Aztecs. TASK Create a title page in your books with the heading AZTECS and the following basic facts - the Aztecs were found in Mexico and some parts.

Aztecs

TASK

• Create a title page in your books with the heading AZTECS and the following basic facts

• - the Aztecs were found in Mexico and some parts of Central America

• - they existed between the 12th and 15th century (1376 – 1525)

• - the capital was called Tenochtitlan• - the Aztecs spoke Nahuatl

Who were the Aztecs?

• Aztecs are the collective name given to seven Chichimec tribes of northern Mexico, who controlled the valley of Mexico and much of central America.

Where did they live?

What types of houses did they live in?

• Materials included in common house construction included wood, straw, stone, sand, lime, and clay. Straw would often be used for roofs. Adobe bricks, very common in the construction of houses in the Aztec empire, would be made from water, sand, clay, and a material such as straw.

Floors might be dirt, stone, or plastered.

Size varied due to the wealth of the family and location. For example, house sizes would be smaller in the big city of Tenochtitlán, while in more rural areas houses would be larger (that's a general rule, though not always the case). But the same basic pattern was followed - basically, one large room, occasionally with a small room added on. There were likely two doors and no windows. There would be space in one of the walls for a small religious shrine. A typical house layout may have been around 15-25 square meters (50-82ft).

•

Aztec architecture

Facts about Aztec Temples• Aztec temples were called Teocalli (God Houses).• The Priests used the temples to pray, worship • and make offerings to the Gods.• Templo Mayor

Height: 60m/197ftThe gods: Huitzilopochtli and TlalocDistinctives: A double templeCompleted: 1497

• Pyramids of the Sun and MoonMaterials: Built of stone and covered with stucco and polychrome paintHeight: 65m/215ft (sun) 42m/138ft (moon)The gods: Tlaloc and Chalchihuitlicue (or the Sun and the Moon)The pyramid of the sun is the 3rd largest in the worldCovering: At their peak, it's believed the pyramids were plastered and painted bright red

CHALLENGE

• Your challenge is to create an Aztec house or temple based on the pictures and plans shown to you. You must label your model or diagram with sentences in Spanish to describe it e.g. An Aztec house has 1 main room with smaller rooms coming off of it. Minimum of 5 sentences.

• You can draw your diagram or make your model from boxes, plasticine, paper . . . The list is endless!

What languages did they speak?• The Aztecs spoke Nahuatl.• Today Nahuatl languages are spoken in rural communities in Mexico. The language has changed from the traditional

Nahuatl and has been influenced by the Spanish language. Currently there are 1.45 million speakers of Nahuatl.• Did you know that the words Avocado, tomato, chilli, chocolate and coyote are all from the Nahuatl language? Also

scribes and priests were the only people that could write.

• in xochitl, in cuicatl "The flower, the song" – meaning "poetry" • in cuitlapilli, in atlapalli "the tail, the wing" – meaning "the common

people" • in toptli, in petlacalli "the chest, the box" meaning "something secret" • in yollohtli, in eztli "the heart, the blood" – meaning "cacao" • in iztlactli, in tenqualactli "the drool, the spittle" – meaning "lies"

The Nahuatl alphabet was introduced by the Spanish as many pictograms did not represent the meanings of all

the spoken words.

Nahuatl alphabet (Nāwatla'tōlli)

Nahuatl

• http://a-znames.com/name-origins/nahuatl-origin-top-names/

• http://globalrecordings.net/program/C04461

Task

• Create your own pictograms to represent the English alphabet

Project

• Use the following website to create a poster about on of the following:

http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/INDEX.php

Feathered Serpent PyramidPyramid of the MoonPyramid of the SunAvenue of the DeadCiudadela

Movies about Teotihuacan

• http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/movies/index.htm

Mathematics

http://lawrencehallofscience.org/pass/passv11/PASSv11cAztec-MayanMath.pdf

TASK

• Use the Aztec number system to create 10 sums for another student to complete.

Aztec Money

• Cacao beans were used as money – a small rabbit would cost about 30 cacao beans, but to sell a child would cost 600 cacao beans.

• It was common for poorer families to sell their children.

