Lesson 27: The Aztecs

• The Aztecs built a vast empire that lasted...

  for nearly 100 years (1428-1519 C.E.)
• Chapultepec


  a rocky hill where the Aztecs made their home
• Itzcoatl


  the Aztec leader who formed an Triple Alliance with two other city-states to defeat the Tepanecs

  (reshaped Aztec history by burning records of origins and connecting the Aztecs to the Toltecs instead)
• Tenochtitlán


  • easy to defend (island)
  • chosen because the Aztecs took the sighting of an eagle on a cactus as a sign
  • surrounding lake = food source
• City-states in the Valley of Mexico employed the Aztecs as...


  mercenaries
• Mercenary


  a professional soldier who is paid to fight for another country or group
• Tenochtitlán


  the capital city of the Aztec Empire
• Aztecs


  a Mesoamerican people who built an empire in central Mexico that flourished from 1428 to 1519 C.E.
• Tlateloloco


  originally a separate island, was merged with Tenochtitlán to expand the land surface
• Huitzilopochtli


  the chief god of the Aztecs
• Tlaloc


  the rain god
• tzompantli


  an altar in the city of Tenochtitlán displaying the many human sacrifices made
• Chinampas / floating gardens


  artificial islands constructed from timbers, mud, and plants in the city of Tenochtitlán
• The Aztecs made pilgrimages to the ancient ruins of Teotihuacán to adopt...

  a Quetzalcóatl, the Teotihuacáns' feathered serpent god, as one of their own gods
• The Great Temple


  double shrines dedicated to the chief god and the rain god
• Parts of Tenochtitlán's royal palace:


  • two stories
  • functioned like a small town
  • government offices, shrines, courts, storerooms, gardens, courtyards
  • zoo with animals captured throughout the empire (pumas, jaguars)
  • aviary (for birds; parrots, queztals)
• Tenochtitlán's marketplace:


  • northern section in Tlateloloco
  • luxury items (jade, feathers)
  • necessities (food, rope sandals)
  • merchants sold: gold, silver turquoise, animal skins, clothing, pottery, chocolate, vanilla, tools, slaves
• Causeway


  a solid earthen roadway build across water or low ground
• At the center of Tenochtitlán, the Aztecs gathered at a...

  ceremonial plaza for rituals and festivals
• Waterways in Tenochtitlán:


  • aqueducts
  • twin pipes running from the Chapultepec springs (one pipe could transport water while the other was cleaned or repaired
  • ten mile dam along the east side of the city
  • canals for travel
• People of Tenochtitlán could live comfortably because...


  causeways had wooden bridges that could be raised to protect the city in an enemy attack and people had an easy time getting around on wide paths
• Forms of tribute:


  food, cacao, gems, cotton, cloth, animals, animal skins, shells, building materials, soldiers
• Every male Aztec was trained to be...


  a soldier
• Warrior knights carried shields decorated with figures of animals to represent...


  different strengths the Aztecs believed they received from these animals (jaguars, eagles)
• Benefits of warfare:


  increased tributaries, territory, laborers, and sacrificial victims
• Declaration of war


  ritual routine, other cities had 60 days to decide if they wanted to ally with the Aztec Empire, if the city refused, the Aztecs declared war
• Defeated cities had to...


  pay tribute, honor the Aztec's chief god, and promise obedience to the Aztec ruler
• Lack of unity in the Aztec Empire was a weakness and led to...


  the downfall of the empire when the Spanish took advantage in 1519 C.E.
• When Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, they...


  served and adapted to the existing cultures
• The Aztecs expanded their empire through...


  warfare and alliances
• How did the Aztecs rise to power?


  after developing Tenochtitlán and defeating the Tepanecs with a Triple Alliance