By Kaitlyn S., Kartika F., Gilberto M.

Period 1 Global II

The Aztec came after the Olmec, Zapotec, and the Mayans in the 12th century

The Valley of Mexico had lakes, fertilized soil, and many other resources

These advantages attracted the Teotihuacan and the Toltecs

In central Mexico the first major city was Teotihuacan, it is located right outside Mexico City and in 2 A.D. villagers who lived here long before it was a major civilization started to build immense a monumental city.

Teotihuacan had a population of as many as 125,000 people, which is the largest in the world at the time and they also had created a pyramid wider than the pyramids of Egypt. Their Pyramid of the Sun was 200 feet tall and the base or bottom of the pyramid was really wide.

Teotihuacan was also a really popular center for trade; the cities much known valuable trade item was obsidian. Obsidian is a dark green to black rock which is made when volcanic lava interacts with water and eventually hardens.

• The Aztec Empire had about eleven rulers that accomplished a lot in the empire

• The fourth ruler made Itzcoatl (1428-1440) made triple alliances with outter people that way there would be peace

• Moctezuma Ilhuicamina (1440-1469) the fifth ruler created a military to expand further and conquered more places

• Towards the decline of the empire, rulers became weaker and the Spanish came to conquer Mesoamerica

They had religious beliefs and theocracy They had a powerful army They had an Empire of states Before the Aztec there were other civilizations that played a role

in the Aztec culture The Aztecs made a lot of wonderful pottery some of these

creations showed their everyday lives Aztec masks were also made by craftsman to give tribute to

certain gods during a ritual or ceremony Music and dance were part of the rituals and ceremonies used to

feel closer to their gods Certain musical instruments were used to dance for certain gods;

and beware if a wrong note is played Music combined with the Aztec dance. These dances were not

only used to please the gods but also to address political, social or cultural issues

Similar to the Mayans the Aztecs had a religion in which they had to please the gods which led to human sacrifices which they thought the gods wanted. The Aztecs are not that much different from us they also believed in heaven and hell but, they believed in 9 hells and 13 heavens. They believed that darkness and the sun were both gods and that every single day they would wrestle which would supposedly explain day and night. You would think if they had gods they would have places of worship and they did they created amazing pyramids to honor their gods and commit sacrifices. The sun and darkness were only 2 out of over 1000 Aztec gods but, their main god was the sun, they even held days where priest would dress up and go to volcanoes which are extinct and hold sacrifices. Just like us their belief in the afterlife depended on how you live your life.

• At the top of the social class was, of course, the emperor, who was looked upon as a god by the people

• There were two main social classes– Pilli: the noble people (higher class) included

military leaders and priests– Macehualli: the common people such as,

special merchants, artisans, soldiers and farmers who owned land

• The lowest class were the slaves (however slavery was not hereditary, there were ways to gain freedom) and captives that were forced to do different jobs

• The Mayan king controlled mostly everything but power was divided; he however, was looked upon as a god

• The nobles and priests had a lot of power in the Aztec society however, they weren’t automatically put into power

• The city councils were made up of the capulli leaders that joined together

• The capulli were families that held power and were at the top of the social structure

The Aztecs controlled an extensive trading network

The economic capital of the city was Tlatelocho

Agriculture products were a very big part in the trading method

They had a united cultureThey were loyal to the kingThey had land and power and wealthPrisoners for religious sacrifices

An arguable Aztec achievement is that education was mandatory and didn’t matter what gender, age or rank in the society. Most empires have education for only the upper class but, the Aztecs educated anyone no matter how much money they make.

Many people think popcorn is an Aztec invention but, it was only made popular by them, it was really invented by the Zapotec and Moche which influenced many of Mesoamerican empires. Back then popcorn was used as decorations for clothing and crowns to honor their god Tlaloc which was a part of their culture.

The Aztecs invented a mixture influenced by Mayans which contained a mix of cacao beans, corn flour, water and chilies. What came out was a very hot and spicy chocolate soup which can be considered “hot chocolate.” The Mayans really admired the cacao bean mostly among the upper class, also in the Aztec empire; this shows how the Mayans influence the Aztec culture. Without this invention we wouldn’t be able to have all the different types of coffee we have today (no Starbucks).

The Aztecs wanted to have an expanding empire, this, unfortunately, became a problem for the Aztecs

New ruler: Montezuma II For years, the Aztecs have made human

sacrifices. Montezuma calls for more sacrifices. This caused a rebellionMontezuma tried to bring peace back, but the

fights just kept getting worse Another threat arose: The SpanishBecause of the invasion, this civilization ended

http://aztecs.mrdonn.org/achievements.html http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-inventions.html http://www.azteccalendar.com/ http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_religion https://www.courses.psu.edu/anth/anth008_cmg149/ http://www.allabouthistory.org/aztec-civilization.htmhttp://

www.san.beck.org/11-1-Mayans,Aztecs,Incas.html http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/aztecrulers.html religion picture:

http://pogo.lakesideschool.org/history/h100daztec/files/2010/11/aztecs401.gif

Cover slide: http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/aztecs.htm Hot chocolate picture: www.blackcatny.wordpress.com