General Outcome Through an examination of Spanish and Aztec societies, students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how intercultural contact affects the worldviews of societies.

Together as a class we are going to assess, critically, how the Aztecs were affected by the Spanish worldview by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:  What were the key elements of the worldview of the Aztec civilization prior to contact with the Spanish?  How did the Aztec civilization’s worldview influence the Aztecs’ choices, decisions and customs?  What key elements of Spain’s worldview led to the desire to expand the Spanish empire?

 Take the next minutes to complete the glossary for chapter 7

 Read page 224 as a class  Discuss the timeline. One side depicts Spanish events while the other depicts Aztec events  Lets check these 2 countries out on Google Earth!  Lets look at the two cultures visually. At the end tell me what you think some of the key values and beliefs of each society are  What do you think will be the result upon contact? (you’ll be making this prediction a lot as you learn about the two cultures)

 Read page 226  Read the Worldview Investigation page 227  What would be the purpose of this worldview investigation if we were going to do it?

How did geography influence the societies of the Aztec and the Spanish?

 Read pages and examine the maps of Meso-America.  Discuss how people adapted to the land and the climate. Discuss how geography affected the social structure.

 Mexico is a land of great diversity, including deserts, mountains, tropical forests, ranchland, rich farmland, and seacoasts on the east and west.  Much of northern Mexico is desert.  Most of the major mountain ranges are located in the central plateau of Mexico.  Southern Mexico has dense forests and a tropical climate with lots of rainfall.  Most of the original societies, including the Aztec, lived in the central basin, the Valley of Mexico.  The Valley of Mexico became the centre of the Aztec civilization.  There were different ecological zones within the Mexican basin.

 Read pages and examine the maps of Spain Reflect and Respond page 231 #1-2

 Spain occupies about 80% of the Iberian Peninsula.  Towards the end of the 15th century, the Spanish monarchs wanted to increase the wealth and prestige of Spain by exploring and colonizing new lands.  Spain’s location on the Atlantic Ocean was an important factor in this decision.  Spain has several large mountain ranges and many fast-flowing rivers.  The central plateau is very dry with frequent droughts.  Spain’s climate is rainy in the north and dry in the south.  Due to the mountains and rivers that were difficult to navigate, Spain was made up of many individual kingdoms, which shaped its history and culture.

 What kind of historical records are you familiar with?  MAYBE: primary sources such as stories, artist’s depictions, audio recordings, buildings, clothing, pottery; secondary sources such as newspapers, books, encyclopaedia, Internet websites.  The Aztec used codices  Compare that with the what the Spanish used by skimming pages

 Read pages  Interpret the images in the Boturini Codex This illustration indicates that the Mexica settled in this spot for awhile. The footprints indicate travel. The curled illustrations coming from people’s mouths indicate speaking. There appears to have been a circle discussion with a leader or priest in the centre. A tree falls on the temple to Huitzilopochtli; this is a sign they must move on. Note the arms on the tree, indicating the belief that it contains a living spirit.

 The Aztec were one of several groups who left northern Mexico and migrated southward over many years.  They were devoted to their god, and moved according to his directions to the priests so that they could reach the land of their destiny.  This created many hardships.  They eventually settled in the Valley of Mexico, in the city of Tenoch.  This city proved to be an excellent site for trade.

 The creation stories of the origin of the Mexica and their migration include stories of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, the main god of the Aztec. The Aztec believed he was the incarnation of the sun and struggled against the forces of night to keep humans alive. In one story, the old goddess Coatlicue (koh-ah-TLEE-kway) found herself pregnant. Her eldest daughter, Coyolxauhqui (koh-yohl-SHAHW-kee), convinced her 400 brothers to assist her in killing their mother. The unborn Huitzilopochtli learned of the plot and just in time, burst from Coatlicue’s belly fully grown and fully armed. He killed Coyolxauhqui and her brothers. Coyolxauhqui rose to become the moon and the brothers rose to become the stars. The Aztec believed that Huitzilopochtli became the sun, which battled and overcame the moon and stars each day as he rose into the sky.

 After years of looking for a home the Aztecs found Tenochtitlan. Reflect and Respond #1-2

 Read pages

 There was Muslim rule in southern Spain in the early 700’s when the Moors came from North Africa and took over the Christian lands of the Iberian Peninsula.  This Muslim rule lasted for more than 700 years.  Over the centuries, Christian kingdoms gradually became more powerful and struggled to take over Muslim rule.  Most people in Europe followed Christianity at this time, and Muslims and Jewish people were often not accepted because they were not Christian.  The move to retake land under Muslim control was called the reconquest, or “Reconquista” in Spanish.  The conquistadors of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella rid Spain of Moorish control in 1492.

