Aztec Study Notes

Aztec Study Notes
Chapter 24: The Aztecs

Location: Valley of Mexico-eventually built the capital city on Lake Texcoco
Capital City: Tenochtitlan
Time Period: 1428-1519

I. Section 24.2

A. Early Period:

Early home was Aztlan and they left in search of other lands
Group of wanders or hunter/gathers
Strong warriors-other groups hired them as mercenaries.
After seeing the sign of an eagle perched on a cactus w/ a snake they settled on the lake and built their capital. (Legend)
Aztecs called themselves Mexicas.

B. Influences

Two groups influenced the Aztecs

1. Teotihuacan- adopted Quetzalcoatl from this group
2. Toltec- fierce blood line, city building, married into the royal family

Under Itzcoatl, the Aztecs re-wrote their “humble origins”
He connected the Aztecs to the fierce warrior tribe called the Toltec

II. Section 24.3

C. Capital City

One of the largest cities in the world at the time (200,000-300,000 people)
Sunk timbers into the lake to build chinampas-“floating gardens”
Center of the city housed the Great Temple, and the markets
4 wide avenues lead to the center of the city or the plaza
3 causeways connected the island to the mainland
The Great Temple- dual shrine to Tlaloc-rain god, and Huitzilopochtli-chief god, god of war
Clean streets, safe roads lit by pine tree torches

III. Section 24.4

D. Aztec Empire

Covered much of Mexico and reached as far as Guatemala
Empire was a loose union of hundreds of city-states forced to pay tribute
Tribute could be paid in: food, cacao, gems, stones, cotton, cloth, animals, animal skins, shells, building materials, and soldiers.
Warriors, priests, officials, servants, and other workers received payment in tribute goods.
Demands of the empire made warfare the center of Aztec life.
Successful battles allowed the Aztecs to increase their tribute
War also allowed the Aztecs to gain territory, laborers, and sacrificial victims (sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli-chief god of war)

E. Warfare

Followed a ritualized pattern
Before: city-state had 60 days to join empire as an ally
During: If the city refused, Aztecs descended upon the city. Aztecs excelled in hand to hand combat and most often won
After: captives were brought back to Tenochtitlan and made slaves or sacrificed.
Few demands of conquered cities:

1. Pay tribute
2. Honor Huitzilopochtli
3. Obey the Aztec ruler

Lenient conditions led to a lack of unity in the empire.
This allowed the Spanish conquistadors to penetrate and destroy the empire.

Chapter 25 –Daily Life in Tenochtitlan

I. Social Classes

5 main classes
Aztec status was not permanent, could move up and down the social pyramid

A. Ruler

Considered semi-divine
Not a hereditary position
Maintained empire, decided when to wage war

B. Nobles

Appointed for life, noble positions were not hereditary, they were earned

1. Government Officials

Counseled the emperor, worked as judges, governed the city’s 4 districts
Other nobles: ruled cities, collected tribute, built roads and buildings

2. Military leaders

Commanded groups of soldiers and took part in war councils
All Aztec men were trained soldiers

3. Priests

Conducted religious ceremonies, ran schools, served individual gods, studied skies
Generally only nobles could become priests, but sometimes others could rise from lower classes

C. Commoners
1. Professional traders: potecha

Highest ranking commoners
Led caravans to get exotic goods
Paid taxes with rare goods
Membership was hereditary

2. Craftspeople and artisans

Potters, jewelers, painters- made art for gods

3. Farmers, fishers, laborers- most commoners

Did not own land-loaned to them by their ward
All commoners paid tribute to nobility in the form of crops, labor, or goods

D. Peasants

About 30% of Aztec people
People were free
Instead of borrowing or owning land- hired out services to nobles.

E. Slaves

Prisoners of war, lawbreakers, or people in debt might be slaves
Slaves had rights- own property, goods and even other slaves
Did not pass on slave status to their children
Gained freedom if debt was paid off, punishment was complete or masters died

II. Marriage and Family life
F. Marriage

Marked entry into adulthood- Men married at 20, Girls at 16
Marriages were arranged by matchmaker, match was final when the brides’ family set the dowry.
Marriage was complete when matchmaker tied groom’s cloak to the bride’s blouse
Men practiced polygamy- married more than one woman- had one “primary” wife
Divorce was common if marriage was unhappy-women were encouraged to remarry.

G. Family Life

Men had higher status than women- father was master of the house
Women had rights- could own property and sell goods
Most important job of the woman was bear and care for children
Men’s most important jobs- build house, worked as farmers
Purpose of marriage was to bring children into the world

H. Schooling

All boys attended school –commoners only part time.
Telpochcalli- commoner school-warfare, trade skills, history, and religion
Calmecac- noble school-learned calendar, religion, songs, poetry, history, speech, and laws
Cuicalli-military school-trained in the art of war

III. Foods and Markets
I. Food

Main crop was maize
Used maize for tortillas and tamales
Other crops-red peppers, tomatoes, sage, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, and avocados
Usually only at two meals

Simple meal in late morning- maize porridge
Main meal in afternoon-tortillas, maize cakes, boiled beans, tamales.

Had meat for special occasions-usually turkey or dog meat
Nobles diet was different- had cocoa with morning meal everyday. Enjoyed foods like walking fish and winged ants. They ate oysters, crabs, and pineapples at banquets.

J. Markets

Center of town, every city in the empire had one
Usually built near temples
Used a bartering system –no money, traded goods for other goods
Guards watched over the market to keep people honest- if traders were not honest sent to court in the market for a judge to hear the story.
Markets had social purpose-meet friends, gossip; hear the news of the day.

