Mr. Ralston
Social Studies 8
 Aztec
did not get to
be influenced like
the Spanish did
through the Silk
Road and contact all
over Europe and
Asia
 Their influences
were more from
other cultures
directly in MesoAmerica
Incense Burner used in Worship by
Aztec
Aztec God of Death
 Humans
were to
fight and die for
their god,
Huitzilopochtli.
 Aztec believed they
were the chosen
people to make sure
the sun never died
and Earth survived.
 Their gods were not
purely good or
purely evil.
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Aztecs believed that their
behavior influenced the
universe
Gods sacrificed themselves to
create a fine balance in
nature (i.e. the regular
rhythms of the sun(
They felt through HUMAN
sacrifice this would continue.
Human sacrifice (the
ulitmate sacrifice) allowed
the universe to continue to
exist and this would take
place in elaborate
ceremonies and large public
events with human blood and
hearts being the most
important part of the
sacrifice.
Was a blend of religion, magic and medicine
 Religion-gods would send illness or heal from
illness
 Magic-illness could be brought on by
sorcerers
 Medicine-knew a great deal about the
healing properties of plants and minerals
Sculptures often represented Aztec Gods or
important animals such as jaguars and snakes
Sculptures were made from simple tools
such as wood, stone or fibre cords.
•Temples
and the Emperor’s palace received the most
attention and were the largest buildings
•Most of their ideas were borrowed from the Toltec
and Teotihuacan societies but the Aztec were the first
to put two temples with two sets of stairs on their
massive buildings.
The Aztec believed that rare feathers
were more valuable then gold.
Warrior shields, along with headdresses and
ceremonial costumes were elaborately created.
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One calendar had 18 months
with 20 days. At the end
there were 5 extra days.
Why?
One calendar had 260 days
(ex. 7-Flint). Used for
birthdays and determining a
person’s fate
The calendars combined to
form a 52 year cycle. When
they both started at the
beginning on the same day
(this would have been like
our centuries)
At the end of the 52 year
cycle that Aztec believed the
world could end if proper
rituals were not carried
through with.