D: 11/8/12A: Notes of the AztecsS: How were the Aztecs and Mayans similar?H: None

w.o.d: chinampas

Warm-Up: Aztec Reading

Word of the Day

WORD

chinampas

DEIFINTION

Name the

Aztecs gave

to the

raised fields

on which

they grew

crops.

SENTENCE

The Aztecs

used the

swampy

lakes of

Mexico to

build

chinampas.

PICTURE

Aztec Basics

a. 1200 to 1521 when Spain took over Mexico

b. The spoke Nahuatl that birthed words like avocado, chocolate & tomato

c. Aztec belong to a calpolli or big familyi. Each owned a plot of land to meet the needs of

its members

d. Men were warriors, women were homemakers

e. All marriages were arranged

f. There was no money they used the barter system

Aztec Religion

a. Many gods were worshiped – each day, part of the day, month and city had its on god

b. Each month there was a celebration to the god

c. Human sacrifices were done by cutting out the heart

Aztec Government & Society

a. Emperor was chosen by the nobles from the royal family

b. Military units were stationed through out the land to keep order

c. A great noble commanded each army & served as a governor

d. The clan was the basis of society and made up of extended family

Aztec Government & Society

e. Four Classes of Societyi. Nobles - owned the calpolli and

additional land

ii. Commoners - worked land or made crafts in return for protection

iii.Serfs - farmed the land of the nobles

iv.Slaves - were made up of conquered people, criminals, or people who could not repay debts.

City of Tenochtitlan

a. Built on an island on lake Texcoco

b. Canals were dug to make waterway roads like in Venice

c. There were 4 sections of 20 clans each.i. Each clan had its own temple & school

d. The plaza was at the center with temples, ball courts, homes for the priests, housing for the military & a marketplace

Aztec Education, Writing, & Calendar

a. Both girls & boys attended Telpuchcalli to learn about Aztec citizenship history, traditions, religion & arts & crafts

b. Boys learned about warfare

c. Girls learned about singing & dancing

d. Some kids attend Calmecac to become priests

e. Writing was done by using pictures that represented ideas or sounds

f. Calendarsi. Lunar based on movement of the moon of 13 months of 20 days

ii. Based on the sun the second calendar was 365 days like the Mayans

iii. Had 52 year eras

Aztec Art & Games

a. All art was based on religionb. The temple was the biggest and best piece of artc. Sculptures were made out of stone, wood, gems

& stonesd. Jewelry was made of gold copper, & some silvere. Pottery was made and used in everyday lifef. Women wove cloth. The more decorated your

clothing was the wealthier you wereg. Tlachtli was a game played were you threw a ball

into stone ringh. Patolli was similar to backgammon

Aztec Agriculture

a. Used slash & burn farming and planted seeds with sticks

b. Built chinampas to grow foods

c. Grew maize, beans, squash, chili peppers, tomato

d. Raised deer, rabbits, ducks, geese, dogs & turkey

e. Chocolate from the cacao bean & chicle from the gum tree

f. After harvest foods were sold in the market place after some was given to nobles

Aztec Medicine

a. Three ways to get ill were punishment from the gods, black magic from enemies, or natural causes

b. Medicines were made from plants & herbsc. The ticitl or shaman was called in for

serious illnessesd. Two most used plants were yauhtli &

iztauhyatle. The maguey plant was used on battle

woundsf. They performed surgeries to remove

tumors or seal wounds

Aztec Warfare

a. All able bodied men had to be a warriorb. When boys were 13 the began training for

battlec. Men were honor when they had lots of

captivesd. Battles were fought to collect tribute & find

sacrificese. They covered up with cotton armor & many

weaponsf. The goal was always to capture not kill