CHAPTER 7Aztecs

ROOTS OF AZTEC CULTURE

Long before Mayan cities rose in the south, the city of Teotihuacan emerged in the Valley of Mexico

The Valley of Mexico is a huge oval basin ringed by snowcapped volcanoes, located in the high plateau of central Mexico

MAP OF EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN MEXICO

TEOTIHUACAN

The city of Teotihuacan was well planned, with wide roads, massive temples, and large apartment buildings

The Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon rose majestically towards the sky along the main avenue

Citizens of Teotihuacan worshipped a powerful nature goddess and rain god

Eventually Teotihuacan fell to invaders but its culture influenced later peoples, especially the Aztecs

TEOTIHUACAN

ARRIVAL OF THE AZTECS

In the late 1200s, bands of nomadic peoples, the ancestors of the Aztecs, migrated into the Valley of Mexico from the north

According to Aztec legend, the gods had told them to search for an eagle perched atop a cactus holding a snake in its beak

The people found this sign on a swampy island in Lake Texcoco

Once they settled, the Aztecs shifted from hunting to farming

They slowly built the city of Tenochtitlan on the site of present-day Mexico City

VALLEY OF MEXICO

LAKE TEXCOCO

ARRIVAL OF THE AZTECS

As their population grew, the Aztecs found ingenious ways to create more farmland

They built chinampas, artificial islands made of earth piled on reed mats that were anchored to the shallow lake bed

On these “floating gardens”, they raised corn, beans, and squash

They gradually filled in parts of the lake and created canals for transportation

Three wide stone causeways linked Tenochtitlan to the mainland

CHINAMPAS

TENOCHTITLAN

TENOCHTITLAN

CONQUERING AN EMPIRE

In the 1400s, the Aztecs greatly expanded their territory

Through a combination of fierce conquests and shrewd alliances, they spread their rule across most of Mexico, from the Gulf of Mexico on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west

By 1500, the Aztec empire numbered an estimated 30 million people

War brought immense wealth as well as power

Tribute, or payment from conquered peoples, helped the Aztecs turn their capital into a magnificent city

AZTEC EMPIRE

THE WORLD OF THE AZTECS

When the Spanish and Hernan Cortes reached Tenochtitlan in 1519, they were awestruck at its magnificence

From its temples and royal palaces to its zoos and floating gardens, Tenochtitlan was a city of wonders

WORLD OF THE AZTECS---GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY Unlike the Mayan city-states, each of which had its own

king, the Aztecs had a single ruler Aztec Social Pyramid--- Emperor Nobles, Priests Warriors Commoners Slaves Long-distance traders ferried goods across the empire

and beyond From the highlands, they took goods such as weapons,

tools, and rope to barter for tropical products such as jaguar skins and cocoa beans

They also served as spies, finding new areas for trade and conquest

WORLD OF THE AZTECS---RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Priests were very important to the Aztecs They performed rituals needed to appease

the many Aztec gods The chief god was Huitzilopochtli, the sun

god The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli

battled the forces of darkness each night and was reborn again each morning

To give the sun the strength to rise each day, the Aztecs offered human sacrifices

HUITZILOPOCHTLI

WORLD OF THE AZTECS---RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Priests offered the hearts of tens of thousands of victims to Huitzilopochtili and other Aztec gods

Most of the victims were prisoners of war, but sometimes a noble family gave up one of its own members to appease the gods

Other cultures such as the Olmecs and Mayas had practiced human sacrifice, but not on the massive scale of the Aztecs

WORLD OF THE AZTECS---EDUCATION AND LEARNING

Priests were the keepers of Aztec knowledge Besides performing rituals, they also

recorded laws and events, and they also ran schools

Others used their skills in astronomy and mathematics to produce a calendar

The Aztecs believed that illnesses were punishments from the gods

Aztec physicians could set broken bones, treat dental cavities, and also prescribed steam baths as cures for ills

DOWNFALL OF THE AZTECS

Hernan Cortes was the Spanish conquistador who took over the Aztec empire

The Aztec emperor, Montezuma, tried to appease the Spanish by offering gold by then Spaniards could never be given enough to satisfy their liking

After finally defeating the Aztecs, Cortes destroyed Tenochtitlan and rebuilt the city as Mexico City, the present-day capital of Mexico

HERNAN CORTES

SPANISH HONOR

ROUTE OF THE SPANIARDS

MONTEZUMA

MEXICO CITY

MEXICO CITY AT NIGHT