G

History

• Reasons for Exploration

Benefits of Trade for Europeans

  • Financial gain due to diverse materials.

  • Job creation across different sectors.

  • Stimulated exploration motivated by trade opportunities.

Motivations for Exploration

  • Nations sought colonies for trade, curiosity, ambition, and religious expansion.

Colonization negatively impacted indigenous cultures, beliefs, and traditions, with issues like slavery.


Everyday and family life

Aztec Society and Family Structure

  • Families provide food, a home, and jobs.

  • Local clan groups called calpulli.

  • Each calpulli selects a leader, collects taxes, and builds temples.

  • Collective responsibility: wrongdoing by one member affects the entire group.

Gender Roles

  • Men: produce food or income.

  • Women: raise children and manage the home; some trained as priestesses.

  • Children contribute to family work.

  • Marriages are typically arranged between ages 16-20.

Education and Roles of Children

  • Boys and girls receive different educations:

    • Boys: military, hunting, agriculture.

    • Girls: domestic chores, weaving, singing.

Daily Life and Sacrifices

  • Daily meals consist of beans, corn, roots, insects.

  • Sacrifices: often prisoners or neighbors; one person sacrificed daily.

Clothing and Education

  • Wealthy individuals wear adornments, priests in special costumes.

  • Education starts at home; boys move to schools around age 13.

Rituals and Festivals

  • Importance of singing and dancing for fun and religious purposes.

  • Two calendars: 365-day solar and 260-day ritual calendar.

Government

Aztec Empire Overview

  • Population: 5 to 6 million people.

Social Structure

  • Tlatoani: King with significant power; requires council approval for major decisions.

  • Cihacoatl: Advisor to the king; oversees daily government operations and elections.

  • Tecuhtli: High nobility, includes judges and priests; parallels lords in medieval Europe.

  • Pilli: Regular nobles below high nobility; serve the king and may ascend from commoner ranks.

  • Calpulli: Family groups controlling local affairs like schools and temples.

  • Macehualli: Commoners working on government land; pay taxes in food and clothing.

  • Mayeques: Serfs working noble lands; often in debt.

  • Tlacotin: Slaves from defeated tribes; could be sacrificed after multiple ownerships.

Aztec Clothing

  • Commoners: Simple cloaks, sandals, blouses, and skirts.

  • Nobles: Richly decorated clothing, jewelry, and vibrant colors.

Justice and Law

  • Local Courts: For petty crimes, overseen by appointed commoners.

  • King's Involvement: Resolved serious disputes based on judges' recommendations.

  • Harsh punishments for crimes, including physical punishments based on the offense.

Military Structure

  • Non-permanent volunteer army; men honor-bound to serve.

  • Warfare goal: To capture live prisoners for sacrifices, enhancing social status for captors.

Tenochtitlan

  • The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 AD.

  • Located on an island in Lake Texcoco, within the Valley of Mexico.

  • Known for its sophisticated urban planning, including canals, causeways, and chinampas (floating gardens) for agriculture.

  • Home to major religious and political structures, such as the Templo Mayor, which was the primary temple dedicated to the gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc.

  • It was one of the largest cities in the world at its peak, with an estimated population of over 200,000 residents.