The AztecsThe Aztecs

II’’m Hilarious!m Hilarious!

Who were they?Who were they?

Where did they come from?

Who were they?Who were they?

What was the name of their settlement?

– What was unique about it?

Tenochtitlán Tenochtitlán

Tenochtitlán was the capital of the Aztec Empire. – Where is this located

in present day Mexico?

TenochtitlánTenochtitlán

This is an image of present day Mexico City. – It stands where

Lake Texcoco and Tenochtitlán use to be…

TenochtitlánTenochtitlán

Tenochtitlán was connected to the mainland by three raised roads. – What happened when it rained?

TenochtitlánTenochtitlán

Example of an aqueduct

Example of a dike

The AztecsThe Aztecs

The Aztecs formed military alliances with other groups and conquered other nations, which led to the creation of an empire that extended from central Mexico to the Guatemalan border.

Aztec SocietyAztec Society

Aztec society was divided into three classes: slave, commoner, and nobility. – Could you change your role?

AgricultureAgriculture

The Aztec economy was dependent on agriculture. Their main crop was corn.

How did they farm?

AgricultureAgriculture

One of their greatest feats however, was using the swampy land around the lakes by creating chinampas, or artificial islands that are commonly known as “floating gardens.”

ChinampasChinampas

The Aztec WorldThe Aztec World In the Aztec empire, there were some manufactured goods

produced for the ruler or sold in the local markets. – Examples: pottery, tools, jewelry, figurines, baskets, and

cloth. – What did they use as currency?

The Aztec WorldThe Aztec World

The Aztecs had no wheeled vehicles or draft animals (like horses or oxen), – How did they trade?

Aztec ArtAztec Art

Most Aztec art reflected aspects of their religion.– They carved freestanding

idols and bas-relief wall sculptures on their temple-pyramids.

These sculptures not only represented their gods but also sacrificial victims.

Example of bas-relief, it is a sculpture but is not free-standing (also, this is not an example of an Aztec relief sorry I could not find a good one)

Aztec ArtAztec Art

Aztec calendar–

Aztec WritingAztec Writing

Aztec writing consisted of pictographs, or small pictures symbolizing objects or the sounds of syllables.

– Pictographs were also used in their counting system, which was based on the number 20.

– A picture of a flag indicated 20 items; a fir tree represented 20 times 20 items, or 400; and a pouch indicated 400 times 20 items, or 8000.

Aztec ReligionAztec Religion

Aztecs worshiped numerous gods.– Which one was significant

to their demise?

Aztec ReligionAztec Religion

What were their temples used for?

Aztec ReligionAztec Religion

So why might the Aztecs have practiced human sacrifice? –