precolumbiancivilizations

Aztecs (Jared and Paula)

Page history last edited by JaredPaula 6 mos ago

By: Paula and Jared

The Aztecs were, at first hunters and gatherers wandering throughout Mexico looking for a home. Then, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake, and they thought that it was a sign from their gods to build a city there, and that is exactly what they did. The city of Tenochtitlan was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

for more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs

You can also go to Aztecs (Haley and Angelica) for even more infomation

The Aztec Empire was located in Central Mexico. This Empire lasted from 1325-1519 A.D. However, the Aztec people were most famous for their fierceness in the battlefield and their gruesome customs.

The Aztecs lead a very interesting life. They woke up an hour before the Sun rose and they slept on mats that rolled up during the day to save space. A small Aztec house was made out of adobe brick, with a thatched straw roof. Most people in Tenochtitlan were farmers, but others were artisans, selling carvings and clay pots. The people living in Tenochtitlan wore cotton clothing with beads sewn in. The more powerful people in the Aztec Empire wore more finer clothing with more expensive ornaments sewn in. Both girls and boy attended the same schools. Aztec schools were sponsored by the Aztec families.

if you want more information on the Aztec Culture http://www.prsd.k12.ca.us/magnolia/studentlinks/websites78/social_studies/aztec-inca-maya/aztec.html is a good place to start.

The Aztec religion believed in many gods and goddesses. Each villiage or city had its own patron god. Some other gods watched over the day and other forces of nature. They thought that human sacrafices would keep their gods happy. They are probably most known for this gruesome custom. Some of their gods were

Texcatlipoca- Main god, patron god of Texcoco
Huitzilopochtli- god of war, patron god of Tenochtitlan
Tlazolteotl- mother of the gods
Tlaloc- The rain god
Quetzalcoatl- God of priesthood, learning, and the arts
Chicomecoatl- goddeses of crops
Ceneteotl- god of corn
Mictlantecuhli- God of the dead
Tonatiuh- Sun god
Xipe Totec- God of spring and planting
and Xiuhtecahtl- God of fire

According to Aztec legend, the white-skinned god Quetzalcoatl, left from Tenochtitlan on a boat, promising to return again. So when the white-skinned Spaniards arrived in South America, the Aztecs thought that their leader, Hernan Cortes, was a god. The Aztec then took them into their palace and gave them some of their gold that they had aquired. The Spaniards, from then, started to destroy the Aztec empire, and later returned to Spain laden with gold.

for a timeline, you can go to http://www.google.com/archivesearch?q=aztec&btnG=Search+Archives&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=t

Sources

"Aztecs", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs. May 11, 2009. 10 pp. Date accessed: April 21, 2009.

"Famous Aztec Warriors", http://answers.yahoo.com. January 4, 2008. 1 pp. Date accessed: April 23, 2009.

"The Aztecs", http://www.prsd.k12.ca.us/magnolia/studentlinks/websites78/social_studies/aztec-inca-maya/aztec.html, 5 pp. Date accessed: April 23, 2009.

"Aztec Timeline", http://www.google.com/archivesearch, 2 pp. Date accessed: April 21, 2009.

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