Do Now 1/28/15

•What modern day country did the Aztecs live in?

STORYTIME!

Welcome to Tenochtitlan!

The Capital of the Aztec Empire

Objective

• SWBAT explain how the Aztec Empire arose.

The Founding of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire

The Aztecs inspired the design of the Mexican flag!

In your notes, write a short poem about the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan!

Be sure to use the words eagle, cactus, snake, and Tenochtitlan.

Objective

• SWBAT explain how the geography of the Aztec Empire affected its economy.

Where did the Aztecs find an eagle with a snake in its mouth on a

cactus?

Where did the Aztecs find an eagle with a snake in its mouth on a cactus?

Does this sound like a good place to live?

Living on a swampy island led to many problems…

…but fortunately the Aztecs had smart solutions!

Problem

• Aztec buildings sunk into swampy land.

Solution

• Aztecs used wood pilings and volcanic stone to make a more solid foundation.

Problem

• Living on an island, the Aztecs were too isolated.

Solution

• Aztecs built causeways to connect the island with the mainland.

Problem

• Aztecs did not have enough fresh water for 200,000 people.

Solution

• Aztecs went to war with the Tepanecs in order to control the Chapultepac springs.

• Aztecs built an aqueduct.

Problem

• Lake Texcoco flooded.

Solution

• Aztecs built a dike.

Problem• Aztecs did not have enough

land for growing crops.

Solution• Aztecs built chinampas

(“floating gardens”).

Homework:Draw the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan

• Read section 24.3

• On a separate sheet of paper, create a colorful, labeled diagram of Tenochtitlan.

• Use all of the following vocabulary: – canal, chinampas (“floating gardens”), Coatepantli (“snake

wall”), plaza, Great Temple, shine to Huitzilopochtli, shrine to Tlaloc, tzompantli (“skull rack”), ritual ball court, palace, aviary, zoo, marketplace, bridges, causeway, aqueduct, Chapultepec springs, dike

• Awards for best work:– 1st place: 3 merits; 2nd place: 2 merits; 3rd place: 1 merit

– Anyone who beats my drawing gets 5 merits!

The winners of the contest are…

• 3rd place

• 2nd place

• 1st place

Diego Rivera’sTenochtitlan

DO NOW:

• Do you think the school rules and punishments are too cruel? Why or why not?

Cruel to Kids

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh4ZJTOLTu4

• How were Aztec children punished?

• Do you still think our school is too hard on you?

Objective

• SWBAT describe family life of the Aztecs.

Some of you might ask…

• Is this stuff true???

• Let’s find out!

Primary Source vs.Secondary Source

• Primary source: an object created during the historical event being studied

• Examples: fossils, artifacts

• Secondary source: an object created after the historical event being studied; analyzes and interprets the event– Examples: History Alive!, Horrible

Histories

Mendoza Codex

• Today, we will study a primary source document called the Mendoza Codex.– codex: a handwritten

book

• This codex gives us a lot of information about daily life in the Aztec Empire!

• Study this image.

• Tell your neighbor what you see.

Your Turn!

• Can you decode this page from the Mendoza Codex?

• You can figure out their age!

• You can figure out how much they eat!

Your Turn!

• How old are these children?

• How much are they permitted to eat?

• What is happening at age 7?

• At age 8?

• At age 9?

• At age 10?

Your Turn!

• How old are these children?

• How much are they permitted to eat?

• What is happening at age 11?

• At age 12?

• At age 13?

• At age 14?

• How old are these children?

• What is happening?

• Here’s a hint. The calmecac is the school where boys train to become priests. The telpochcalli is the school where boys train for the military.

Some of you asked…

• Is this stuff true???

• Yes, we have primary source documents to prove it!

Homework• Create a brochure to convince someone to move to

Tenochtitlan• Six sections:

– Cover– Family Life (yesterday’s lesson helps)– Warfare & Tribute (Station #1 and #2)– Religion (Station #3 and #4)– Dances & Games (Station #5 and #6)– Food (Station #7 and #8)

• Each section needs to have a colorful illustration and at least 2 specific pieces of information to persuade the reader to move to Tenochtitlan.

• Due on Friday!• Contest for most persuasive, informative brochure: 1st

place: 3 merits; 2nd place: 2 merits; 3rd place: 1 merit

Warfare

Warfare

• Aztecs often asked a city-state to join the empire. The city-state had sixty days to agree. If the ruler refused, the Aztecs declared war. Most wars ended after one battle, usually with an Aztec victory. The Aztecs brought captured warriors to Tenochtitlan. Some became slaves, but most were sacrificed.

Tribute

Tribute

• The Aztecs forced hundreds of conquered city-states to pay tribute. Each year, the Aztecs collected over 7,000 tons of maize, 4,000 tons of beans, and at least 2 million cotton cloaks from its tributaries.

Human Sacrifice

Human Sacrifice

• Like the Mayans, the Aztecs tried to please the gods. Aztecs believed that the blood of strong warriors captured in battle would nourish the gods.

• The Aztecs also used the threat of human sacrifice to frighten city-states into paying tribute.

Tlachtli

Tlachtli

• The Aztecs played a game called tlachtli, which was very similar to the Mayan game of pok-a-tok.

Volador

Patolli

Patolli• The Aztecs played a game

called patolli on a cross-shaped board divided into 52 squares. Five times around the board equals 260. Thus, the game symbolizes the 260-day calendar.

• How to play:– Roll five white beans.– For each bean that lands

with a dot facing up, move forward one space.

– The first person around the board five times is the winner.

Delicious Food

Delicious Food• The most important crop to the

Aztecs was maize. After grinding maize into flour, women baked fresh tortillas. Women also made tamales by wrapping maize in husks and steaming it.

DO NOW: Aztecs vs. Spaniards• In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes landed on

the Yucatan Peninsula with only 600 men.

• Despite being outnumbered, how did Cortes defeat the Aztec Empire?

• Make a prediction. Come up with three ideas. (video below)

Objective• SWBAT explain the primary factors that led to

the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Discuss

• What do you think are the top five factors (in order of most important to least important) that contributed to the Aztecs’ defeat?

Why were the Aztecs defeated?

• The Aztecs thought Hernan Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl.

• Cortes made allies with the Aztecs’ native enemies who were tired of paying tribute.

• The Spanish had horses, armor, and superior weapons.

• The Spanish carried diseases such as smallpox that caused deadly epidemics among the Aztecs.

• Cortes had an Aztec translator named Malinche.

Was Hernan Cortes actually Quetzalcoatl?

Prophecy of Quexalcote

• http://www.history.com/topics/aztecs/videos#wonders-of-latin-america-engineering-an-empire-aztecs

“Broken spears lie in the roadsWe have torn our hair in grief.The houses are roofless now, and their wallsAre reddened with blood.We have pounded our hands in despairAgainst the adobe walls,For our inheritance, our city, is lost and dead.The shields of our warriors were its defense,But they could not save it.”• -Aztec poem, 1528

Diego Rivera’sTenochtitlan

Do Now: Tenochtitlan and Venice

• Spaniards called Tenochtitlan “the Venice of the Americas.” Why? What do both cities (Tenochtitlan and Venice) have in common?