IV. Religion
K. Gods

Chief god- Huitzilopochtli- god of sun and god of war-blue hummingbird on the left
Quetzalcoatl- feathered serpent god- adopted from Teotihuacán
Tlaloc-rain god adopted from the Maya

L. Beliefs

Practiced human sacrifice-richest form of sacrifice
Humans needed the gods to survive-important to honor and please them
Valued the sacrifice of warriors captured in battle-best blood
Sun needed blood for nourishment to fight his battles everyday-believed the sun was a warrior who fought off the darkness.
Practiced human sacrifices on much larger scale-several thousands of people were sacrificed every year

V. Recreation

Work, warfare, and rituals were all important-had time for recreation
Patolli-board game with a cross shaped board divided into 52 squares- symbolized 260 day calendar

Played by all social classes
First person around the board 5 times was the winner (5 x 52= 260)

Tlachtli- similar to pok-a-tok, usually played by nobility, played on a court like pok-a-tok

Object was to get a rubber ball through a stone hoop without using hands or FEET!
People placed bets of clothes, feathers, and gold- Loser of the bet sold into slavery-to pay off debt.
Religious purpose- court was the world and the ball was a heavenly body- courts were built near temples because of the religious meaning.

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AZTECS STUDY NOTES

The Aztecs ruled much of Central America between the 14th Century and the 16th Century. Their capital city was called Tenochtitlan which is now Mexico city. This was around the same time as the plantations came to Ireland.
The Aztecs were actually a group of different tribes that worked together in Central America.
Things weren’t always peaceful between the tribes.
Agreements were made between tribes for trading reasons. Girls were used in arranged marriages to help with peace and trade.
Aztec legend states that their early people were nomadic. The people saw a vision of an eagle perched on a prickly cactus. This was a sign to settle by the swampy lake that later became the city Tenochtitlan.
Human sacrifices were often carried out to keep the gods happy for various reasons such as good harvests and keeping the sun moving. Sacrifices happened at the top of step pyramids.
Step pyramids were a big part of Aztec culture. Temples were normally built at the top for worship.
The Aztecs were a farming people with maize as one of their main crops. They used slaves (often captured form enemy tribes) to do the farming.
The Aztecs also ate and drank chocolate but this was saved for the rich in the Aztec society.
The Aztecs also drank alcohol. The drinks were made from plant extracts. This was also only for the rich. Any commoner caught drunk was put to death.
Aztecs played a sport that was a like a mixture of football and basketball.
The Aztecs also played a gambling game with pebbles and dried beans.

The Aztecs had no actual army but boys were taught to fight in school. When a boy was born his umbilical cord was cut off and buried in the ground. This signified that he was destined for the battlefield one day. A boy became a man when he captured his first prisoner.

Aztec warriors dressed in costumes to scare their enemies. Declarations of war were greeted with joy as they provided Aztec warriors with a chance to prove their bravery in battle.
Montezuma I convinced the Aztec people that the Aztec Empire was always strong, getting people to forget about their small beginnings.
Montezuma also convinced the Aztec people that constant human sacrifices were needed to keep the sun moving.
The Aztecs worshipped many gods including the sun and the earth.
Elders in Aztec culture were treated with great respect. This old drawing is evidence of elders being given intoxicants.
Aztec warriors often wore feathers to make themselves look more fierce in battle.
During the 16th Century Spain was one of the great powers in Europe. They had a strong navy and were set on conquering much of the ‘new world’ which had been found by Christopher Columbus. They sent conquistadors to colonise America.
A lot of the evidence on the Aztecs come from Spanish conquistador diaries.
Cortez landed on the coast of Mexico in 1521. He convinced the tribal enemies of the Aztecs to join him in conquering Tenochtitlan.
Montezuma II tried to befriend the Spanish and treated them like gods.
The Aztecs were very superstitious people. Several events happened just before the Spanish invasion such as a comet blazing across the sky, a temple burning down and a crying ghostly woman being heard. These events convinced the Aztecs that bad things were about to happen.
The ideas of doom were not helped by the fact that 1521 was a year in the Aztec calendar that meant rebirth, changes and dangerous events.
Montezuma gave gifts of Aztec gold to Cortez and then invited him and his men to become guests in the palace in Tenochtitlan. Cortez later melted down the gold for material value.
The Aztec people became unhappy with the large Spanish army staying in Tenochtitlan so Montezuma asked Cortez for them to leave.
While much of the army was out of the city conquering more of central America the massacre at the temple happened.
A fight broke out at a temple in Tenochtitlan where many Spanish were killed. The Spanish version of events is that they had interrupted a human sacrifice which upset the Aztecs. The Aztec version of events is that the Spanish were looking to take the gold from the temple.
History has many examples of where you have to see both points of view to get the full version of the events. It is also said that history is only written by the winning side. What does this mean? Can you think of any examples in history where we are only getting one side of the story?
Montezuma became a prisoner of his own palace under a type of house arrest.
Tensions were growing between the Spanish and Aztecs and soon open hostility began.
The Spanish escaped Tenochtitlan and went to the enemy tribes of the Aztecs for help.
The Spanish soon returned with their new reinforcements and detroyed Tenochtitlan as well as killing many and stealing much of the gold. Promises of power were made to the tribes that helped but soon broken. The locals were banned from any form of education. Why?
Any tourist who suffers from diarrhoea while visiting Mexico is said to suffer from Montezuma’s revenge!
The conquest of the Aztec Empire encouraged Spain to look for more. The Incas in Peru were also conquered by the Spanish. European colonisation of the ‘new world’ was well underway.

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Aztec Study Notes

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