 1)Where was the Mayan Empire located? 2)Explain the reason why Mayans were able to form a civilization? 3)What does slash-and-burn mean? 4)What would you find in the center of a Mayan city? 5)Why did the Mayan empire decline? Bell Ringer Chapter 1 Section 2 Agenda Aztec PowerPoint Finish packet

  Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen Red Baron – German pilot in WWI. Over 80 kills. Question of the Week

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  Origins can be traced to Aztlan  Entered Valley of Mexico in 13 th century for unknown reasons  Considered vulgar by neighboring city-states  Served as mercenaries to nearby city-states  Eventually fled to marshes of Lake Texcoco after Coxcox declared war on them for sacrificing his daughter. Aztec Origins The empire lasted during the 14 th, 15 th, and 16 th centuries CE

 Tenochtialn (Then) Tenochtialn (Now) Mexico City

  Believed to create the best civilization they needed to be educated. Free school for all.  Only people up until that time in history to offer this.  School for girls = learn to cook, sew.  Sons of nobles = law, writing, medicine, engineering, interpretation of dreams  Sons of commoners and slaves = train warriors and farmers Education

  Symbols of a divine prophecy  After building Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs destroyed all records of their past and created a more favorable history  Priests taught that the Aztecs were nomads who built Tenochtitlan on a spot designated by the gods Eagle and Cactus

  Used chinampas, “floating gardens,” to produce food supply  Created canals to improve trade and transportation  Discovered culinary delights in lake products, such as algae and ducks Life in a Hostile Environment

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  Huitzilopochtli (right) was the Aztec tribal patron and patron deity of the cult of warfare and sacrifice.  sun god and war god Aztec Religion 128 major deities

  Believed to keep their gods happy they had to feed them.  Mostly captures from other tribes didn’t make them very popular first 200 years always on the move  Sometimes their own Human Sacrifice In the year 1487 the Aztecs reported killing 84,400 war prisoners in four days at the great pyramid of Tenochitlan

  Emperors chosen from royal family based on merit  Royal wives were greatly respected  All members were expected to be dignified and brave Aztec Society Royal Family (Lords)

  Included priests, military officers, government leaders  Nobility not inherited; earned on battlefields or in pursuit of priesthood  Held special privileges: fine clothes, beautiful homes, jewels, servants Aztec Society Nobles

  Provided Tenochtitlan with imported goods (jade, quetzal feathers)  Traveled great distances (into Central America) to negotiate deals Aztec Society Merchants

  Included farmers, laborers, craftsmen, servants, vendors  Lived in wards called calpullis (barrios) Aztec Society Commoners

  Worked in fields or estates of the wealthy  Had freedom, but considered inferior to commoners Aztec Society Serfs

  Had some legal rights; there was little stigma attached to slavery  People could sell themselves into slavery to pay off debts or crimes Aztec Society Slaves

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  Three causeways joined Tenochitlan to the shores of Lake Texcoco  Canals served as “roads” for canoes carrying people and goods  City contained 80, ,000 people The Floating City

  At great market 60,000 people gathered daily  Bartered for food (corn armadillos), straw mats, cloth (cotton), and luxury items (feathers)  Cacao beans sometimes used as currency Bustling Markets

  Double pyramid dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc  Tzompantli held thousands of human skulls  Residence of nobles were very elaborate Architectural Wonders

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