Transcript Chapter 5 - Aztecs Lecture 2

Society
Social Structure
King
Nobles
Commoners
Serfs/Peasants
Slaves
Social Classes
• Nobles- paid by tribute (taxes)
from other classes
• Commoners- farmed their land
AND the nobles’ land
• Serfs/Peasants- farmed land
but could not own it
• Slaves- usually war captives or
criminals.
The Sun Stone
The Sun Stone
• Dedicated to the
sun, the main
Aztec deity
(god).
• The original
weighs almost
25 tons.
• Each ring
represents
something different
(“suns”, days, etc.)
Sun Stone
Tonatiuh’s
Face- the face
of the sun,
Lord of
Heaven,
around which
takes place all
daily and
periodic
phenomena.
Claws of the
sun god- The
Sun God is
supposedly
suspended in
space by its
claws. We see a
human heart in
its claw.
Jaguar Sun
(The first
sun): Aztecs
believe this
age was
ruled by
giants who
were
eventually
eaten by
jaguars.
The Winds
Sun- the
gods turned
man into
apes so they
could hang
onto the
Earth during
terrible
hurricanes.
The Rabbit in the Moon
Rabbit in the Moon
• Can only be seen from the
southern hemisphere.
• Looks like he’s mixing
something.
• Part of an Aztec legend.
Religion
And war?
The gods
• Main gods were
Huitzilopochtli,
Tlaloc and
Quetzacoatl.
• Legends said that Quetzacoatl was
light skinned and had a full beard.
• They also told of his return which
would lead to the destruction of the
Aztecs.
Religion and War
• For the Aztecs,
religion and war
went together.
• The Aztecs went to war to capture
enemy soldiers who would become
slaves to be sacrificed.
• They believed the gods gave their
blood when creating the world so
they wanted blood in return.
Aztec Sacrifice
• Aztec history says that during
one religious ceremony over
20,000 people were killed in 4
days.
• While this may have been
possible, it is probably
exaggerated.
• Either way, sacrifices were
common for the Aztecs.
The Ball Game
Ball Game
• The Aztecs played
the Ball Game just
like the Maya.
• It was a religious
activity.
• The losers were sacrificed in the
same manner as captured
enemies.