THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
THE AZTECS
J
THE LARGEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL EMPIRE IN
MESOAMERICA
Docents: Aliyah, Ashley, Eva, Joy, Malaika and Nahili
Themes
Traditional
 Ritualistic
 Communal
 Innovative

Timeline
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Ashley
1111 -1250 CE- Migrate south to the Valley of Mexico
in search of location to settle
1325 CE- Find the city of Tenochtitlan in the Valley of
Mexico and settle
1427-1431 CE- Start to conquer other cities in Mexico
1431 CE- Form alliances with three other cities and
becomes an empire
1519-1521 CE- Spaniards arrive in Mexico and
conquer the Aztecs
Historical Overview
Malaika and Nahili
The Aztecs controlled a large empire in Mesoamerica
during the 1400’s -1500’s, and were American-Indian
people. They built large, complex cities with
infrastructure such as temples, and held religion as the
central aspect of their lives. With religion, they held
polytheistic beliefs which they dedicated much of their
time to, and were a ritualistic people who practiced
human sacrifices. Men were above woman, supporting
the family as their main role, just as the nobles sat at
the top of the hierarchy above the commoners, serfs,
and at the bottom – slaves. Overall, the Aztecs were a
traditional and communal society, with deep cultural
and religious practices that governed their everyday
lives.
Geographical Overview
Aliyah and Joy
The Aztecs dominated central Mexico before the Spanish
conquistadores arrived. They mostly lived in the area of the
Valley of Mexico and Northern Mexico. The Aztecs built the
most successful and largest empire in Mesoamerican history.
The largest city was the capital, Tenochtitlan, which was on an
island in Lake Texcoco. Causeways (raised earthen roads)
linked the city to the mainland. There was a nearby island to
the north which held the city of Tlatelolco, a commercial center.
Both islands laid within the borders of what is now Mexico City.
The Aztecs were also surrounded by mountains and volcanoes,
and in the middle of the valley was a large system of lakes.
The Aztecs were subject to period flooding when Lake Texcoco
rose with spring rains. They had a warm and mild climate and
were rich in mineral, and they farmed intensively on steep
slopes (Valley of Mexico).
Aliyah and Joy
Map of Aztec Empire
Latin American Studies, Aztec Expansionism, N.d.,
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/aztec-maps.htm, May 8, 2013
Beliefs
Ashley Poon
Information Panel: Beliefs
The Aztec belief system was greatly influenced by their
creation story as seen through their worldview, sacrifices
to their Gods, and their social hierarchy. They believed
that for their world to have been created, the Gods
had to suffer through many pains and hardships, so in
turn for their ordeals and difficulty, they held rituals as
a form of thanks. Priests were very ritualistic as they
performed animal, human and blood sacrifices to
worship their many Gods ,but mainly towards
Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca. Although the Aztecs did
conquer many other regions with different Mexican
Gods, they continued to honour their own traditional
Aztec Gods at the same time.
Beliefs
Ashley Poon
Quetzalcoatl
Sculpture of the Quetzalcoatl
found in Mexico made around
1325-1521 CE (left)
Mosaic Mask of Tezcatlipoca
found in Mexico made around
1400-1500 CE (right)
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
Kathryn Denning, Introduction to Arcaeology and Palaeoanthropology. 2006.
http://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/+2140%202005-6/2140-7MMuseum – Mosaic Maskof Tezcatlipoca, 2006
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?imagear2006.htm (5/8/13)
C McEwan, British =mm033550.jpg&retpage=15978 (5/8/13)
Beliefs
Ashley Poon
Human Sacrifice
Depiction of a priest
sacrificing a human
found in Codex Laud,
a manuscript found in
Central Mexico,
dating around 14001500 CE, before the
Spanish take over.
Mexicolore, Aztecs. N.d. http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/is-it-truethe-aztecs-made-a-sacrifice-on-average-every-10-minutes (5/8/2013).
Beliefs
Ashley Poon
Priests
Depiction of a priest
with blood all over their
body from performing
rituals, found in Codex
Tudela: folio 76,
created during 14001500 CE.
