Transcript File - Mrs. Booth`s Social Studies Website

Mrs. Booth
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Nomadic peoples who established a capital at
Tula about 968.
Central Mexico
Created an empire that extended over much of
Central Mexico, and their influence spread
from their capital in Tula, to as far away as
Guatemala.
1000 CE Toltec warriors capture Chichen Itza in
Yucatan
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Traded for turquoise in American southwest
(New Mexico)
May have been contact between Hopewell
peoples of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys.
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Toltec empire lasts until 1150 CE
Destroyed by nomadic invaders from the north
Population and political power shifts from
valley of Mexico to the large chain of lakes
Shores of the lakes support dense population
Various groups tried gaining control of these
lakes, ultimately the AZTECS, or as they called
themselves, the Mexica won the struggle
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The Toltec's established their capital in Central
Mexico around
A) 500
B) 752
C) 814
D) 968
E) 1066
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After the sack of Tula, the center of population
and political power in Mexico shifted to
A) Yucatan
B) the valley of Mexico and the shores of a
chain of lakes in that basin
C) Teotihuacan
D) Chimor
E) the Pacific Coast
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Build a great empire, but are the most unlikely
of groups to win struggle for land
History of the Aztecs is sketchy. Some say
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Once inhabited the central valley but had been
moved to exile before returning
Nomadic tribe that used the political mess that was
left after the fall of the Toltecs to get a foothold in the
area
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Aztecs were a group of about 10,000 people who
migrated to the shores of lake Texcoco in the
central valley of Mexico around 1325.
They spoke the same language as the Toltecs,
which helped them capitalize when the Toltecs fell.
They were intrusive and militant
Reputation of being tough warriors and strict
followers of their gods
They even offered human sacrifices to gods
Governed by use of city states and formed
alliances to gain more territory (1430s)
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They were a feared people
Legend held that they would stop wandering
when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus
with a serpent on its beak. This happened, they
settled here, and the city of Tenochtitlan was
founded in 1325.
Religion: polytheism- complex array of gods
and goddesses that could take different forms
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In 1434, the Aztecs
A) formed a triple alliance with two other cities
B) built their capital city on the shores of Lake
Texcoco
C) were defeated by the Toltecs
D) emerged as independent rulers after the
defeat of a rival city
E) established the practice of human sacrifice
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What civilization did the Aztecs succeed in
central Mexico?
A) Olmecs
B) Maya
C) Incas
D) Toltecs
E) Huari
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What form of government was the basis for the
imperial structure of the Aztecs during their
first settlement in the valley of Mexico?
A) Regional Kingdoms
B) Hunting and gathering
C) Monarchy controlling a large territory
D) Chiefdoms based on shift agriculture
E) City-states
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Long been a part of Mesoamerican religion,
however, Aztecs expanded it considerably
during the postclassical period of militarism.
Some religious zeal and devotion- even a
ritualistic cannibalism
Some a tactic of terror
Despite fear tactics and brutal practices, Aztecs
had documented struggles with beliefs and
there questions about the afterlife and validity
of “gods.”
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Chinampas
Beds of aquatic weeds, mud, and earth that had
been placed in frames made of cane and rooted
on the lake floor.
They formed artificial floating islands about 17
feet long
High yield from this set up: corn
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Calpulli- residential clans that were the ancient
building block of Aztec society
Hold prominent positions
There are about seven Calpulli families
Accumulated land and had advantages based
on name
Overshadowed by military nobility
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Marriages often arranged based on lineage
Women can work the fields but place is in the
home
Polygamy exists among nobility- monogamy
expected of peasants
Population was thought to reach 20 million
under Aztec control which is attributed to their
ability to intimidate and control people
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Chinampas played an important role:
A) because they allowed for a high level of
productivity
B) The canals they created eventually led to
inter-clan warfare
C) they required a century of slavery that
endured for centuries
D) because they allowed the Aztecs to develop
coffee plantations
E) none of the above
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What was the nature of the Aztec
administration of subject territories?
A) The Aztecs placed members of royal family
as rulers over subject peoples.
B) All territories became
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Was considered genuis in their ability to
organize and control through the government
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Time Period:
Significant events during time period:
Society One:
Society Two:
Characteristics of Society One:
 Political:
 Social:
 Economic:
 Artistic:
 Religious:
 Intellectual:
 Technological:
 Military:
 Geographic:
 Demographic:
 Women’s Status:
 Explanation of Similarities and Differences
Society Two: