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IBHOA
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In your groups, list everything you think you
know about the Aztecs…
The organization of state and society
1. Empires (Aztec, Inca) grew bigger and
more powerful
2. Aggressive Imperialist expansion &
Intertribal warfare
3. Warfare for trade & power
4. Power highly centralized
Emperor at the top
Nobles: warriors, priests, administrators
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IBHOA
Means “near the
water”
 Nahuatl speaking
people of the north
“chichimecas”
 Settled in this place by
the early 13th century
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The last group of
nomadic
northerners to enter
the valley of
Anahuac were the
Mexica
Also known as
Aztecs
Origin Myth:
The Mexica tribe
emerged from the 7
caves of Aztlan
 Located somewhere
north of the valley of
Anahuac
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Huitzilopotchtli -God
of war/ Sun God
 Told Mexica people to
wander until they
came across a sign…
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And so the Mexica
settled in the place
where they saw the
sign
 An eagle perched on a
cactus with a snake in
its mouth
 There they eventually
built the Aztec Capital
of Tenochtitlan, 1325
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The Mexica people
were not well received
in the valley of
Anahuac
 Eventually they were
hired as mercenaries
by warring tribes
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkI2J0Fc
oOc&list=PLZrDeoIqIpl5Zcg61rVULlXoMaTV
_W4YK
Begin 10:55
1. Describe any aspect of the video clip that
showed you something you hadn’t seen
before, caused you to think in a new way, or
helped you understand something more
thoroughly than before.
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Acamapichtli became
the first ruler of the
Mexica in 1376
1426 ruler Itzcoatl
created Triple Alliance
with neighboring states
1. Tenochtitlan
2. Texcoco
3. Tlacopan (Tacuba)
* The Aztec
Confederation was born
1. Itzcoatl led alliance
to conquer
neighboring cities and
towns
 2. by 1500, Aztec
empire stretched form
central Anahuac Valley
to Guatemala in the
South
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Founded 1325
Island capital city of
200,000 inhabitants
 Built in the middle of
Lake Texcoco
 Urban planningcentral square with
monumental
architecture “Templo
Mayor” (main temple)
 grid pattern streets
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Had a public square
Botanical gardens
Zoos
Marketplaces
Garbage men hauled
away trash in barges at
night
 Cleanliness considered
essential !
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nS6Mp
VbB_g
1. Describe any aspect of the video clip that
showed you something you hadn’t seen
before, caused you to think in a new way, or
helped you understand something more
thoroughly than before.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJNygP
28_0k
The chinampas “floating gardens “ today.
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Urban population:
nobles, commoners,
artisans, merchants,
farmers, priests,
warriors,
administrators
As Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Cortés’ men put it on first seeing the
city:
“It was like the enchantments in the book of
Amadis, because of high towers, rues
[pyramids] and other buildings, all of
masonry, which rose from the water. Some
of the soldiers asked if what they saw was
not a dream” (Miller, 239).
Tribute & Taxation: main source of income
for the empire
Imperial tax collectors (calpixquis) were
stationed in tributary towns
The conquered regions paid tribute to the
emperor
the Aztec citizenry paid taxes (with the
exception of priests, nobles, minors, orphans,
invalids, and beggars).
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Merchants paid taxes on the goods that they
sold
Artisans paid taxes based on the value of
their services
Farmers paid taxes through the crops that
they produced.
Failure to pay taxes was punishable through
slavery or the confiscation of property.
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Towns conquered by
Aztecs expected to
provide soldiers & slaves
Tribute items included:
cacao, cotton, feathers,
stones, jaguar skins,
eagles, shells, dyes,
cloth, gold, silver,
sandals, corn, other
foodstuffs, jewelry
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMglEq
U06R8&index=2&list=PLZrDeoIqIpl5Zcg61rV
ULlXoMaTV_W4YK
To minute 6:00
1. Describe any aspect of the video clip that
showed you something you hadn’t seen
before, caused you to think in a new way, or
helped you understand something more
thoroughly than before.
