The Aztecs Control Central Mexico

By: Nestor Soriano, Jessica Rolon, Nathan Lluvia, Dennis Juncal, Alexander Pilia, Manny

The Valley of Mexico• The valley was about 7,500 ft. above sea level.

• The city had many large shallow lakes.

An early city state

• First major city was Teotihuacan• Population of 150,000-200,000 people• lined with more than 20 pyramids• Biggest pyramid was the pyramid of the sun.• They had obsidian to trade.

Toltecs take over• Like Mesoamericans the built pyramids and temples.• They also carved pillars made of stone that looked like

warriors• Empire was built on conquest.• People who worshipped the war god didn't support

worshipping the searpent.

V

The Aztec Empire

• The Aztec arrived in the valley of mexico around A.D 1200

• The valley contained a number of small city states joined with two other city states called the Texcoco and Tlacopan to form an alliance had survived the collapse of Toltec rule.

• Then the Aztecs came along and were called the mexica then there were people that were poor and had came from the desert.

• The Aztec grew stronger over the years the Aztec gradually increase their strength.

Religion rules Aztec life

Aztecs adopted many gods and religious practice from other Mesoamerican people.

Sacrifices for the Sun god

the most important rituals involved a sun god named Huitzilopochtli.

Huitzilopochtli made the sun rise every day. when the sun set, he had to battle the forces of evil to

get to the next day.without regular offerings of human blood Huitzilopochtli would be too weak to fight.

Problems in the Aztec Empireo Many Montezuma II was

crowned emperor in 1502

o The Aztec Empire begins to weaken

o Aztecs start to predict terrible things that were about to happen

o They were worried about the arrival of the Spanish

o The Aztecs saw many bad Omens such as.... Lightning Striking in

Tenochtitlan or a partial eclipse of the sun

Tenochtitlan: A planned city

• By early 1500s tenochtitlan had become an extraordinary urban center with a population between 200,000 and 400,000.

• Aztec engineers built three raised roads, and causeways, over the water and marshland.

• Most of the fruits and vegetables sold at the market were grown on chinampas, farm plots built on the marshy fringes of the lake.

• at the of the city was a massive, walled complex, filled with palaces, temples, and government buildings.

Aztec Warrior

Aztecs temple

Aztec king

Since there were lakes people think, this is how the temples looked like.

QUESTIONS

1.What was the population of the Aztecs? And what or who did they worship?

2.What kind of system did the toltecs rely on to take over cities?

3.What was called the plots that is extremely productive?

4.What was at the center of the city and what was filled with?

5.From what culture did aztecs get their gods and religious practices from?

Questions continued

5.From what culture did aztecs get their gods and religious practices from?

6.Huitzilopochtli made the sun rise every day. when the sun set what did he have to do to get to the next day?

7. Who was crowned emperor in 1502 ?

8.What were the two bad omens the Aztecs predicted?

9.How did the Aztec ruled their empire?

10.On what Teotihuacans power and wealth based?