• Aztecs also used a type of cotton called Quachtli. The Quachtli was worth a lot more than cacao beans – a man could live for half a year on 10 Quachtli.

What clothes did they wear?

The Common people

A simple loincloth and tilma

http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-clothing.html

The basic garment for males was a breechcloth, called maxtlatl . The maxtlatl would often be worn under a cloak or cape called tilmahtli. Various styles of tilmatli existed which served to indicate the status of the wearer.Aztec women wore a blouse called huīpīlli and a skirt called cuēitl . Sandals, called cactli were a sign of status. They were largely restricted to noble males. Those who entered temples or appeared before the emperor were required to be barefoot.The Aztecs also wore a lot of jewellery – the richer a person was, the more jewellery they wore.

TASK

• In your books, design a traditional outfit for students at Streaky Bay Area School – remember to include shoes, headwear and jewellery. Label your outfit in Spanish.

Rulers• The Ruler/Emperor had to perform many duties such as:

As High Priest, the emperor presided over religious ceremonies and built and maintained temples. The emperor was also expected to offer his own blood in public religious ceremonies as an act of self-sacrifice.

As “Commander-in-Chief,” the emperor expanded his realm through military conquests of neighboring peoples and regions. Heading the army and appointing diplomats was one of the many military duties he performed.

As Supreme Judge, the emperor appointed judges and constables to settle disputes and punish criminals, especially in the marketplace.

As Chief Engineer, the emperor commissioned a variety of public works, including aqueducts, causeways, and dams.

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/aztecs/rulers_1.asp

Rulers Continued

• http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/aztecrulers.html

TASK• Choose a name for your ruler and design a logo for

them• Design your town• Design a flag and coat of arms• If you were a ruler, what 10 rules/laws would you

have for your empire and WHY do you think that they are important?

Sacrifices• The Aztecs sacrificed animals and humans to

different Gods. They believed that by sacrificing things, then the Aztecs could repay their debts to the Gods. The temple pyramids were used for the sacrifices.

• Self-sacrifice was also common where people would give their own blood to the Gods.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice_in_Aztec_culture

Aztecs Today

• Although the Aztec empire was collapsed by Hernan Cortes (a Spanish leader) in 1519, many Aztec descendents still live in Mexico, practicing their culture.

• There are believed to be more than a million Aztecs in Mexico.

• Many of today’s Aztecs also share Spanish, American-Indian etc. heritage.

What did the Aztecs invent?

• http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=fac• Chocolate• Chewing gum• Popcorn• Calendar Wheel

TASK

• What one item would you have liked to have invented and why?

The Aztec calendar• Aztecs used two different calendars, one measured time, while the other was used

to fix religious festivals. • http://eatourbrains.com/EoB/wpcontent/uploads/2007/12/azteccalendar.jpg• http://www.azteccalendar.com/azteccalendar.html• There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are two more or less independent

systems. One calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons, and therefore might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, it is called the tonalpohualli or, the day-count.

TASK

• Use the following website to type in your birthday. Copy your individual pictograms onto a black piece of card with lead pencil. Then used coloured pencils to colour in.

• http://www.azteccalendar.com/calendar-calculator.html

Xihuitl:solar year

Trecena:13-day period

Tonalli:day

Food and drink

• Maize (yellow corn) was the main food source for the Aztecs along with avocados, tomatoes, tamales, tortillas, vegetables, meat, corn, chilli peppers, squash, and chocolate.

Atole – Hot Chocolate• Ingredients• 1/2 cup fresh masa (corn dough) or 1/2 cup masa flour (masa

harina) mixed with a 1/4 cup hot water to blend 5 cups water 3 - 4 tablespoons piloncillo, chopped or 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons molasses 1 stick cinnamon (canella) 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise) Optional, about 1 cup fresh strawberries or pineapple chunks

•Instructions

• Place the water and the masa into the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium sized saucepan. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan and add the cinnamon stick. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken. Add the piloncillo or (or sugar, molasses combination) and continue to stir vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat.

At this point you could add pureed fruit such as strawberries or pineapple. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir the fruit into the mixture and return it to the stove and heat over medium heat until the mixture is warmed. Remove the vanilla bean and serve hot, in mugs.

