SSWH8 The students will demonstrate an understanding of the development of societies

in Central and South America.

Monica Flores-Barajas World History

Aztec

The geography of the Aztecs is constantly varying because they live in such a strange spot. The Aztecs lived in the central Mexican valley. Almost everything they did or built was because of the way their environment was. The area they lived in was swampy in some areas but they were surrounded by jagged mountains. At the start of their civilization they moved to many different places. The place they lived in was the mostly dry Mexican valley Aztec people built many things to interact with the environment. A couple of those things were dams, barriers and aqueducts to keep the lakes salt water away from their fresh water.

Geography

Aztec arts were very detailed and reflected their many beliefs. Many Aztecs couldn’t read or write so they expressed themselves through art. Artists got their skills from the gods and were admired by everyone. They called themselves Mexica. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City, derive their names from the word Mexica. Aztec clothing was generally loose fitting and did not completely cover the body.  When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the people were surprised to see them in their full armor, with only their faces exposed. Women would weave the fibers into clothing, a task girls were taught as young teenagers. Aztec clothes were generally made of cotton

Culture

LeadershipThe Aztecs were ruled by an emperor, who lived in the

palace in the capital city. There were many cities in the Aztec empire. The emperor placed one noble in charge of each city. The nobles were supposed to report to the emperor and run their city as the emperor directed. But in truth, most nobles ran their cities any way they wanted. Like the Mayas, the Aztecs developed city-states, cities with their own way of running things day by day. However, the laws of the Aztec people were for all people, in all cities. These laws were written down. If you broke the law, your punishment was listed, along with the law. Everybody knew what would happen to you if you broke a particular law. Many of the laws included a punishment of death if you broke the law. The laws were very harsh.

A part of the religious Aztec legends is the belief in a hierarchy of gods. According to Aztec mythology, the top three gods were Huitzilopochtli or hummingbird Tezcatlipoca smoking mirror and Quetzalcoatl sovereign plumed serpent. Below these three gods, those who practiced the Aztec religion believed there were four sub-gods and an infinite number of gods were below these four. Among them were the god of rain and the god of growth. The Aztec gods and goddesses also required the living hearts of humans for nourishment. All hearts were good, but the bravest captives were considered to be particularly nourishing to the Aztec gods. As a result, widespread warring took place as the Aztec people sought to bring captives back to the Aztec temples for sacrifice.

Religion

prophecies were a part of the ancient Aztec religion.  Many scholars today believe that the Aztec people thought that the conquerer Hernan Cortes was their god-hero Quetzalcoatl, who had been banished.  Whether or not the more educated upper class shared this belief is questionable. The afterlife of a person was based mostly on how they died.  Some, such as those sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli, would join the battle against the darkness.  In ancient Aztec religion, some would eventually be reincarnated as birds or butterflies, or eventually humans.  Some would be, for a time, disembodied spirits roaming the earth.  Most at some point would have to make the long journey through the 9 levels of the underworld.  People would be buried in a squatting position, with items that would help them in their journey.  In the end they would live in darkness.

End