the aztecs were the most powerful tribe of native people living in mexico before the spanish...
TRANSCRIPT
The Aztecs were the most powerful tribe of native people living in Mexico before
the Spanish arrived.The Aztec Language is called
Nahuatl.
Many words in Spanish and in English actually come from Nahuatl words. This is a good
example of how the Aztecs have affected our lives today.
Algunas palabras Aztecas
There are some food words in Spanish and English that come from the Aztec
Language.
For example, the Aztecs ate yummy
xocolatl.
That’s the origin of the Spanish word
for
chocolate
And of the English wordfor
chocolate
chocolate.
el chocolate…
Los Aztecas also grew
ahuactl and made
ahuaca-molli from them.
It’s the
origin of the
Spanish wordfor
aguacate
…and of the English word for avocado
If it is a salsa (sauce) or a dip made from avocado,
can you guess what ahuaca-molli is?
Hint: You might scoop some up with a tortilla chip at a Mexican restaurant.
Did you guess that it is…..
Guacamole?
Los aztecas also ate another vegetable called a
chilli
That’s the origin of the Spanish word
chile and the English word,
chili (pepper).
There is yet another verdura (vegetable) word that comes the Aztec
language…
tomatl.I bet you can guess what this word
means!
It’s the origin of the Spanish word
tomate
And of the English word
tomato
There are also some animal words that come from Nahuatl.
Los aztecas knew the howl of the
coyotl.
That’s the origin of the Spanish word
coyote…
And the English
word forcoyote
Another animal you may or may
not know is a type of spotted cat.
Los Aztecas called it
ocelotl
That’s the origin of
the Spanish word for
ocelote
And of the English wordfor
ocelot
The names of 2 países (countries) come from azteca words. Can you guess what
they are?
Hint: One is in América del Norte but it is not the US and not Canada. The other is a country in América Central that
borders Belice, Honduras and El Salvador.
The first one is México
and the second one is Guatemala
Preguntas de discusión
• Can you remember some of the nahuatl (Aztec language) words that became Spanish words and then English words?
• Why do you think these nahuatl words survived and others did not?
Melissa Eve WarhaftigÁngel Lozada
King Juan Carlos I of Spain CenterNew York University
2002
Developed with support from the Coca-Cola Foundationand an anonymous foundation.