Transcript THE PEOPLE OF THE SUN

THE PEOPLE
OF THE SUN
•the physical
landscape
•the sacred
landscape
•expanding the
empire
THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE
• What do you feel when you see
the following images
THE PHYSICAL
LANDSCAPE
• For the Aztecs, a mountain was a sacred or
holy site, one that due to its height brought
people physically closer to the gods
• There were two landscapes for the Aztecs,
the physical and the sacred
• The temples that the Aztecs built to worship
the gods were pyramids in the shape of
mountains
• The Aztecs believed that their god,
Huitzilopochtli, had led them to the place
where they lived
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WN_XciZ
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THE PHYSICAL
LANDSCAPE
• The mountains that surrounded Tenochtitlan
gave the Aztecs a sense of security
• They felt that the mountains protected the
city from attack by invaders
• Rainstorms caused flash floods in low lying
areas
• After a great flood in 1500, Aztec engineers
built an earthen dam across the lake to the
east of the city
• The mountains also limited rainfall in the
area, requiring the construction of an
aqueduct, a structure which provides fresh
drinking water from a distance
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az5YpOgHDik&
THE PHYSICAL
LANDSCAPE
• Lake Texcoco, which surrounded
Tenochtitlan, also was a safety feature
• The Aztecs built three causeways that linked
the island to the mainland
• The bridges could be destroyed in the event
of an invasion
• For 200 years, the Aztecs grew from a few
thousand into a society of several hundred
thousand
• They were efficient food producers, with a
surplus of many items
• Beans, corn, chillies, peppers and tomatoes
were among the farmed items
THE PHYSICAL
LANDSCAPE
• Chinampas were floating islands built in the
water around Tenochtitlan to grow crops
• Using stakes, reeds and soil, layers were
constructed until there was a thick layer of
mud and mats rising above the waters
surface
• Farmers had to access their crops by canoe
and use the simplest of farming tools
• Lake Texcoco was part of series of five
interconnected lakes, and there was no
river for water to flow out of the lakes
• Evaporation caused a build up of natural
salts in the water
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hew9ZDO1caw
THE SACRED LANDSCAPE
• Huitzilopochtli according, to Aztec legend,
was responsible for the site of the Aztec
homeland
• The Aztec believed that the gods controlled
every aspect of their lives
• The Aztecs had many gods and they believed
some were stronger than others
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXqv0yL
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THE SACRED LANDSCAPE
GOD’S NAME
INFORMATION
Huitzilopochtli
encouraged the Aztecs to leave their ancestral home
land and settle in the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs
believed they needed the blood of sacrificial victims to
give him the strength to overcome night’s darkness
Tezcatlipoca
The most powerful of the gods. Name means “smoking
mirror”, from the black mirror he used to see visions of
the future. Also known as Lord of the Night Sky
Quetzalcoatl
The god of the wind, name means feathered serpent. Left
Mexico after a fight with Tezcatlipoca, sailing to the east
on a raft of snakeskins. The priests prophesized in the
year One Reed bringing destruction to the Aztec empire
Tlaloc
The god of rain, who could unleash deadly floods or
withhold rains from coming for years, causing droughts
and famines. Aztecs feared him because he controlled
their survival
IMAGE
AZTEC CALENDARS
• Emphasized close connection between the
gods and human beings
• Actually had two calendars
– Solar calendar
– Sacred calendar
• It took the sacred calendar 52 years to catch
up to the solar calendar
• It was carved in the mid 1400s and was
dedicated to Huitzilopochtli
• The Aztecs believed there were four eras
prior to the present one and each had been
destroyed
AZTEC CALENDARS
• According to legend
– Jaguars destroyed the first
– Hurricanes destroyed the second
– Fiery rain ended the third
– Flooding doomed the fourth
• According to legends earthquakes will doom
the current era
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn3Gsr4PkU8&
HUMAN SACRIFICE
• These ritual killing had deeply religious
significance for the Aztecs
• It was their strongest expression of devotion
to the gods, they believed the victims blood
actually nourished the gods
• The Aztecs would utilize captured victims for
the sacrifice
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVo8ODk
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• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQKJRnPpIx
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TENOCHTITLAN: CENTRE
OF THE WORLD
• Aztecs believed the world was round, flat
and divided into four sections
• In the middle was Tenochtitlan , the capital
city of the Aztecs
• The city was also divided into four sections
• The Great temple was in the middle of the
city
• There were hundreds of temples within the
city
• Most were built in pyramid shapes to
resemble a sacred mountain
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myRXkk6tO2Q&
EXPANDING THROUGH
TRADE
• The Aztecs could not produce tropical fruits
like avocados, papayas, cacao which grew in
the rainforests along the coasts
• Gold and silver deposits were also away from
the deposits of gold and silver
• Therefore they needed to trade with cultures
for those goods
• Aztecs would use slaves in the transportation
of goods
• Trade exchanges could last months travelling
to remote parts of the empire
• Aztec traders would act as spies creating
maps to show which cities were well protected
and which could be easily conquered
EXPANDING THROUGH
WAR
• “We shall conquer all people of the universe.
I will make you lords and kings of every
place in the world.”
– Huitzilopochtli prophecy
• When the Spanish arrived in 1519, the Aztecs
controlled the greatest empire in North
America
• Military service was mandatory among the
Aztecs
• Every young man served in the military
• The worst insult in Aztec society was to be
called a coward
• A lack of courage weakened the army, which
weakened the state
• Aztec Regular Units
• The Aztec army was well organized and with a well
organized command structure. The common
warriors were formed up into companies called
Calpulli. Each Calpulli was further divided into
fourths and led by nobles from the region were the
troops were recruited.
• Elite Aztec Warriors
– The noble warrior class also formed special
military elite units, formed from warrior societies
such as the Eagle and Jaguar or the dreaded Shorn
Ones. Sons of nobles were expected to enter into
one of the societies and to progressed through
there ranks.
B
• Eagle and Jaguar Warrior Societies
– The largest warrior societies were that of the
Eagles and the Jaguars. They dressed like their
name sake animals and wear headquartered in the
Quauhcalli "the Eagle House" located in the
ceremonial precinct in Tenochtitlan. Eagles were
adorned in eagle feathers and wore headgear with
an eagle head on it, their faces looking out from an
open beak. Jaguars wore suits made from the
pelts of pumas (jaguars) and associated
themselves with their god of night.
• Otomies
– The Otomies were another warrior society, they are
named after the Otomi people who were known for
being fierce warriors and allies of the Aztecs.
• The Shorn Ones
– The "Shorn Ones" or Cuachicqueh was the most
prestigious warrior society and the tlacateccatl, a
very high ranking general, was always a member.
The Shorn Ones are so named because their
heads were shaved accept for a long braid over
the left ear.
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syMWXBBDeZE&