The Aztecs!
by Rishika V., Abigail A., Carolyn E.
Location (Carolyn)
The Aztecs arrived in the Tenochtitlan, the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already in there. They had already taken the best land. The Aztecs had to make due with the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.
But this did not bother the Aztecs. Not only were they very clever people, but they had every faith that their main god had sent them to the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco, so obviously this place was perfect for them (http://aztecs.mrdonn.org/quick-history.html). Tenochtitlan represents the Aztec capitol, now Mexico City. This is where the Aztec empire basically started, then moving out to the east, finally expanding west and south. The general area was influenced by the Aztecs, but this influence differed. The majority of this area included cities and towns that had been conquered by the Mexica people (who controlled the empire). These were cities that paid tribute on a regular basis to the Aztec empire. Tlaxcala, was a city which the Aztec empire never totally conquered. (http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-religion.html)..culture
http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-culture.html
religion and beliefs (Carolyn)
The Aztecs had many beliefs and one was that they believed earth was flat. They also believed that if they fed the sun blood it would rise. The Aztecs believed there were 13 heavens and 9 lives (http://library.thinkquest.org/27982/beliefs.html). The Aztecs feared nature and the end of the world. the Aztec religion was highly focused on keeping nature in balance. Every 52 years the Aztec people believed that the world would end. It was believed that the afterlife of a person depended on how they died. There was a strong “emphasis” in the worshopping of the god Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli was either sun god or the one who fights for the sun god. Huitzilopochtli needed blood sacrifice in order to win against the darkness. Actual people would be sacrificed and those sacrificed believed they would be with him. In ancient Aztec history they believed they would be reincarnated. (http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-religion.html).
Government of the Aztecs
- Sites I used= "Ancient Aztec Government." Aztec History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-government.html>.
- "ancient-aztec-government.gif." aztec-history.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2013. <www.aztec-history.com/images/ancient-aztec-government.gif>.
Unique features (rishika)
The Aztecs played sports and were very artistic people. Aztecs liked pottery, poetry, sculpting, and created many different artistic hobbies. They often made art for warriors to honor them for their accomplishments. The Aztecs played team sports. One of their games that was very popular was called Ullamaliztli. The object of the game was to get the rubber ball into a small stone ring and they played this game in a court called Tlachtli. The people who played could only touch the ball with their head, elbows, hips and knees. The Aztecs had schools separated between boys and girls, and schooling was mandatory for children. The schools were separated by gender; Girls were taught cooking and weaving and other domestic duties. Boys were being prepared for becoming warriors. Most Aztecs were not killed in war but by diseases. It can be easily said that the Aztecs could have beaten the Spaniards if it weren't for smallpox contracted from the Europeans. None the less, aztecs where very interesting!
How they left their mark!
The Aztecs were a mist of mystery, from explorers talking about cities of gold and legends. Mexico profits from Aztec past a lot, Mexico makes a lot of money off of tourism of the Aztecs, and mexico had influence from them as well. We may also be part Aztec. If you happen to be from certain part of this world, you can possibly be the looks of an Aztec. Aztecs lived in mexico area, so little influence on the us we know today. but if anyone has visited Aztec culture in mexico, you should know they left their mark there!
MURRA, JOHN V.. "Aztec history." The Worlds First Civilizations Were All Black Civilizations. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013<http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Misc/Americas/Aztec_history.ht>.
"Modern Day Cultural Influences - The Aztecs." The Aztecs - About the Aztecs. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://aztecinfluences.weebly.com/modern-day-cultural-influences.html>.