 After the Reconquista, the Roman Catholic faith was considered the only true faith in Spain.  The king and queen felt that the country would only be united if everyone followed the same religion.  This was an opportunity to control the people.  In 1492, the Spanish Inquisition was reinstated. It was both a civil and a religious court.

 The Spanish wanted to explore new, undiscovered lands because the routes to the East around Africa had already been explored by other countries.  Their two directions for expansion were to the Western Mediterranean and the west across the Atlantic.  The Spanish monarchy had religious, economic, and political motives for building its empire.

 Please read page 240

 What is a legacy?  Two types of legacies: one given to you, and one passed on to you  What types of legacies do individuals leave? (think about our past 2 units)  What about societies and groups?  What criteria is necessary in determining whether or not a society has left a legacy?

 Keep the following in mind when reading the next section: 1. What was the nature of the intercultural contact? 2. What was the short-term impact of this contact? 3. What was the long-term legacy of this contact?

 Read page  What was the legacy of the Muslims in Spain?  How might the location of Cordoba have contributed to its status as a “major centre of learning and the arts.”  What is the legacy of Cordoba?

 The Moors conquered regions of the Iberian Peninsula,  They imported their Islamic culture.

 This culture influenced Spanish learning, architecture and design, such as:  Important schools of astronomy, mathematics and architecture.  Illuminated manuscripts and murals.  Great libraries containing books on a variety of topics.  A large collection of classical documents.  Beautiful buildings.

 Read pages and answer the guiding questions  What was the legacy of the Toltecs in Meso- America?

 Read page 247  The Toltec, who had the greatest impact on Aztec culture because they were seen to be a refined civilization.

 The Olmec, which was the founding society of all Meso-American civilizations.

 The Teotihuacan, who left enormous ruins, thought to be holy.

 In our previous two units: 1. Who was powerful and how did they become powerful? 2. What makes a strong leader? 3. What are some historical examples of empires? 4. How were the lives of common people affected by the political system and leaders of the time?

 Read page 248  What made itzcoatl a strong leader?  How did itzcoatl become and remain powerful?

 Read pages  DISCUSS: How did the Aztec leaders become powerful?

 Societies who could claim direct lineage to the Toltecs were the most respected and held the greatest power in the Valley of Mexico.  Aztec emperors increased their power by creating alliances with other powerful rulers.

 Life in Aztec society developed around a culture of war.  They developed an effective military strategy.  The Aztec maintained power with a strong military and their alliances with conquered city-states.

 The most important individuals governing the empire were the Aztec nobility (Pipiltin)  Priests were important advisors to the emperor.

 Read page 254  What do you think made Ferdinand and Isabella strong leaders? 1. Page 137- their lineage, and combination of kingdoms 2. Page 238- capable 3. Page 239- sense of purpose, to extend empire and; 4. Page 254- increase the power of monarchy  Read pages  DISCUSS: how did the Spanish monarchy become so powerful?

 In 1497, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella married.  They increased the powers of the throne and decreased the powers of the Spanish parliament

 Ferdinand and Isabella centralized the government under their control, and to have ultimate power they:  created a more efficient government bureaucracy,  imposed new taxes,  controlled the Roman Catholic Church in Spain,  began the Spanish Inquisition,  forbade any faith but Roman Catholicism.

 The Cortes (Spanish Parliament) was established in the 8th century to keep the power of the monarchs under control.  Ferdinand and Isabella reduced the power of the Cortes in order to increase their own power.  To make up for the power they were taking away from the aristocrats they gave them land previously belonging to the moors

 The Pope gave Ferdinand and Isabella the right to choose Church officials.  This new right was given because in return they agreed to set up the Spanish Inquisition.

 Life for peasants was still poor.  The merchant class was given more power, but were heavily taxed.  Aristocrats thought they were too superior to have to work, and looked down upon laborers.

 Although they still had domestic problems, Ferdinand and Isabella had more authority and better resources to begin a policy of exploration and discovery.  By the mid-1500s, Spain was the most powerful and wealthy country in Europe, controlling large areas of the Caribbean, the Americas, and parts of Asia and Africa.

 Read page 257  Compare the empires in terms of time and location  List the attributes of good leaders  Describe strategies that good leaders use to control their followers

 Read the “first nation creation stories”  What do they say about their worldview? What they value and believe in  Read the handout “Aztec creation story” as well as page  Compare the Aztec stories with the one on page 233. Why more than one story?  What values and beliefs do the stories represent about Aztec worldview?  What creation story would the Spanish have followed?

 The Aztec believed the gods had created and destroyed the world four times.  The Aztecs believed they were living in the fifth created world, known as the fifth sun.  They felt it was their duty to keep the sun alive to prevent the destruction of the Earth and its people.  The traditional stories of the Aztecs reveal their beliefs.

 Please be sure to read page 260  Review and Synthesize

 Create a mind map summarizing the Aztec or Spanish way of life in terms of the social system, political and economic system, and culture