oztoman

Guerrero; 1469–1521; Chontal, Aztec-controlled. Fortress defending against Tarascans; paid no taxes. FRQ: frontier strategy.

Tlacopan

Western Basin of Mexico; Late Postclassic; Nahua/Tepanec. One of three founding Triple Alliance cities. FRQ: empire formation.

Texcoco

Eastern Basin of Mexico; Late Postclassic; Nahua/Acolhua. Triple Alliance founder, ruled by Nezahualcoyotl. FRQ: imperial organization and hydraulic engineering.