Mexicolore, Aztecs. N.d. http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/priests-andtheir-matted-hair (5/8/13).
Infrastructure
Nahili T
Information Panel-Infrastructure
Aztecs were great innovators, even though they had
innovations passed down from their ancestors, they
took what they had and made more of it. They
improved agriculture with methods like irrigation,
terracing and raised fields. With their
innovativeness they were able to be communal by
building canals that allowed the to cross rivers and
ravines on tall aqueducts, it was used to bring
drinking water from the cities across the lake
Infrastructure
Nahili T
Aztec Homes
• Outline of an Aztec house . From
“The Codex of Mendoza”
Aztec at Mexicolore, “Home smoky home”, n.d, http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztec-life/homesmoky-home (accessed May,8,2013)
Infrastructure
Nahili T
Templo Mayor
• Templo Mayor, built in
1390 AD
• Dedicated to two gods
Age of Kings Heaven, “Wonders”, 27 August 2012,
http://aok.heavengames.com/gameinfo/wonders#aztecs (Accessed 8 May 2013)
Infrastructure
Nahili T
King Moctezuma I Palace
• King Moctezuma II palace,
from the Codex of Mendoza
Aztecs at Mexicolore, “Question for February 2007”, February 2007,
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/what-was-the-emperors-house-like (Accessed May
8 2013)
Politics and Gov.
Aliyah Hirchberg
Information Panel: Politics & Government
The highest ranking in the Aztec government was the “tlatoani”
(king/ruler) who was the Aztec emperor. The emperor was the ruler of
Tenochtitlan, the capital of Aztec. He was also a member of the Triple
Alliance with the cities of Tlacopan and Tetxcoco. The tlatoani was the
king of a city-state and owned or controlled the land. Below the
emperor in the government system were the teuchli, or lords, a
respected class that produced judges, generals, and elected officials
throughout the land. The king was chosen by election: election
depended on merit, and the job of the council was to choose the most
able person among relatives of the deceased ruler. This election
process was used consistently in Aztec life and kept continuity by
ensuring that most, if not all, Aztec emperors came from the same
family. Strict legal codes were implemented and punishment was more
severe for the nobles. There was no separation between religion and
government. The emperor relied on spiritual and political advisors to
help make decisions.
Politics and Gov.
Aliyah Hirchberg
Coatlicue, stone sculpture;
in the National Museum of
Anthropology, Mexico City.
Brittanica, Coatlicue, N. d.,
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/123205/Coatlicue, May 8, 2013.
Politics and Gov.
Aliyah Hirchberg
Fragment of a stone box, Tlaloc, the
Mexica Rain God, is depicted.
British Museum, The British Museum, N. d.,
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/f/
fragment_of_a_stone_box.aspx, May 8, 2013
Politics and Gov.
Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina (also known
as Montezuma I) from the Codex
Telleriano-Remensis
Aztec-History, Moctezuma, N.d., http://www.aztechistory.com/moctezuma.html May 9, 2013
Aliyah Hirchberg
Economy
Information Panel- Economy
Joy Pak
Agriculture and farming was the basis of living and the major
fundamental aspect of the Aztec’s economy which represents
continuity. Arable land spread to the east and to the southwest,
producing food for the masses with corn as being the most important
and mainly produced. Market exchange was for all people to come
to the centralized market to sell or buy goods or services. The main
products sold at the market were little clay figurines, feathers
imported from the Tropics, food, cloth and luxury goods. These
purchases were made with beans. Since the economy was based on
farming, the farmers had the greatest pressure since they grew the
food products and goods. Communication was carried out by titlantil,
messengers who travelled on foot and worked in relays. There were
messenger stations on main roads which were 8 ½ km apart and
they were used for different purposes with the most important being
in time of war for sending instructions to military commanders.
Economy
Joy Pak
Map of the Major trade route
Trade operated
from Tenochititlan to
the north and south
trading feathers,
figurines, and luxury
good through these
major trade routes.
