Transcript The Aztecs Control Central America

The Aztecs Control Central
America
 Through alliances and conquest, the Aztecs
created a powerful empire in Mexico
 This empire was located in what is modern
Mexico City today
The Valley of Mexico
 Mountain basin 7,500’
above sea level
 Large lakes and fertile
soil
 Originally inhabited by
the Teotihuacan (200
B.C.-700 )and Toltec
(900-1100) civilizations
Teotihuacan: An early city-state
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“Place of the Gods”
City-state outside of modern Mexico
City; thought to be peaceful
200,000 inhabitants at its height
Busy trade center: obsidian
(volcanic glass) is most valuable
trade item
Used to make sharp weapons
“Avenue of the Dead” lined w/
temples & palaces
“Pyramid of the Sun” was 200’ tall &
larger at base than Egypt’s Great
Pyramid
Power and wealth based on trade
City declines and abandoned by
750
Toltecs Take Over
 900-1200
 A warlike people, they rule by conquest
 They worship fierce war god and offer human sacrifices
 Toltec ruler Topiltzin tries to change religion, end
human sacrifice
 Encourages worship of Quetzalcoatl
 “Feathered Serpent”—a new peaceful god
 Followers of the war god rebelled forcing Topiltzin and his followers
into exile
 The god, Quetzalcoatl, also sent into exile to the east leaving in a raft
of snakes
 According to legend, Quetzalcoatl would return one day, bringing a
new reign of light and peace
Legend of the Aztecs
 12th c. the nomads
migrated to the Valley of
Mexico from northern
Mexico
 People drove them into
snake-infested region
 Legend says that the sun
god, Huitzilpochtli, told
them that when they saw
an eagle standing on a
prickly pear cactus
growing out of a rock, their Mexican sculpture remembering the moments
when Aztecs found the sign for Tenochtitlan .
journey would end
The sculpture is near the Zocalo, in Pino
Suarez Street, Historical Center, Mexico City.
Mexico.
 “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 and
hiss! This shall be Mexico
Tenochtitlan and many
things shall happen!”
 Croninca Mexicayotl
Founding of Tenochtitlan
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1325 under attack, they were
driven into swamps and islands of
Lake Texcoco
On one of the islands, saw an eagle
standing on the prickly pear cactus
on a rock
Built their city: Tenochtitlan
Built roadways of stone across Lake
Texcoco to link islands & mainland
200,000 people at height
Palaces, temples, markets,
residential areas
Other cities formed around the lake
Great Temple was main structure in
city
Tenochtitlan: A Planned City
 Causeways connect island
city to mainland areas
 Canals enable people to
carry goods to city and
its huge main market
 Chinampas, floating
islands, used to grow
crops
 Central area has palaces,
temples, government
buildings
Aztecs Grow Stronger
 Triple Alliance—1428
agreement of Aztec and
two other city-states
 By early 1500s, Aztecs
have large empire and rule
5–15 million people
 Power comes from tribute
resulting from conquests
– In form of gold, maize, cacao
beans, cotton
– Failure to pay resulted in
Aztec brutality
Nobles Rule Aztecs
 Emperor
– Power is absolute
– Lives in palace
– Revered
 Noble class
– Military leaders, officials,
priests—rules Aztec society
– Nobles own vast estates,
live life of wealth and luxury
 Commoners:
– Merchants, artisans,
soldiers, farmers
 Lowest class:
– Enslaved people
Aztec Writing
Aztec Calendar
 Derived from the Maya
 2 main calendars
– Religious: 13 months
of 20 days
– Solar: 18 months of 20
days w/ 5 day period
 Every 52 years, the 2
calendars started on
same day & marked by
ceremony of fire
Religion: The Center of Aztec Life
 Major role in Aztec society
 Over 1,000 gods, many
adopted from others
Mesoamerican peoples
 Center of religion is public
ceremonies to win gods’
favor
– Priests make offerings, ritual
dramas, songs, dance by
masked performers
 Many religious festivals
throughout year
Sacrifices for the Sun God
 Sun god: Huitzilopochtli
 The god needed to be
nourished w/ human blood in
order for sun to rise
 Human sacrifice carried out on
massive scale
 1,000s of prisoners of war led to
the altar atop the Great Temple
where priests carved out their
hearts using obsidian knives (as
many as 200,000 a year)
 Aztec warriors used battle
tactics designed to provide live
prisoners of war
 How might ordinary
Aztecs have felt
about the blood
sacrifices to
Huitzilopochtli
(picture at right)?
Problems in the Aztec Empire
 In 1502, Montezuma II
was crowned emperor
 Beloved ruler, great orator
 He demands more tribute
and sacrificial victims from
his provinces which leads
to rebellion
 In 1519, the Spanish arrive
(the year the far-skinned
Quetzalcoatl was
supposed to return from
the east and claim the
Aztec Empire)
1480?-1520
The Arrival of the Spanish
 5’4” tall, bow-legged, thin
 1519 Cortes w/ 600 men reach
Tenochtitlan where he is welcomed
as the armor-clad god,Queztlcoatl
 Cortes burned his ships to keep his
men from turning back
 Montezuma II offers him gifts of
gold & his palace to stay
 Cortes forces Aztecs to mine more
gold & silver to “appease his heart
that only gold can cure”
The meeting of
Montezuma II and
Cortes
Montezuma II speaking to Cortes
 “Throughout all time we have worshipped
our own gods and thought that they were
good. I do not doubt the goodness of the
god whom you worship, but if he is good for
Spain, our gods are equally good for
Mexico, so do not trouble to speak to us any
more about them at present.”
Rebellion of the Aztecs
 In 1520, the Aztecs rebel against the
Spanish and drive them out
 During a speech, Montezuma II tries to
convince his subjects to make peace with
the Spanish
– The crowd denounced him as a traitor
– He is stoned to death by his people
Fall of the Aztec Empire
 1521, Cortes and his
men return & conquer
the Aztecs
 They destroy
pyramids, temples,
palaces & use the
stone to build gov’t
bldgs and churches
 The rivers & canals
were filled in
Aztec Flag
 Individually or Partners, Create
a flag to symbolize the
importance of the Aztecs
Central America.
 At least one symbol
representing something
important about the arrival of the
Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico.
 At least one symbol repsenting
something important about their
capital city Tenochtitlan.
 At least one symbol
representing something
important about how they
conquered and ruled their
neighbors.
 A variety of colors symbolizing
the strength and signifcance of
the Aztecs.
 No more than a five word motto
for the flag.
 One paragraph explaining each
symbol of the flag.
Guided Reading
 2. The Aztecs joined two other city-states to
form a Triple Alliance. Why?
 They waged war to gain control over
neighboring regions.
 3. In Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, the
Aztecs built hundreds of temples and
religious structures dedicated to the gods.
Why?
 Worshiped many gods; religion played a
major role in Aztec society
 4. Aztec engineers built three causeways
over water and marshland. Why?
 They needed to connect the island site of
Tenochtitlan to the mainland.
 5. Aztec priests sacrificed humans atop the
Great Temple. Why?
 The Aztecs believed that without regular
offerings of blood, the sun god would not
make the sun rise and all life would perish.
 6. The Aztecs built a calendar in the main
ceremonial plaza of Tenochtitlan. Why?
 They needed a way to keep track of when
they had to perform varied religious rituals
and public ceremonies honoring the many
gods.
 7. Some of the conquered provinces
rebelled against Aztec rule. Why?
 The Aztecs had been demanding more and
more tribute and sacrificial victims from the
surrounding lands under their control and
meet the demands of the growing
population.