Toys, games and music• Children played tlachtli – a ball game for teams much like a combination

of basketball and soccer and patolli – a gambling game played with dried beans and pebbles

• Religion was very important part of Aztec life and music was a huge part of religious ceremonies (and story-telling) - the instruments they used were shells, rattles, whistles, horns, bells and drums.

Games• The Aztec ball game• Ullamaliztli, the famous Aztec ball game, was played on a tlachtli ball

court (the game is sometimes referred to as Tlachtli). The ball court was one of the first things built when the Aztecs settled a new area, making it the most important of the ancient Aztec games. It was a very difficult game played with a large rubber ball (the name of the game comes from the word ulli, or rubber).

• Patolli, the Aztecs were passionate about one of the most common ancient Aztec games - patolli. Patolli is actually a type of board game, which was played by the common people as well as the nobles. The name comes from the word for small red beans, which were used to play the game.

• http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-games.html

The teams would face each other on the court. The object in theend was to get the ball through the stone hoop. This was extremely difficult, and so if it actually happened the game would be over. In fact, according to historian Manuel Aguilar-Morenao, some courts didn't even have rings. Another important rule was that the ball was never allowed to touch the ground. Players couldn't hold or even touch the ball with their hands - only the elbows, knees, hips and head were used. As you may imagine, this made for a very fast paced game, and the players had to constantly throw themselves against the surface of the court to keep the ball from landing. The players were skillful, and the ball could stay in the air for an hour or more.

Because it was so hard to get the ball through the hoops, there were other objects as well. Players could hit one of the six markers along the sides of the court. Or, they would be given points for other skillful plays. Fouls were also given if the players couldn't get the ball across the centre line, or if they touched the ball with the wrong part of the body, such as the hand or calf.

Ullamaliztli

Play a game of Patolli on Miss Blackmore’s computer (if we can get it to work!!)

Aztec Gods• Aztec Gods: (having many gods and goddesses is called polytheastic) • Chalchiuhtlicue – goddess of the lakes and streams • Chantico – goddess of the hearth • Chicomecoatl – goddess of maize • Coatlicue – goddess for the pain of life • Huehuetectim - god of fire • Huitzilopochtli – god of war, sun and the nation • Mictlantecuhtl – god of the dead • Quetzalcoatl - god of knowledge, creation, priesthood, and wind • Tezcatlipoca – god of magic, war and death • Tezcatlipoca – god of speech and language • Tlaloc – god of rain • Tloque Nahuaque - Lord of everywhere, the one supreme force, both male and female • Xipe Totec – god of spring and new life, god of suffering Xochipilli - prince of flowers, god

of dawn, dance and love

TASKEither draw or use the computer (drawing program of your choice) to create your own Aztec God – what would there name be and what would they be famous for e.g. supplying fresh clean water to all cities in the world, providing peace and tranquillity to all children

History• The Aztec Triple Alliance, also known as the Aztec Empire, was an alliance of three

Aztec city-states: Tenochtitlan; Texcoco; and Tlacopan. These city-states ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico from 1428 until they were defeated by the Spanish conquistadores and their native allies under Hernán Cortés in 1521.

• The Aztec Triple Alliance was formed by Itzcoatl of Tenochtitlan, Acolhuacans of Texcoco, and the smaller city-state of Tlacopan in 1428. Despite the name, Tenochtitlan was the dominant partner, and Tlacopan the weakest. Tenochtitlan and Texcoco each received 2/5 of all tribute, and Tlacopan received 1/5. By the time the Spanish arrived in 1520, Tlacopan had nearly disappeared as a separate city-state, and the lands of the Alliance were ruled from Tenochtitlan.

• At its height, the Alliance controlled most of central Mexico from coast to coast, except for a small area southeast of Tenochtitlan: the Kingdom of the Tlaxcalteca, roughly bounded by the modern-day Mexican state of Tlaxcala. It was the Tlaxcalans who allied with Cortés in 1521 to ultimately destroy the Alliance.

COMPREHENSION

• What was the triple alliance?• When were there Aztecs?• Who destroyed the alliance and when?• List 10 new things that you have learnt about

the Aztecs – share these with your family

References

• http://www.aztec-history.com