The Aztecs
Map of the Aztec and Mayan Empires
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| Located Central Mexico “Aztec" refers exclusively to the people of Tenochtitlan, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco Art stone workers carved statues potters made vessels and plates weavers made ornate head wear and clothing scribes would create pictograms Clothing women wore a skirt wrapped around their hips and waist men wore loincloths and a sleeveless poncho men carried a pouch over their shoulder which held cocoa leaves they chewed headdresses made of feathers and beads were worn for special ceremonies all women knew how to weave and spin cloth Economy several types of money were in regular use small purchases were made with cacao beans larger purchases were made with cotton cloth called quachtli money was used mainly at weekly markets that held in each town petty vendors sold small goods, farmers sold produce, potters sold their vessels and plates professional merchants traveled from market to market Family strong families parents taught children responsibility and citizenship parents taught children life-skills harsh punishments were handed out if child disobeyed one punishment had a child held over a chili pepper fire and they were forced to inhale the smoke Food maize (yellow corn) was main food source diet included avocados, tomatoes, tamales, tortillas, vegetables, meat, corn, chili peppers, squash, chocolate alcoholic drink was called octli and was made from the sap of the maguey plant only noblemen could drink octli and if they got drunk they could be put to death Games tlachtli – ball game for teams much like a combination of basketball and soccer patolli – gambling game played with dried beans and pebbles Government & Laws harsh laws maintained order emperor – would act as judge and citizens would act a jury sometimes emperor would decide guilt and punishment Tlatoani – Great Speaker was the head of the courts, priesthood and army Language N’ahuatl _ a system of hundreds of pictures that created an alphabet scribes and priest were the only ones who could write pictograms recorded history, poetry, letters paints were made from plants, vegetables, minerals, shells and insects books were called codices Military war was a big part of the culture professional military officers all boys were trained to fight citizens made up the army a boy became a man after he captured his first prisoner weapons were slings, spears, bows, arrows soldiers wore breastplates and used wooden shields for protection Music and Dance part of religious ceremonies and story-telling instruments used were shells, rattles, whistles, horns, bells and drums children taught to sing, dance and play instruments at an early age Religion very important part of Aztec life many gods and goddesses (polytheastic) Chalchiuhtlicue – goddess of the lakes and streams Chantico – goddess of the hearth Chicomecoatl – goddess of maize Coatlicue – goddess for the pain of life Huehuetectim - god of fire Huitzilopochtli – god of war, sun and the nation Mictlantecuhtl – god of the dead Quetzalcoatl - god of knowledge, creation, priesthood, and wind Talocan – home of the gods Tezcatlipoca – god of magic, war and death Tezcatlipoca – god of speech and language Tlaloc – god of rain Tloque Nahuaque - Lord of everywhere, the one supreme force, both male and female Xipe Totec – god of spring and new life, god of suffering Xochipilli - prince of flowers, god of dawn, dance and love Rulers 11 emperors 1st ruler was Acamapichtli (1376-1396): he guided early construction of the city most well-known ruler was the 5th - Montezuma Ilhuicamina (1440-1469): he established the Aztecs' victorious military program, greatly expanded Aztec empire. Was know as “Angry Lord, Archer in the Sky” last ruler was the 11th - Cuauhtemoc (1520-1525) Spanish destroy the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, Aztec empire ends, Cuauhtemoc hung by Cortes' people School children of noble class attended calmecac (school) boys and girls attended separate schools the workers’ children attended telpochcalli and were taught occupational skills, warfare, history, good citizenship, religion cuicacalli (military school) could be attended by boys at age 15 Aztec girls learned spinning at age 4 and cooking at age 12 girls were trained for marriage Technology / Medicine Aztecs used two different calendars, one measured time, while the other was used to fix religious festivals Aztec doctors used many herbal remedies both to cure and prevent illness used splints to set fractures Aztec doctors understood a great deal about the human body Trade Aztec merchants were called pochtecas some common items sold at markets were golden jewelry, feather caps, tortoise shell cups, spices, and cocoa beans merchant life was hard and very dangerous since pochtecas carried valuable items, they left cities at night and had secret warehouses for storing their goods in fear of thieves pochtecas also served as spies to the ruler of Tenochtitlan in the lands they visited they spoke many different languages and easily blended in with other tribes porters were the ones that transported all of the goods back and forth to the cities because there were no carts or horses porters carried 60-90 pound loads on their backs with a strap around their forehead what was not carried by porters was transported by water in a dug-out canoe Spanish Conquest Cortes landed on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico it was Good Friday in 1519 Aztec greeted Spaniards with food and gold Cortes set off to Tenochtitlan with 400 soldiers, 16 horses, several cannons 150,000 enemies of the Aztec joined Cortes November 8, 1519 began the fight against the Aztec civilization Cortes took Montezuma II hostage Montezuma encouraged his people to befriend the Spaniards People disagreed and elected Cuitlahuac, Montezuma's brother, as new ruler Tenochititlan was destroyed August 31, 1521, and Mexico City was built upon the ruins an estimated 3/4 of Aztecs died from war and disease the first century of conquest Spanish introduced horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, sugar, grains and fruits to the American continent Spanish took potatoes, tomatoes, beans and maize back to Europe  Aztec Pyramid
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Mayan Empire
Around 900 CE, the Mayas left their cities and disappeared. No one knows where they came from, and no one knows where they went.
During their 1500 year stay on the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America, they build fascinating pyramids, temples, stelas, and ball courts. Learn about Daily Life in the Maya Empire, read The Exciting Adventure of the Hero Twins, explore Maps, Maya Hieroglyphics and Achievements, and play some games!
Welcome to the Maya Empire!
Maya Pottery: Maya pottery has given us quite a look at their daily life. The Mayas made little pottery figures. These figures were probably used in religious ceremonies. Many were made to rattle or whistle. Although very small, figures were detailed, brightly painted, and offer a look at Maya life. Some of the figures include a bearded man on a throne, a person in a wide hat, a ballplayer wearing heavily padded clothing, and a musician shaking a rattle.
Class Society: The Maya had a class society. There were slaves, peasants, craftsmen, nobility, priests, and leaders. There were also warriors. At the top were the nobles and priests. The middle class had the craftsmen, traders, and warriors. At the bottom were farmers, other workers, and slaves.
Priests: Religion was at the heart of nearly all Maya activities. The Mayas believed in a great many gods and goddesses. They believed their priests could talk to the gods. That gave the priests incredible power. The priests, along with the leaders in each city-state, were the most powerful people in the Maya civilization. Priests decided nearly everything in the Maya daily life. They decided when to plant, when people could marry, marry, and whom to sacrifice.
Leaders: A different noble family ruled each city. The Mayas were governed by city-state. The same family ruled forever. The crown was handed from father to son forever. Their right to rule came from the fact that they were direct descendants of the Hero Twins. They were the kids of the kids of the kids of the original Hero Twins.
Nobles: The nobles were all the people who were not actually the rulers, but were of royal blood - the brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles of the ruling family. Nobles believed they were so important that, when they appeared in public, their attendants would hold a cloth in front of their face. That way, no one could talk to them directly. They bathed often. All of the men and none of the women used mirrors.
