The Aztecs

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Background

• Originally named Mexica

• Located in what is now central Mexico

• The empire lasted during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries CE

http://www.geocities.com/kimmykim7072003/aztec_empire.jpg

Background

• Tenochtitlan was the capital city and is located in what is now present day Mexico city

• The Aztec empire caused the biggest demographic explosion in Mesoamerican history

http://www.mte.asd103.org/art/images/Aztec.jpg

Government• The Aztecs where ruled by a single emperor

called the Huey Tlatoani which roughly translates to “The Great Speaker” and was located in the capitol city of Tenochtitlan

• There was also a ruling counsel comprised of the wisest and most powerful leaders from the Calpulli

• Calpulli is a group of extended families that controlled the use of local lands and preformed other territorial and social functions

Government• Each urban settlement had a calpulli and four

main leaders would be selected to a governing board the most powerful being named Tlatoani

• The Tlatoani and the emperor would then comprise the main ruling counsel in the capital city

• The Aztecs grew rapidly by conquering nearby cities and would force them to pay tributes

• These tributes would eventually result in the increased welfare of the common people

Characteristics of the Nahuatl Language

• It is an agglutinant language. Words and phrases are constructed by joining prefixes, root words and suffixes to form an idea.

• It is a flexive language. The morphology of words may change (flex) according to their function in a phrase.

• It uses mostly reverential forms of speech that gives a respectful frame to human relations.

Social Structure

• The Aztec society was divided into three socal classes: the macehualli (people) or peasantry, the pochteca or merchants and traders, and the pilli or nobility

• Slaves or tlacotin consisted as a large part of the Aztec society

• Though people were born into a certain class it was possible to move up the ranks within a life time

Religion

• Main deity in the Aztec religion was Huitzilopochtli and was known as both the sun god and war god

• Human sacrifice was practiced heavily in the Aztec religion

• The Aztecs believed that by performing these sacrifices that it gave power to the gods which in turn would insure the survival of the Aztec universe

Religion

• War captives were used in the sacrifices and in times of peace the Aztec would have to resort to ritualistic warfare or flower war

• In the year 1487 the Aztecs reported killing 84,400 war prisoners in four days at the great pyramid of Tenochitlan

• After a town was conquered the inhabitants where no longer eligible of sacrifice and became Aztec citizens

Art• The favored form of art in

the Aztec empire was sculpture

• Most Sculptures were made from limestone, which is still abundant in Mexico today

• Aztec sculpture was like most other Mesoamerican cultures and was mostly directly related to religion

http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html

Art

• The Aztecs also made other religious and non-religious artifacts such as jade masks

• Clothing was also a popular art form and women from around the empire would use bead, flower, and metal decorations

• These artifacts were sold in markets by visiting merchants

www.latinamericanstudies.org/.../aztec-mask.gif

Architecture• There where four main types of architecture in

the Aztec society: sacrificial temples, emperors temple, and shines of the gods

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html

Sacrificial Temple

http://www.chipotletx.com/assets/images/aztectemple.jpg

Emperor Palace

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html

Homes

http://www.sylviastuurman.nl/stories/four corners/english.php

Tenochtitlan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec

Resources• http://www.mte.asd103.org/art/images/Aztec.jpg• www.artzia.com• http://www.geocities.com/kimmykim7072003/aztec_empir

e.jpg• http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html• www.latinamericanstudies.org/.../aztec-mask.gif• http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html• http://www.chipotletx.com/assets/images/aztectemple.jpg• http://www.sylviastuurman.nl/stories/four

corners/english.php• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec