The Aztecs and their inventions Click here to navigate to the History with Mr. E Social Studies Store! Click here for “I Can” Statements and Logs! Click here to integrate math, map, and geography products! Click here for Interactive Student Notebooks!
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TheAztecs
and their inventions
Click here to navigate to the History with Mr. E Social Studies Store!
Click here for “I Can” Statements and Logs!
Click here to integrate math, map, and geography products!
AztecsLand throughout the Aztec empire was not rich farmland. In fact, since the empire’s capital was located on an island, Tenochtitlan, much of the land was swampy and flooded very easily. However, the Aztecs continued to find innovative ways to grow their own food; they were successful too, since at their height the Aztecs were able to feed the residents of Tenochtitlan with an astonishing 88 million pounds of corn each year. This amazing feat was no accident! Instead, it was the result of a brilliant invention known as a chinampa, or floating garden. In a chinampa, the Aztecs grew corn, beans, squash, and even raised animals like chickens and turkeys!
Chinampas were difficult to create, but once established they provided the flat, fertile land that the Aztecs desired. To create these agricultural wonders, areas of approximately 90 feet by 8 feet (27.4 meters by 2.4 meters) were staked out in the lake. Then, these stakes were joined by poles intertwined with reeds, twigs and branches to create a box-like enclosure. This rectangular enclosure was then filled with mud, rocks, and other decaying matter to raise it above the surface of the lake. Trees were planted around the border to help anchor the floating garden to the bottom of the sea or stream. To provide essential nutrients to their crops, the Aztecs used human manure as fertilizer. This also helped to keep the city clean since waste was dumped here!
F L O A T I N G G A R D E N S
Can you point out the chinampas in these pictures?
Today, the dye from the cochineal beetle is still used
as red food coloring!
One of the lesser-known inventions that the Aztecs brought to the world was a simple color: red. Prior to the Spanish arrival in South America, and their ensuing conquest of the Aztecs in the early 16th century, Europe and the eastern hemisphere had never seen anything dyed with the bright, vibrant hue we associate with “red.” The most related color that could be produced in Europe was with a plant extract known as madder red. This produced a color that was more pale than the Aztec red. When the Spanish saw the Aztec shade of red they instantly became mesmerized. Do you know what made the Aztec shade of red so different from what the Europeans experienced? It is simple - it comes from a tiny insect known as the cochineal beetle.
The cochineal is a tiny beetle that lives strictly on the prickly pear cacti, a type of cactus, native to modern day Mexico and the American southwest. Roughly twenty-five percent of the beetle’s body consists of carminic acid - this acid is what produces the red dye. While this is the source of red dye, do you have any idea how many bugs are needed to produce an adequate amount to dye clothing? Aztec designers needed around 70,000 insects to produce just one pound of red dye!
The Spanish believed this dye would be a valuable commodity back in Europe. They immediately began exporting this “liquid gold” back to Europe where it became a staple in their economy for over 300 years. The dye became so expensive that it was only used for royal matters. Red robes worn by the Catholic cardinals and the red coats of officers in the British army are some of the items that used this dye.
Directions: Navigate around the room to uncover four major inventions created by the Aztecs. As you read about each invention, figure out which box this invention belongs in and complete its short assignment!
Name _____________________________________________________________________________________Period _______
Directions: Now that you have learned about four of the greatest Aztec inventions, which one is your favorite? Imagine you are a child in an Aztec family and you are writing a daily journal entry where you describe an interaction with this invention! For example, are you watching an ollama match? Maybe you are attending a class in cuicacalli? Perhaps you are making red dye from the cochineal beetle? Or maybe you are building or caring for a chinampa? Whatever you choose as your favorite, be sure to include at least FOUR essential details about the invention. To make it clear what you are considering as essential details, underline each detail as you use it!
Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption!
Caption:
Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption!
Caption:
Name _____________________________________________________________________________________Period _______
Directions: Navigate around the room to uncover four major inventions created by the Aztecs. As you read about each invention, figure out which box this invention belongs in and fill complete its short assignment!
AztecsThe
and their inventions Invention: _______________________
school for children aged 12-15 where students learned songs, chants, and studied history
military schools for boys from 15 to 20. focused of military training and as a place to pick young leaders for military positions
military school for wealthy students that also taught advanced subjects, like math, painting, history, and architecture.
because the elders walked them to and from school! no skipping school!
Floating Garden
a floating garden type structure built to create level, fertile soil in the Aztec swampy land
area in swamp or still-water area would be staked off, then filled in between the stakes with sticks, mud, rocks to build up the ground. the enclosure was then leveled and was used to plant crops and raise animals
human waste was used as fertilizer, so crops benefited from the nutrients and the people were able to easily dispose of their waste.
Soccer
precursor to modern-day soccer. Game played in a “I” shaped field with stone rings on the upper sides. Players tried to get a rubber ball through rings.
- aggressive, war-like behavior- beheading of the loser- wearing of protective gear- a dispute being settled- people gambling or placing bets
losers were beheaded; people often gambled away children; it was used to settle disputes
The Color Red
a tiny beetle full of carminic acid that was used by the Aztecs for red dye
they had never seed this bright, vibrant shade of red before.
used for red cardinal robes and for the red officer coats for those in the British army.