By Manasi Shah

Lived in Northern Mexico in Tenochtitlan, an island in Lake Texcoco

•Modern day Mexico City Called themselves the Mexica Lived in a warm climate with lots of

water available Had a relatively large empire which

was only surpassed by the Incas Spoke Nahuatl

Groups of families were called calpulli and they owned land together• The leader of a calpulli would make decisions

for the group Nobility and the priests had a lot of

power In cities, all of the calpulli leaders would

come together and form the city council Nomadic until they settled down No real form of money Horticultural

Believed to have originally lived in Aztlan which was somewhere in northern Mexico• This may be myth because they cannot actually

find Aztlan Moved around a lot because of wars with

other native groups, but finally settled in what is now Tenochtitlan (one of three major city councils that became known as the triple alliance)

In 1519 Spanish traveler, Hernan Cortes, reaches Mexico. By the end of the year he is headed towards Tenochtitlan

The leader at the time, Montezuma II assumes Cortes is Qeutzalcoatl, an Aztec God, so he welcomes him

Cortes tries to convert the Aztecs to Christianity and is repulsed by their practice of sacrifice

Cortes realizes that his people might still be in danger so he plans to take the emperor out of power

He has him kidnapped and then manages to take control of the empire

Cortes has to go back to Cuba and while he is there, his

people lose control for a while When he returns they regain power

and eventually take down the Aztec civilization.

Polytheistic Had many agricultural gods because their life was mostly based on farming Had a hierarchy of gods with 3 main gods, 4 gods below them, and then hundreds below them i.e. god of rain, god of growth, the sun

god, etc. Warriors were honorable and believed to

become stars in the night sky after they died. Other people could become almost anything

Believed that the gods sacrificed themselves to become the Sun, Earth, wind, etc.

Made human sacrifices because they believed that human blood was the gods’ diet

Bloodletting was common People of a higher status were expected to give more blood Hearts were also good believed to be good nourishment. Whoever was the bravest at war had the

strongest heart and would be taken to a temple to be sacrificed.

Polygyny was permitted The dead were cremated Men got married in their early 20s,

women in their teens Marriage was a rite of passage into

adulthood and independence It was believed that babies were trapped

in their mothers’ wombs so when they were born religious leaders read hymns

It was also common to have someone study the child’s astrology

Introduced popcorn, chocolate, and chewing gum to the Europeans

“Physicians” were curious about the body and medical research

One of the first to have a system, of roads built

Their culture did not spread, but many of their inventions did. A lot of the food we eat today was introduced to Europeans through the Aztecs and Mayans

Merchants were called pochtecas• They kept to themselves and lived in a separate

part of the city• Served as spies when they traveled to nearby

lands• A class below nobles but above common farmers

Traded golden jewelry, feather caps, tortoise shell cups, spices, cocoa beans, cotton, rubber, etc.

No real money, cocoa beans were valued so they were often used for trade

Did not interact with other civilizations except for trade or during war

Didn’t have plows or vehicles for transportation

Used mostly crops, plants, and water as resources

Clothing was colorful Cloth was made form twisting cotton and fibers on a stick and then put on a spindle to make threads Men wore capes and loincloths,

women wore dresses

System of writing similar to the Mayans

Books were folded like a fan and were called codices

Some famous codices include the Paris Codex, Dresden Codex, and Madrid Codex

Education in the early years was the responsibilty of the parents

One of the first to make education mandatory for everyone•Children had to attend school until age 15

Music was an important subject in school

Many songs were sacred hymns which told stories of things the Gods had done

Relied mostly on crops Maize (corn) was a common ingredient

•It was used to make tortillas, bread, tamales, and even some drinks

Domesticated a lot of animals such as turkeys for meat and bees for honey Hunted and fished to get food Chocolate, especially cocoa beans, were highly valued Did not eat chicken

Most art depicted Aztec gods and much of it was used in worship Variety of pottery, sculptures, and reliefs of gods were made Used pictographs representing objects or sounds, as symbols Masks and warrior art was made to

honor Aztec gods or important Aztec leaders

Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Aztecs.” HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa12

"Aztec Clothing." Aztec Clothing. 2010. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-clothing.html>.

"Aztec Climate and Enviroment - The Amazing Aztecs." Aztec Climate and Enviroment - The Amazing Aztecs. Google Maps. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://sites.google.com/site/theamazingaztecs/aztec-climate-and-enviroment>.

"Aztecs." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/>.

"Aztec Inventions." Aztec Inventions. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-inventions.html>.

"Aztec Art." Aztec Art. Aztec-Indians.com, 2010. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-art.html>.

Carr, Karen. "Aztec," Kidipede - History for Kids. 2012. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/

southamerica/before1500/literature/aztec.htm>. "The Aztecs/Mexicas." The Aztecs/Mexicas. The American Indian Heritage

Foundation. Web. 04 June 2012. <http://www.indians.org/welker/aztec.htm>. ThinkQuest Team 16325. "Empires Past: Aztecs: Trade, Economy and Merchants" 31

August 1998. Web 04 June 2012. http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-eco.html?tql-iframe

Dunnell, Tony. "Aztec Food -What Did the Aztecs Eat?" Suite101.com. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://suite101.com/article/aztec-food--what-did-the-aztecs-eat-a315203>.

"Aztec Society Family." Aztec Society Family. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-society-family.html>.