The Aztecs

I ’ m Hilarious!

Who were they? Where did they come from?

Who were they? What was the name of their settlement? – What was unique about it?

Tenochtitlán Tenochtitlán was the capital of the Aztec Empire. – Where is this located in present day Mexico?

Tenochtitlán This is an image of present day Mexico City. – It stands where Lake Texcoco and Tenochtitlán use to be…

Tenochtitlán Tenochtitlán was connected to the mainland by three raised roads. – What happened when it rained?

Tenochtitlán Example of an aqueduct Example of a dike

The Aztecs The Aztecs formed military alliances with other groups and conquered other nations, which led to the creation of an empire that extended from central Mexico to the Guatemalan border.

Aztec Society Aztec society was divided into three classes: slave, commoner, and nobility. – Could you change your role?

Agriculture The Aztec economy was dependent on agriculture. Their main crop was corn. How did they farm?

Agriculture One of their greatest feats however, was using the swampy land around the lakes by creating chinampas, or artificial islands that are commonly known as “floating gardens.”

Chinampas

The Aztec World In the Aztec empire, there were some manufactured goods produced for the ruler or sold in the local markets. – Examples: pottery, tools, jewelry, figurines, baskets, and cloth. – What did they use as currency?

The Aztec World The Aztecs had no wheeled vehicles or draft animals (like horses or oxen), – How did they trade?

Aztec Art Most Aztec art reflected aspects of their religion. – They carved freestanding idols and bas-relief wall sculptures on their temple- pyramids. These sculptures not only represented their gods but also sacrificial victims. Example of bas-relief, it is a sculpture but is not free- standing (also, this is not an example of an Aztec relief sorry I could not find a good one)

Aztec Art Aztec calendar –

Aztec Writing Aztec writing consisted of pictographs, or small pictures symbolizing objects or the sounds of syllables. – Pictographs were also used in their counting system, which was based on the number 20. – A picture of a flag indicated 20 items; a fir tree represented 20 times 20 items, or 400; and a pouch indicated 400 times 20 items, or 8000.

Aztec Religion Aztecs worshiped numerous gods. – Which one was significant to their demise?

Aztec Religion What were their temples used for?

Aztec Religion So why might the Aztecs have practiced human sacrifice? –