1. The Awesome Aztecs

3. The Rise of the Aztec Empire
The Aztecs were a small group of people who migrated into the Valley of Mexico from the north, establishing Tenochtitlán as their capital around 1400 B.C.

4. Introduction
The Aztec tribe lived in ancient Mexico for about 400 years.
For the first 200 years, the Aztecs were constantly on the move. No one wanted the Aztecs as neighbors. The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. They believed that if their gods were not fed, they would not do their jobs. The sun god would not bring up the sun, and everyone would die.

5. Introduction
To keep their gods happy, the Aztecs believed that human sacrifice was necessary. They used people to feed their hungry gods.
Some of the people they sacrificed were Aztecs. However, most of the people they sacrificed were captured from neighboring tribes. This did not make them popular with their neighbors. Sooner or later, their neighbors would band together to chase the Aztecs away.

6. Settlement
When the Aztecs first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already living on the best land in the area.
This time, rather than fight for the best land or for captives to feed their hungry gods, the Aztecs quietly settled along the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.
They built canoes so they could fish, hunt waterfowl, and trade with other tribes for the building materials they needed.

7. Free School for Everyone
To build the city they wanted, they knew that they would need many engineers, builders, and traders. This required an educated population. To solve this problem, the Aztecs set up a system of public schools. Attendance was mandatory for all Aztec children, even girls and slaves.
The Aztecs were the only people up to that time in history to have free schools that every child had to attend.

8. All-Girls School
There were three different schools: one for girls, and two for boys.
Girls learned about religion and were trained to be good wives and mothers. They learned how to cook, sew, and how to care for their children. They also learned how to make beautiful woven textiles.

9. Sons of the Upper Class
Sons of the upper class went to the nobles’ school. Sons of wealthy traders and merchants also went to this school. They studied law, writing (hieroglyphics), medicine, engineering and building, interpretation of dreams and omens, and self-expression. They also learned about their history and religious beliefs.
It was a tough school. The boys were humiliated and tormented to toughen them up.

10. Sons of Commoners and Slaves
The other boys’ school was for sons of commoners. Its main goal was to train warriors and farmers. Boys had to sleep under skimpy blankets. They were given hard bread to eat.
The commoners’ school also taught history, religion, manners, correct behavior, and important rituals, along with singing and dancing.

11. Specialized Professions
No matter which school an Aztec boy attended, he was trained to be a specialist. Boys studied how to be farmers, traders, engineers, builders, astronomers, and doctors.
Students who became builders and engineers designed and built the amazing Aztec cities, including the capital city of Tenochtitlan, located on the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.

12. Aztec Daily Life
The Aztec Empire in the Valley of Mexico was home to 800,000 to 1.25 million people in the early 1500’s
The empire was separated into many city-states
Markets, plazas, temples, and residences were a part of each city-state
Have texts, codices of life, tribute, war
Ritual almanacs that priests used

13. Daily markets – up to 20,000 shoppers
Daily markets – up to 20,000 shoppers Cacao beans, woven capes, copper axes with “value” (including counterfeit cacao beans)

14. Floating Gardens
As the Aztec population grew, more food was needed. To solve this problem, Aztec engineers created “floating” gardens. They built a series of rafts, which they anchored to the lake bed. They piled on dirt and grew crops. They made walkways out of mud and reeds to connect the floating rafts.
The gardens were quite successful. The Aztecs grew chili peppers, squash, corn, tomatoes, and beans.
Teacher’s notes: The Aztecs created more useable land by filling in marshlands and swamps. They created even more by building dikes to hold back the water.

15. The End of the Aztec Empire
Spanish conquest –
In 1520, Hernando Cortez overthrows King Montezuma and takes over the Aztec people!