1. LATER AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS
Lesson 1 The Aztecs

2. MAIN IDEAS
The Aztecs developed an agricultural society and founded a great empire in the Valley of Mexico.
The Aztecs had a highly structured society, with authoritarian rulers.
The Aztecs made advances in art, architecture, and astronomy.

4. Valley of Mexico

5. Settling in the Valley of Mexico
Aztecs Settle in Central Mexico
EQ: How did the Aztecs adapt to the Valley of Mexico?
Settling in the Valley of Mexico
Aztecs, nomadic hunter-gatherers, lived in what is now northwest Mexico
In 1325, Aztecs settled on small island in large lake and built a city—Tenochtitlán— “place of the Prickly Pear,” the site of Mexico City today
Aztecs began serving as paid warriors for local rulers

7. Aztecs Settle in Central Mexico
EQ: How did the Aztecs adapt to the Valley of Mexico?
Adapting to the Land
The land was swampy, little farmland; little wood or stone for building
Constructed chinampas on the lake—raised garden beds— where they grew corn, squash, peppers
Building an Empire
By 1500s, Aztecs ruled empire of 6 to 12 million people that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific
Aztecs demanded tribute—forced payment— of goods such as corn, gold, jade from conquered people

8. Chinampas

9. Aztec Society and Beliefs EQ: What was the structure of Aztec society?
Aztec Class Structure
Three main classes:
Emperor/Nobles (landowners, priests) most powerful; ran government & army
Artisans, merchants made up intermediate class
Commoners (farmers, craftspeople, soldiers, serfs) majority
Slaves at bottom of commoners
All classes limited womenʼs roles

11. Aztec Society and Beliefs EQ: What was the structure of Aztec society?
Family Life and Religious Practices
Men farmed the land; women cooked, raised children
Boys formally taught religion, battle skills; girls educated at home
Religion dominated society; Aztecs believed in around 1,000 gods
Priests kept calendars; sometimes war prisoners were sacrificed to gods

13. Aztec Society and Beliefs EQ: What was the structure of Aztec society?
Aztec Warriors and Warfare
War was sacred duty; boys trained as warriors by age 15
Fall of the Aztec Empire
Emperor Montezuma II demanded more tribute, land, sacrifices (1502)
Hernán Cortés—Spanish explorer—arrived in 1519 seeking gold
Montezuma hoped to avoid war; taken prisoner by Cortés during meeting and later killed during fighting with Spanish
Disease, guns defeat Aztecs; Cortés captured Tenochtitlán in 1521

15. The Cultural Legacy of the Aztecs
EQ: What cultural advances did the Aztecs make?
Art and Architecture
Aztecs built huge, unique temples and palaces in Tenochtitlán - part of Great Temple visible today in Mexico City
Archaeologists have also uncovered gold beads, pottery, headdresses, sculptures, jewelry, gems

16. Tenochtitlan Great Temple

17. The Cultural Legacy of the Aztecs
EQ: What cultural advances did the Aztecs make?
The Aztec Codices
Aztec used glyphs (colorful pictures, symbols) as their writing system
Codex were deerskin or bark books; reflected details of Aztec life
Advances in Astronomy
Aztecs studied stars, planets to predict planting, harvest seasons
Aztecs created two calendars—one for farming, one for religion

18. Creation, Vitality, Life Astrology, Order These spiraling seeds
Creation Symbol:
Creation, Vitality, Life
Astrology, Order
These spiraling seeds
are all moving together
in perfect harmony.
Aztecs understood
life works in
this rhythmic pattern
Represents life: Birth,
Child, Adult
Death, Afterlife

19. Lesson Summary & So What
The Aztecs adapted to the environment of the Valley of Mexico and built an empire there.
The Aztecsʼ harsh treatment of their subjects weakened their empire and made it easier for the Spanish to conquer them.
The Aztecs made contributions in art, architecture, and astronomy.
Why It Matters Now . . .
The Aztecs ruled much of what is now Mexico and built their capital where Mexico City, one of the worldʼs largest cities, now stands.