“Aztecs-The Athletes, Artists, Doctors, and Inventors”
Written By: Sarah Lane
The Aztecs were an interesting, ancient tribe. Their sporting events were exciting. The
Aztec fashion was colorful and expressive. Their medicine was ground breaking and shocking
compared to our medicine today. Most of all, their inventions were amazing and are still used
today. The Aztec civilization made its mark in the world.
In the Aztec world, sports could range from active and competitive to simple board
games. A popular board game in the Aztec world was patolli; it focused on strategy and was
often used to gamble with. Board games were often a form of gambling and entertainment;
gambling was extremely popular in all classes of the Aztec Civilization. Ullamaliztli was a
different form a game and involved young warriors, a rubber ball, and a court with hoops. This
game was also seen as a religious ceremony; the court was often the first thing built when a new
Aztec village or city was formed.
Fashion among the Aztecs was unique and as colorful as the world around them. The
Aztecs often wore jewelry made of gold and other precious metals. Crowns of gold, adorned
with feathers have been found. Since the Aztecs lived around present-day Mexico, they often
dressed lightly to remain cool. The Aztecs enjoyed expressing themselves and their class by what
they wore.
Aztec medicine pulled from the natural resources around their villages and cities. One
method that the Aztecs used is steam baths; steam baths were used to cure fever by helping the
sick break a sweat, which made the fevers go down. Rubber was also a popular item used to heal
thinks such as earaches. They would place liquid rubber from the rubber plant inside of the ear!
Medicine men in the Aztec world would suggest people with colds put dew from the fields in
their noses twice a day.The Aztecs also used the Passion Flower to prevent muscle spasms
during surgery and to help warriors, workers, and the elderly relax.
The Aztecs were very inventive, especially when it came to food. A popular invention
that movie theaters are thankful for is popcorn. However, the Aztecs didn’t use it for food; they
used it for decoration on their headdresses. Another popular invention that involves food is
chocolate. It was even used as a type of money in the area. They would use it to make a older
version of hot chocolate. Since the center of Aztec Civilization was in the middle of a lake, the
Aztecs invented a floating garden made of rafts, dirt, and fertilizer. Finally, another type of
invention is one that is also popular today-chewin gum made from chicle. Aztecs originally used
it for cleaning wounds. Then, its main purpose was for eating.
The Aztecs were a creative group of people who used what they had to survive and to be
successful. They were a playful, competitive group who also enjoyed being creative and artistic.
They also made use of many everyday things that we still use in our world today. Although the
Aztecs are now gone, they live on through their inventions, medicine, fashion, and athletics.