Transcript The Aztecs

The Aztecs
I. The Valley of Mexico
 Valley of Mexico:
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Mtn. basin – 7500 ft.
Home of powerful cultures
Large shallow lakes, fertile soil
A. Teotihuacan (“City of the Gods”)
 First major civ. of Central Mexico
 1st cent. = construction began
 6th cent. = peak of civ.
 Avenue of the Dead –
 Central avenue lined w/over 20 pyramids
 Pyramid of the Sun
 Center of trade network (obsidian)
 By 750—abandoned?
 Invasion?
 Internal conflict?
B. The Toltec
 900 CE: Toltecs rose to power
 Ruled by military class
 Capital = Tula
 Spread influence as far south as Yucatan
 Built pyramids & temples
 Extremely warlike—CONQUEST
 1000: Topiltzin – tried to change religion
 End human sacrifice
 Worship different god (Quetzalcoatl – “Feathered Serpent”)
 Forced into exile (Yucatan)
 Legend of Topiltzin/Quetzalcoatl – “I’LL BE BACK.”
II. The Aztec Empire
 1200 CE: arrived in Valley of Mex.
 Contained city-states (Toltec)
 Known as the “Mexica” – poor, nomads, northern Mex.
 Adopted local cultures
 Huitzilopochtli – god of sun & warfare
 Eagle perched on cactus w/snake in its mouth
 The place where the eagle screams,
where he spreads his wings;
the place where he feeds,
where the fish jump,
where the serpents
coil up & hiss! ---from Cronica Mexicayotl
 Lake Texcoco
 1325: founded Tenochtitlan (modern Mex. City)
A. Aztecs Grow Stronger
 1428: Triple Alliance: Aztecs, Texcoco, Tlacopan
 1500s: controlled over 80,000 sq. mi.
 38 provinces – pop. = 5-15 mill.
 Used military conquest
 Demanded tribute/taxes from conquered subjects
B. Nobles Rule Aztec Society
 Noble class = govt. officials, military leaders
 Commoners = merchants, artisans, soldiers,
farmers who owned land
 Enslaved persons = lowest class
 EMPEROR = sat atop Aztec social pyramid
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Power was absolute
C. Tenochtitlan
 Early 1500s:
 200,000 to 400,000 pop.
 Built on an island connected to mainland by 3 main causeways
(Lake Texcoco)
 Surrounded by smaller cities (connected by streets)
 Canals intersected roads (canoes)
 Tlatelolco: huge market
 Chinampas: “floating gardens”
 The Great Temple: giant pyramid w/twin temples at top
 Sun god = Huitzilopochtli
 Rain god = Tlaloc
III. Religion Rules Aztecs
 Worshiped animistic spirits (natural forces)
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About 1,000 gods (adopted from other peoples)
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Ex. = worshipped Quetzalcoatl (Toltec god)
 Winged serpent, but also a pale-skinned man w/a beard
A. Religious Practices
 2 main calendars:
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Sacred calendar = 13 mos. of 20 days
Solar calendar = 18 mos. of 20 days
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Unlucky 5 day prd. = nemontemi
B. Sacrifices for the Sun God
 Sun god = Huitzilopochtli (most important)
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Made sun rise everyday
Battled forces of evil during the night
Needed nourishment (human blood) for strength
Otherwise, the world would plunge into darkness
 Atop the Great Temple = sacrifices took place
 1487: 80,000 victims over 4 days
 Needs for sacrifice motivated conquest
IV. Problems in the Aztec Empire
 1502: Montezuma II became emperor
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Called for more tribute/sacrifice b/c of growing pops.
Provinces rose up (prd. of unrest & rebellion)
Tried to lessen pressure
 Many predicted terrible things (bad omens)
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Lightning striking a temple
Partial eclipse of sun
Arrival of Spanish (return of Quetzalcoatl) (1519)
V. Comparison of Cultures
 Aztecs = Mayas
 Romans = Greeks
 Aztec calendar, mathematics, & writing = Mayan
sources
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Roman philosophy & science = Greek models