IBHOA
Emperor
Nobles: high priests,
military officers,
government leaders
 Commoners (Middle):
Merchants, Artisans,
Soldiers
 Commoners (lower):
agricultural laborers, minor
craftsmen, servants
(majority)
 Slaves: people captured in
battle, peasants who sold
themselves to slavery
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A commoner could rise
up the social ladder by
proving himself as a
warrior
 Prestigious military
orders: Eagle Knights,
Jaguar knights
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A commoner could rise
up the social ladder
through the
Priesthood
 Expected to lead
exemplary lives
 Expected to be the
guardians of
knowledge/wisdom
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Education was
compulsory for children
Elite children attended
schools administered by
scholarly priests
Calmecac
Most children attended
telpochcallis less
academic schools and
learned practical skills
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Telpochcallis (Schools
for commoners)
Boys learned:
occupational skills to
prepare for trade jobs.
Or soldiers, history &
traditions
Girls learned:
responsibilities of
household and
motherhood, history &
traditions
Composed for
ceremonial purposes
 Musicians held in high
regard due to their
participation in
religious ritual
 Musicians had to
memorize songs
 Often performed for
hours
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From the Florentine Codex
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“imperfectly executed rituals were though to
offend the gods…and therefore errors in the
performance of ritual music- such as missed
drum beats carried the death penalty” – Robert
Stevenson
From the Florentine Codex
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1. In your groups, takes turns reading…
“We come only to Dream”
“The Giver of Life”
“Song of Tlalcatzin of Quauhchinanco”
THEN
2. Discuss:
What was the poem about?
Did any of these poems cause you to think in
a new way, or help you to create a better
understanding of Aztec culture?
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1. Some scholars argue that the poem could
be interpreted as a love poem. What are
other possible interpretations?
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2. Why do you think the poem mentions the
reality of death?
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Choose one of the 3 poems you discussed as
a group.
Write a Document Analysis Paper (typed,
double spaced, 1-2 pages).
Follow the OPVL format guide/Rubric.
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1. Groups will randomly select 1 of 4 Aztec
Myths ( out of a
)!
“The Mark of the Rabbit”
“Quetzalcoatl and the Creation of Man”
“Tezclatipoca and the King of Tula”
“Popocateptl and Iztaccihuatl”
2. Groups will create a film version of their
myth and present their interpretation of the
myth to the class on Friday, November 6th .
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World composed of
four basic elements:
1. earth
2. wind
3. fire
4. water
Spatially divided into 4
“cosmic” quarters
(north, south, east,
west)
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Polytheistic – pantheon
of 126 gods
Huitzilopotchtli
(humingbird on the left)
main Aztec god
Creation as a cyclical
process:
4 cosmic periods called a
“suns” , each ending in
destruction
The age in which Aztecs
lived was the “5th sun”
The 5th sun was
destined to be
destroyed
 The sustainability of
the 5th sun depended
on the offerings to the
sun god
 Offerings included
human sacrifice
(human hearts)
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Some scholars
believed the Aztecs
used religion as a way
to establish fear in
their subjects, and
assert their power.
 What do you think
about this
interpretation?
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https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=psA33uJA
Y_0
 Minute 7 - 17
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If these depictions are
true and the Aztecs
were a fierce warrior
society, how is it that
the Spanish were able
to defeat them?
 hint: human sacrifice
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07tme5
mQEn4
1. Describe any aspect of the documentary clip
that caused you to understand something
more thoroughly than before.
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The Aztecs believed in a heaven and an
underworld.
13 levels of heaven and 9 of the underworld
 Where a person went after death
depended on:
1. what a person did on earth
2. how the person died
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn03u3U1fk
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1. Describe any aspect of the documentary
clip that caused you to understand something
more thoroughly than before, or caused you
to think in a new way.
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Solar Calendar: xiuhpohualli
has 365 days
described the days and rituals related to the
seasons
Sacred Calendar: tonalpohualli
260 days.
Days divided between Rituals and gods
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sflcw7jE
m_Y
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUUAgE
WeYeI
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Still spoken by 1.5 -2
million people
Nahuatl words were
adopted into Spanish
then into English
Example:
1. Aguacatl (
aguacate/avocado)
2. Xocolatl (chocolate)
3. tomatl
(tomate/tomato)
4. tamalli (tamale)
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http://www.mexica.net/n
ahuatl/nahuawds.php
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXzM2qRPes