Transcript The Awesome Aztecs

The
Awesome
Aztecs
Introduction
The warlike Aztec nomads arrived in the
Valley of Mexico about 1250 A.D.
For the first 200 years, the Aztecs were
constantly on the move. No one wanted
the Aztecs as neighbors.
One king gave the Aztecs a patch of
snake infested land. The Aztecs
feasted on roasted snakes and
eventually built their own kingdom.
bring up the sun, and everyone would
die.
Finding a Home
• The Aztecs believed their sun god- the
feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl- would show
them where their home would be.
• According to legend, the Aztec would know
the place when an eagle “screams and
spreads its wings, and eats the serpent.
• They found their homeland in 1325 A.D. on a
soggy, swampy island in Lake Texcoco.
• There an eagle greeted them from its perch
on a prickly pear cactus.
•It tore apart a snake dangling from its beak.
•Then it spread its wings and screamed in
triumph.
Tenochtitlan
• The Aztecs went about
building a great city. They
worked day and night,
digging the soil from the
lake bottom to build bridges
to the mainland.
• They built floating gardens,
piling soil on rafts anchored
to the lake bottom. These
were called Chinampas.
The City of Tenochtitlan
• The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan on an island
in Lake Texcoco. They chose the island because
the lake would offer protection from attacks from the
mainland.
• The city was criss-crossed with canals. These were
the major streets of the city.
• The great plaza was the center of the city. The city
also had a pyramid and a double temple to the
gods.
Aztec Government
• Strong kings ruled the Aztecs who
claimed descent from the gods.
• A council of warriors, priests, and
nobles picked a king from the royal
family.
• The king would be expected to prove
himself by leading troops into battle.
• They Aztecs wanted to conquer and
collect tribute from conquered
peoples.
Aztec Society
• The king or emperor was at the top of the
Aztec society.
• The rest of the population was divided into
four classes: nobles, commoners, unskilled
laborers, and enslaved people.
• Commoners could join the noble class by
performing an act of bravery in war.
Serving the Gods
• The Aztecs saw death as honorable. Those worthy
of an afterlife included soldiers who died in battle,
captives who sacrificed, and women who died in
childbirth.
• The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. They
believed if their gods were not fed, they would not
do their job.
• The sun god would not rise, and everyone would
died.
The Spanish Arrive in America
• In 1492, the Aztec appeared
to be unbeatable. Around
250,000 people lived in
Tenochtitlan, making it the
largest city in America.
• In just a few short years,
however, the Europeans
would destroy their empire.
Christopher Columbus
• In 1492, an Italian sea captain convinced the
Spanish to finance a trip to the west to find a shorter
route to Asia.
• Columbus sailed with three ships and landed on an
island in the Caribbean. He returned home with
colorful parrots, gold, spices, and several Native
American captives.
• Columbus returned with Spanish soldiers
• to help him conquer the Americans.
Hernando Cortes
• The Spanish began settlements in the “new
world.” The Spanish governor of Cuba sent
expeditions into Mexico in 1517 and 1518.
• Hernando Cortes headed the third expedition
in 1519. They were looking for riches and
slave labor.
Cortes Invades Mexico
• When Cortes arrived the Aztec
emperor was Montezuma II.
• The Spanish conquistadors,
solider-explorers, stepped onto a
beach in Veracruz.
• Cortes had a small army, but the
Native Americans were shocked
by the Spanish horses and guns.
A Mayan woman helped Cortes,
by giving him information about
the Aztecs.
Defeat of the Aztecs
• The Aztecs feared Cortes was Quetzalcoatl, so they
did not attack the Spaniards immediately.
• The Spanish invaded Tenochtitlan and Cortes took
Montezuma hostage. Fighting began and
Montezuma was killed.
• Smallpox broke out in Tenochtitlan and the
weakened Aztec could no longer fight the
Spanish.