The Aztecs: The Physical Landscape

It's Following the advice of one of their gods, the Aztecs found a new home in the Valley of Mexico. According to legend, the people we call the Aztecs originally lived in the desert lands of northern Mexico. In 1168, Huitzilopochtli (wheets-eel-oh- POCH-tlee), the god of the Aztecs, commanded the people to migrate south and told them to look for an eagle perching on a cactus. There they should settle and build a great city. For more than 150 years the Aztecs travelled over mountain ranges and through river valleys. Eventually, in 1325, the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, a wide plain with fertile land, plentiful water, and a mild climate. Many thousands of people already lived there in large cities built of stone. The only unoccupied land the Aztecs could find was a swampy island at one end of a broad lake. There they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus. Screaming, it opened its wings. The Aztecs had finally found their home. They called it Tenochtitlan (Teh-noch-TEE-tlahn), and over the next 200 years they transformed the island into one of the greatest cities the world has ever seen.

Introduction The term Aztec was created by 19 th C historian William H. Prescott It labelled the civilization created by the nomadic Mexica tribe It is believed to come from the term Aztlan To the Aztecs, mountains were seen as holy sites – Temples were pyramids in the shape of mountains The world consisted of two landscapes for the Aztecs Physical Sacred Although the Aztecs built their home in a swampy island in a lake filled with salt water, they believed their god led them there

The Power of Mountains Mountains surrounded the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan These mountains, although useful for protection, also caused flash floods to occur in the valley In 1500 engineers built an earthen dam across the lake to the east of the city It helped to control water levels around the island The mountains also at times stopped water from arriving, at times causing drought An aqueduct was built to bring in fresh water to the city from underground springs

Aztec and Poetry Poetry was highly valued as an art form in Aztec society They felt they were imitating one of their gods, Ometeotl (oh-meh-THE-ohtl), the creator of the universe If a warrior was not fighting in a war, it was thought they should be writing poetry Proud of itself is the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Here no one fears to die in war... Have in mind, oh princes. Do not forget it. Who could conquer Tenochtitlan? Who could shake the foundation of heaven? What does this poem tell you about what the Aztecs thought about their city?

An Island Home Lake Texcoco surrounded Tenochtitlan It provided safety from any enemies, but they still needed to reach the mainland They built three causeways linking the lake to the mainland These causeways were then linked to the island city by bridges The Aztec population boomed during their 200 year reign in Tenochtitlan They started off with around a few thousand to a thriving civilization of several hundred thousand The Aztecs were also the most productive farmers of the time

Changing the Geography The Aztecs were determined to live in Tenochtitlan To do so, they had to make changes to it Lake Texcoco was part of a series of five lakes that were interconnected There were no rivers for the water to flow out of, leaving most of the lake salty and undrinkable They also created chinampas, basically small floating islands, for more land to farm

Homework Assignment /10 Due Next Class 1) Explain the reason behind the Aztec's decision to move to Tenochtitlan. Why did they stay even though it was not a very good location to start a city? What does this say about their worldview?/4 2) Explain in a chart how the Aztecs responded to the different geographical challenges life in Tenochtitlan provided. Two points per challenge./6 Geographic ChallengeAztec Response Mountains Swamp (lack of farm land and fresh water) Island