The Aztec

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The Aztec

• The Empire of Ancient Mexico

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• The Aztecs were hunters and gatherers who lived
  in present day Mexico. Just like the Maya, they
  had sophisticated Calendars. The calendars would
  tell them when to plant and perform rituals. The
  Aztec were fierce warriors and eventually had the
  largest empire in Mesoamerica.

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Geography

• The Aztec lived in the high basin called the
  Valley of Mexico. Several shallow lakes covered
  the basin floor. The land was fertile and the
  climate was mild.

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Aztec Capital

• Founded in 1325 on an island in the middle of
  Lake Texcoco. They called it Tenochtitlan or
  place of the cactus fruit (The eagle and the
  cactus). It was centrally located, easy to
  defend, provided good farmland and allowed the
  Aztec to strengthen their position in the Valley.

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Aztec Expansion

• In the early 1400s, the Aztec joined forces with
  2 other city states in a pact called the Triple
  Alliance. With the help of their allies, they
  conquered most of the Valley of Mexico. By 1502,
  under Moctezuma, they reached their height as an
  empire.

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Way of Life

• Like the other civilizations of the Americas, the
  Aztec were mostly farmers. They were broken up
  into 2 social classes Nobles and Commoners.
  They had schools, a written language, and even
  enjoyed poetry.

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Way of Life - Agriculture

• The Aztec adapted to their environment by
  developing a farming technique called Chinampas.
  These floating gardens were created to produce
  food for the whole population about 10 million
  in the empire, 1 million in the Valley of Mexico
  and 200,000 in Tenochtitlan alone.

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Religion/Sacrifice

• The Aztec were highly trained warriors who were
  dedicated to the practice of war. Winning wars
  allowed them to collect Tribute. Tribute could
  be goods or people. The people (POWs) could be
  used for human sacrifice.

• The Aztec practiced human sacrifice on a HUGE
  scalethousands of people per year (mostly POWs)
  had their hearts cut out in honor of the gods.
  Priests would perform these sacrifices to appease
  the gods and to ensure political control.

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• In 1519 the Aztecs came into contact with Spanish
  explorers led by a man named Hernan Cortes. The
  Spanish eventually killed and conquered the
  Aztecs by joining forces with other local tribes
  who didnt like the Aztecs.

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• Thats All Folks!!