Transcript Aztecs 2

Aztecs 2
Name five foods you like to eat that
reflect your culture.
Food and Trade
• The Aztec grew corn, maize,
beans, squash, pumpkins, chilis,
peppers, and coco beans
• They picked fruit of bananas,
papaya, mangos, and pineapple
• They traded between cities and
used gold and coco beans for
currency
• They learned from the Maya
how to build roads and built
roads simular to the Mayan
white Roads
• Everything was taxed and tax
collectors came by weekly to
collect “ The King’s Gold”
Education
• Aztec created a school system,
average citizens sent their
children to school to learn to
read and write and do math,
they then went to work in the
field and marketplaces
• The elite sent their students to
another school, one where they
were taught religion, leadership,
sports and reading, writing and
math, they were also trained as
artisans and royalty
• The Schools were a vital part of
every community and often led
the celebrations to their gods
Building an Empire
• The Aztec built their empire first by
making alliances and then using
the large army from those alliances
to conquer most of Central Mexico
• Their goal was to capture the king
of an enemy state, and hold him up
for the loyalty of that states
soldiers, then they would sacrifice
him as an offering to the gods
• Soldiers were paid well, and even
given the best equipment available
to go into battle with
• Each soldier was given two slaves
to carry their equipment and keep
their camp and weapons in top
shape, those that did not were
sacrificed
Aztec Religion
•


Huitzilopochtli
 the patron god of the Aztecs. He was the god that,
during their migration, indicated them the place to
found their capital Tenochtitlan. His name means
“Hummimngbird of the left” and he was the patron of
war and sacrifice. His shrine, on top of the pyramid of
the Templo Mayor, was decorated with skulls and
colored in red for blood.
Tlaloc
 was the rain god and one of the most ancient deities in
all Mesoamerica. His origins can be traced back to
Teotihuacan, the Olmec and the Maya. He is associated
with fertility and agriculture. To Tlaloc was dedicated
the second shrine on top of the Templo Mayor, the
Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. His shrine was decorated
with blue bands representing rain and water. The Aztec
believed that the cries and tears of newborn children
were sacred to the god, and, therefore, many
ceremonies for Tlaloc involved the sacrifice of children
Tonatiuh
 was the sun god. He was a nourishing god who provided
warmth and fertility. In order to do so, he needed
sacrificial blood.
Aztec Religion
• Tezcatlipoca
– His name means “Smoking
Mirror” and he often
represented an evil power.
Tezcatlipoca was the patron of
the night
• Chalchiuhtlicue
– was the goddess of water and
all aquatic elements. Her name
means “she of the Jade Skirt”.
• Centeotl God of Maize
• Xipe Totec
– name means “Our Lord with
the flayed skin”. Xipe Totec was
the god of agricultural fertility
Aztec Religion
• Quetzalcoatl
– “the Feathered Serpent”, is
probably the most famous
Aztec deity and is known in
many other Mesoamerican
cultures such as
Teotihuacan and the Maya.
He represented the
positive counterpart of
Tezcatlipoca. He was
patron of knowledge and
learning and also a creative
god.