Aztec
Origins
The Aztecs originated from a nomadic tribe in
Northern Mexico they emerged as a dominant and
powerful force. The Aztecs arrived in Mesoamerica in the
early 13th century.They arrived right after the fall of the
Mesoamerican civilization,the Toltecs. The Aztec Empire
began when they found a sign sent to them by their
god.Right after they received a sign they began to build
their city. Their city was one of the largest cities in the
world.
A.L
Sports and Games
Just like in any other culture the Aztecs had games or sports that they
liked to play. Many of the games that the Aztecs played are still played today.
Some games are:
❖ Ullamaliztli: This game was played on a tlachtli court. The tlachtli court was
one of the first things the Aztecs built when they settled in a new area,
which made it one of the most important games. Ullamaliztli was a very
difficult game. It was played with a large rubber ball. The object of the game
was to get the ball through the stone hoop. Once a team got the ball threw
the hoop the game was over. The rules of the game were that a player
couldn’t touch the ball with their hands.
RS
L
Sports and Games
❖ Patolli: This is a type of board game. Patolli was usually played by
common people but sometimes played by Aztec nobles. The word Patolli
means small red beans and the game uses small red beans. In Patolli
betting was essential to the game. It was a game of chance. In the game
players would bet precious stones and metals, plants and sometimes they
even bet themselves. Players would throw their beans or stones and
depending on how they turned out depended on whether or not you
would move on or off the board. The object of the games basically the
same as gambling; dont lose anything you have and get as much as you
can.
RS
L
Culture
JL
Aztec clothing is made by the women and taught to females at a younger age.
The clothing varies with different social classes
● The Common People wore simple pieces of clothing. It covered little of
the body and this was normal. If a person had partial social standing,
their clothing was decorated
● The Upper Class wore the same clothing but with more color and
decorations. Jewelry was worn as well
● Military and Warriors wore much more vibrant and stunning clothing.
This clothing included somewhat protection.
Culture
JL
Aztec food has a great variety, but the main staple of the Aztec diet is Maize,
or corn. Corn was eaten along with other foods such as:
● chillies
● tomatoes
● limes
● cashews
● potatoes
● sweet potatoes
● peanuts
● chocolate
● honey
● turkeys
Culture
Languages that are close to the Aztec Language have
been existent in Central Mexico for approximately 1400
years.
The ancient Aztec language is Nahuatl. Those who
spoke Nahuatl were thought to have dominance over all
the others.
JL
Technology
The Aztec did not have the “advanced” material that
others had, but they still made some great
tools/inventions.
~They would use Obsidian(a hard, glasslike volcanic
rock),Copper, Chert (a rock made up of silica), and
Stone to make tools and weapons.
~ They made Drills, Axe Blades, The Theatlatl
(which made it easier to throw spears), and the
Macuahuitl (club made of wood, that could
paralyzed).
~Andrea~
Religion
Religion to the Aztec was a very important ritual in their daily life things such as:
● Sacrifices
o They believed that their gods should be fed through human beings
o They would take human blood to feed the gods,those with higher power or wealth were
expected to give the most blood
o They would also sacrifice human hearts
The Aztec had many gods one of the most important gods to them was:
● Huitzilopochtli god of war, sun and sacrifice
o he was the most powerful
Along with their religion they had priest that had to make sure that sacrificing
ceremonies were done the right way. They had to have had a ton of training to become a priest.
They were of very high power and very respected in the Aztec society.
ilse
Religion
The Aztec did believe in the afterlife. They believed that depending on the way you died
would determine the level of the afterlife in you would die into. The Aztec had dates set out for
holidays or special ceremonies one which was:
●
Xiuhmolpilli- “ New fire” it was held every 52 years and it was suppose to prevent the world
from ending
They believed that they lived in the final sun which meant that after the world ended
that this was the last time it would come back.
ilse
Government- Ryan
♦ Aztec was basically controlled by different groups of
families called The Calpulli. This type of government
existed long before the Aztecs used it.
♦ Cities that had been conquered by the Aztecs had to
pay tributes(a kind of tax) to the government, making
the Aztecs more wealthy and powerful.
♦ In the early 1400s,Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and
Tlacopan formed the Triple Alliance.
♦ Most of the noble leaders lived in Tenochtitlan.
Education
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Children were taught at home by their parents, the main concern was that they
learned responsibilities and the basic skills of life
When boys turned 15 they went to school and learned the history, religion,the art
of war, and about the duties for every citizen
You either went to calmecac or a cuicacalli school
Calmecac was a military like school and cuicacalli was a religious school where
boys learned about being a priest
The Macehualtin (workers) were the tradespeople or peasants and they just
learned The basic occupation skills and about Aztec culture
Girls were thought to be subordinate to men so they mostly learned at home
Girls learned to spin at age 4 and to cook at age 12
Noble girls for one year at the age of 12 helped in the temples, some of these girls
became priestess
The girls schooling was training for marriage
Katelynn
Works Cited
Hunter, Scott. "Education." Aztec. Scott Hunter, 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Aztec Religion." Aztec Religion. 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Aztec Empire for Kids: Religion, Gods, and Mythology." Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), Mar.
2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.ducksters.com/history/aztec_empire/religion_gods_and_mythology.php>
"Aztec Technology." Aztec Technology. Aztec-Indians.com, 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztectechnology.html>.
Andrea
"Aztec Technology - Meso America and Africa Before the European Incursion." Aztec Technology. Google Sites, n.d. Web. 25
Mar. 2015. <https://sites.google.com/site/premodernafram/home/aztec/aztec-technology>.
Andrea
‘’Aztec origins.’’Aztec History.Aztec History.com,2010.web.25 march.2015.
http://www.aztec-history.com/
"Ancient Aztec Government." Aztec History. Ancient Aztec Government, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.aztechistory.com/ancient-aztec-government.html>.- Ryan Jones
Work Cited
Cottrill, Jaime. "Aztec Language." Aztec History. N.p., 2006-2015. Web. 26
Mar. 2015.
Cottrill, Jaime. "Ancient Aztec Clothing." Ancient Aztec Clothing. N.p., 20062015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Cottrill, Jaime. "Aztec Culture and Society - Crystalinks." Aztec Culture and
Society - Crystalinks. N.p., 2006-2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Cottrill, Jaime. “Aztec Language.” Aztec Language. N.p., 2006-2015. Web. 26
Mar. 2015.
Unknown. "Ancient Aztec Games." Ancient Aztec Games. Unknown, 2015.
Web. 26 Mar. 2015.