STARTER Complete the Definition box below neatly. Use the dictionaries on your desks to find out what the words mean and write them in to your books. Founded Established Sacrifice culture

LO To place the Aztecs within the correct period of history.

WHERE WERE THE AZTECS? Click the map to show where in the world we would find the Aztecs.

Well done The Aztecs were a group of American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico during the 1400s and 1500s. You can see this below.

Oh dear that’s not correct You would find a variety of North American Indian tribes here but not the Aztecs

Oh dear that’s not correct Close – but you found the Incas not the Aztecs.

Oh dear that’s not correct Nope – you found Renaissance Europe. That’s when King Henry VIII lived. Try again.

Oh dear that’s not correct Not here either. Try going west instead of east next time.

Oh dear that’s not correct You found the Mesopotamian civilizations not the Aztecs. Try harder.

Oh dear that’s not correct You’re on the wrong continent – this is Africa!

Oh dear that’s not correct You’re on the wrong continent – this is an Aborigine in Australia.

The Aztecs who entered the land we call Mexico came from the North. In 1325 they founded a huge city on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco – this became Tenochtitlan.

Today Tenochtitlan is Mexico City.

The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas. Their cities were as large as any in Europe. They built towering temples and huge sculptures.

They held impressive ceremonies featuring bloody human sacrifices to appease their gods.

In 1519 the Spanish attacked and the Aztec Empire. By 1521 they had conquered and destroyed it.

WHEN WERE THE AZTECS? The Aztec empire existed during the 1300s, 1400s and 1500s. Here are some European events that took place during that time. In the 1300s jousting was popular and the Black Death Plague ravaged Europe In 1492 Christopher Columbus set off to find India and found the Americas instead. In 1531 Henry VIII made himself Head of the Church.

How do we know about the Aztecs? Archaeologists know something about how Aztecs lived from ruins of buildings, and remains of pottery, jewellery, and other artefacts which have been found buried deep under the ground. We can also find out a lot from the Aztec Codices. These are books written by the Aztecs recording events in picture format.

Main task By now you should have completed your worksheet by filling in the gaps. Now add on the main events to your timeline neatly. Finally go back and colour your title page.