Phillips, Charles. “The Aztec and Maya World.” Lorenz Books: London, 2005
Economy
Farming & Agriculture
Joy Pak
Aztec’s economy
was based on
farming because
of the fertile land
therefore leading
to a great
production of
corn and other
food products.
The Aztec History and Culture, The Aztec Culture. March 11, 2012., http://
aztechistory.blog.com/ , May 9th, 2013
Economy
Joy Pak
Communication
Aztec’s language was
called Nahuatl and
consisted of pictographic
writing which were small
pictures that represented
words.
Ancient Scripts, Mesoamerican Writing Systems, N.d.,
http://www.ancientscripts.com/ma_ws.html, May 9,
2013
Gender
Eva Pandy
Information Panel: Gender Roles
The roles of women and men were very different and traditional.
Men, the head of the household, were responsible for providing
for his family. Additionally, every man was expected to serve on
the battlefield. The most important role for women was
motherhood. Her responsibilities included cleaning and sweeping
the house, cooking skillfully, purifying the home of evil spirits,
weaving and tending to domestic animals. Women could also
own property, be priestesses, be matchmakers, courtesans or
sacrificial maidens. Children also lived very separate lives, boys
training with their fathers and girls with the mothers. Both girls
and boys attended school but learned different things to prepare
them for their future lives. However, both genders learned singing,
dancing and religious rituals as this was how knowledge and
beliefs were passed down.
Gender
Eva Pandy
Male Warrior
Ceramic statue of an elite eagle
warrior found near the Aztec
Great Temple. The figurine
describes the glorified position
fallen soldiers received.
Mexicolore, Aztec Women: Capable and
Cosmic Enemies, 2012, http://
www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/
home/aztec-women (May 8,2013).
Gender
Eva Pandy
The Wife and Mother
Drawing of an Aztec
woman blowing on the
maize as she cooks it so it
would not fear the fire
(Florentine Codex 1, fol
347).
University of Minnesota Duluth, Food and Religion, 2013, http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/
faculty/troufs/anthfood/afreligion.html (May 8, 2013).
Gender
Eva Pandy
Education of Boys and Girls
Picture of a father teaching his son to fish and a mother
instructing her daughter in weaving (Codex Mendoza Folio 60r).
Mexicolore, Aztec Women: Capable and Cosmic Enemies, 2012, http://
www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/aztec-women (May 8,2013).
Social Structure
Information Panel:
Social Structure
Malaika Taylor
The Aztec people were very traditional and hierarchical in the way
that they ran their society. They were divided into 4 social classesnobles, commoners, serfs and slaves. The arrangement of their social
pyramid allowed for very little mobility for those at the bottom of the
hierarchy. As well, nobility made up only 5% of the population, and
was strictly hereditary. In addition to the social structure of classes,
there was the expectation that boys would ideally grow up to be
warriors (an elite, respected position) or have an occupation like their
father’s, and that girls would grow up to manage the household (cook,
weave, clean and child-rear) just as their mothers had before them.
Social Structure
Malaika Taylor
Housing—Nobles vs. Commoners
Evans, Susan. What exactly was a ‘calpulli’?. Thames and Hudson, 2004.
<http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask- us/whatexactly-was-a-calpulli>
• Picture created by
Michael E Smith
(Archaeologist who
specializes in Aztec
civilization)
• Comparison of rural
noble compound (A)
to commoner’s house
(B)
Social Structure
Malaika Taylor
Aztec Jewelry
• Gold Aztec Jewelry
lip ornament only
worn by male nobility
or warriors on lower
lip
Aztec History. Finished Aztec Jewelry. 2006. <http://www.aztechistory.com/aztec-jewelry.html>
Social Structure
Malaika Taylor
Ceremonial Objects
• 4200 cm gold foil
wooden spear thrower
from 1325 AD called
“Atlatl”, used for
ceremonial purposes
The British Museum. Wooden Spear Thrower. London.
<http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight
objects/aoa/w/wooden_spear_thrower_atlatl.aspx>
The Aztecs…
The largest and most successful Empire of
Mesoamerica…