Transcript the aztecs

AZTECS FACTS
Around 1300 CE, a wandering tribe of Indians wandered
into the Valley of Mexico. These people were called the
Aztecs.
When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other
tribes were already in residence. They had already taken
the best land. The Aztecs had to make due with the
swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.
BALL GAME
One of the most highly respected professions in the Aztec world was that of
ballplayer. The best players were treated like super stars, similar to the way
we treat our best athletics today.
The Aztecs, like the Mayas, had huge ball courts. The goal of the game was to
get a hard rubber ball over the middle line into your opponent’s court. You
got points for that. But the real goal was to get your ball through one of the
two hoops that hung down over the center of the court. The opposite team,
of course, did everything they could to stop you.
The game was exciting because you always had a chance to win no matter how
far behind your score was at any one time.
It was hard to get a ball thought a hoop. Most courts had hoops positioned
about 10 feet above the court, and hoops were only about 1 foot wide. But it
was possible. That was the Aztec way. You had a chance.
AZTECS GOVERNMENT
: Around
1400 CE, the Aztec government began conquering
neighboring tribes. The Aztec population had grown.
They needed many things to manage their growing
population. They needed new cities to house their
population. They needed new lands to feed their
population. They needed new captives to feed their
hungry gods. Schools needed to be run. Storehouses
needed to be filled. Temples needed to be built. The
government had its hands full trying to satisfy all these
needs.
PICTURES
GAMES
The Aztecs had two different games - tlachtli and patolli. Tlachtli
was a ball game that was played between teams using rubber
balls. The court was shaped like a capital I and it was 60 meters
long by 10 meters wide. One person on each team would have to
shoot the ball into a vertical hoop high over their heads with their
knees without using their hands. The hoop was placed on
opposite walls at the midpoint of the court. In a way this game
combined modern day soccer and basketball. Whichever team
made the first basket won the game. Sometimes it took hours to
complete a game.
TENOCHITLAN
With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, the Aztec capital
city of Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had huge temples, beautiful
open plazas, and a huge bustling central marketplace. By the mid1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a population of about 300,000 people, which
made it the largest city in the world at that time!
When Spanish soldiers first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, they were
amazed at what they found in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Everything
was clean. There were “eating houses” and hairdressers. You could buy
medicines and herbs and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and
game. There were streets that sold only pottery and mats. Painters
could buy the paints they needed for their art.
TENOCHITLAN
With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, the Aztec capital
city of Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had huge temples, beautiful
open plazas, and a huge bustling central marketplace. By the mid1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a population of about 300,000 people, which
made it the largest city in the world at that time!
When Spanish soldiers first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, they were
amazed at what they found in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Everything
was clean. There were “eating houses” and hairdressers. You could buy
medicines and herbs and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and
game. There were streets that sold only pottery and mats. Painters
could buy the paints they needed for their art.
AZTECS FOOD AND DRINK
Aztecs also ate chocolate. In their culture chocolate was reserved for
warriors and nobility. A drink of cacao mixed with ground maize was
believed to provide stamina and was used in sacred rituals.
Chocolate was a drink for the elite. The Aztecs ate twice a day and
the main meal was eaten during the hottest part of the day. Some of
the edible things available in an Aztec market were fruit, vegetables,
spices, flowers, edible dogs, and birds.