1. Aztec Civilization
Chp 7- The People of the Sun

2. Who are the People of the Sun?
 Who are we?
 In what ways do a group’s beliefs and
experiences contribute to their identity?
– Traditions
– Food
– Celebrations
– Christmas
– Moving

3. Who are the People of the Sun?
 What do you know about them?
 Where are they from?
www.partt.org/ mexican_flag.html

4. Geography
 Can you imagine an Alberta without
mountains?
 Without oil?
 What would our culture be like?

5. What did the Aztecs do?
 They left their old home and came to a
completely new one
 They built in the mountains on very
swampy land
 Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) is sinking
now because of the land and human
error
 What else is sinking?

6. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

7. Venice
www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Venice

8. Mexico City is sinking!
 Mid century: 48 cm per a year!
 Currently, 2.5 cm per a year on average
 Since 1900, it has sunk 9 meters! That’s a 3
storey building
 Natural springs under city were exhausted,
the soil collapsed because the aquifer under
the city was drained faster than it was filled
 Subway system built in the 1960’s is now
more like a roller coaster track

9. Aqueducts
 Needed to bring fresh water into the
city for the Aztecs to survive
 Built aqueducts
 These were also used in Ancient Rome
Google.com

10. Elevation
 Edmonton is 668 M above sea level
 Tenochtitlan is 2240 M above sea level
– How could this affect their living?
 Flash floods
 Violent weather
 What else?
 Built a dam to avoid flash flooding
 Terraced their fields, which kept water
from running off and made use of
space

11. Agriculture
 Chinampa: “Floating islands”
– In the mountains
– Stakes were put into soil
– Then reed mats were stacked on top and
soil was piled on top of that until it became
a mini farm. Trees were planted in the
corners to anchor it in place
– Then they planted flowers and vegetables
 Corn, chili peppers, squash, beans, tomatos

12. Make a table: Break into groups of 3
Aztec Canada
Maps and map
making
War and
empire
Agriculture
Trade

13. What did you come up with?
Aztec Canada
Maps and map - Believed they were
center of world
- North on maps, 2nd
biggest country in
making world
War and - Location allowed
them to defeat
- Canada has
challenges with a long
empire neighbours undefended coastline
- Spanish made - During Cold War,
alliance with Aztec’s between USA and
neighbors Soviet Union
Agriculture - Location allowed
them to produce
- Vast agricultural
lands allowed massive
surplus foods agricultural sector
Trade - Trade both - Connected to Atlantic
necessitated and made and Pacific
possible by limited
range of food and
goods available

14. The Sacred Landscape
 Aztec gods
– Believed the gods controlled all aspects of
their lives
– Looked at them for how to live
– Four main gods
– There was over 100 gods
– Polytheistic society

15. Huitzilopochtli
 Pronounced “whets-eel-oh-POCH-tlee”
– He encouraged the Aztecs to leave their
homeland and settle in the valley of
Mexico
– The sign he gave them was an eagle
perched on a cactus (flag of Mexico)
– He needs the blood of sacrificial victims to
give him strength
– Battled with Tezcatlipoca

16. Huitzilopochtli
http://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Image:Huitzil
opochtli_tellerano.j
pg

17. Tezcatlipoca
 Pronounced “Tez-cah-tlee-POH-kah”
– Considered most powerful of the gods
– Saw visions of the future
– Ruler of the night sky
– Often involved in creation myths
– In a constant struggle with Huitz
– Main temple in Tenochtitlan was for him

18. Tezcatlipoca
http://en.wiki
pedia.org/
wiki/Imag
e:Black_T
ezcatlipoc
a.jpg

19. Quetzalcoatl
 Pronounced “ket-zal-COH-ahtl”
– God of wind
– “Feathered serpent”
– Was to come back in the year “One-reed”
and this year would be the destruction of
the Aztec Empire
– God of priests

20. Quetzacoatl
http://en.
wikipedia.
org/wiki/I
mage:Qu
etzalcoatl
_tellerian
o2.jpg

21. Tlaloc
 Pronounced “TLAH-lzok”
– God of rain
– Unleashed the floods or cause droughts
– Gave life and substance, but could
destroy it easily with weather
– Needed to keep him happy so they could
survive

22. Tlaloc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaloc

23. Human Sacrifice
 Why?
– To the Aztecs, killing another person as a
sacrifice was an honor
– The victim’s blood nourished the gods and
appeased them, without it, they would get angry
or die: World would end!
– From 1446-1453: numerous natural disasters
affected the people (droughts, early frosts,
floods, etc)
 Aztecs were starving, emigrated from Mexico, sold their
children, anything to get food
 Tlacaelel (ruler at time) announced that human sacrifice
would save them. In 1453, abundant rain followed.

24. Tenochtitlan: Centre of the World
 Like many ancient philosophers: the
earth was believed to be a round flat
disc
– In the very middle, sat Tenochtitlan,
courtesy of the Aztec gods
– In four sections: connected to mainland by
three large causeways
– Acqueducts and canals ran through it
– Did not require animals for transport
– Sat in the mountains, because they
believed it was closer to the gods

25. Tenochtitlan: Center of the World
 In the center of the city was the Great
Temple
– Dedicated to Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli
– Wealth came into city because of wars
and tributes from neighbouring cities

26. Expanding the Empire
 The Aztecs had an attitude
– Attitude to other cultures that is
– Believed they were centre of the world, so
they came into conflicts
– Very disciplined, independent, and
resourceful
– Used conquering through war and trade to
expand their empire

27. Expanding through trade
 Why would the Aztecs need to trade?
– Haven’t we seen their superior farming methods?
– Think about what you eat on a daily basis and
what you like to eat as a luxury
 Tenochtitlan was high in the mountains,
2000 metres above sea level
– Even with their skills, they could not produce
avocados, papayas, and cacao to name a few.
These grew by the coast, something they didn’t
have
– Nor did they have their colorful birds, gold or
silver

28. Expanding through trade
 Needed to trade!
– Took hundreds of slaves with them on
trading expeditions to carry everything
back
– Could be gone for months!
– Also acted as spies, drawing maps of
cities that could be conquered
– Helped to expand
 Page 166: FastForward

29. Expanding through war
http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/aztec_26
.jpg

30. Expanding through war
 Huitzilopochtil ancient prophecy:
– “We shall conquer all the people in the
universe. I will make you lords and kings
of every place in the world.”
– By the time the Spanish came, the Aztecs
had an empire larger than any other in
North America
– Their society was more important than the
individual in it.
– FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

31. Expanding through war
 Warrior society
– Prepared from birth to be warriors (boys)
– Compulsory service in military
– Lack of courage threatened the state, it
was unacceptable
 What is conscription?
– Military Act 1917 in Canada
– 1944: Conscription if necessary, but not
necessarily conscription (Mackenzie King)

32. Expanding through war
 Are young Canadians willing to die for
Canada in a war?
 How do Canadians respond when
Canadian peacekeepers are killed
while carrying out UN duties?
 Would young Canadians consider it an
honour to die as a human sacrifice
meant to appease a violent god?

33. Tribute
 Collected tributes from conquered groups
– Gifts, taxes, food, etc.
– Cotton blankets, strings of jade beans, cocoa
beans
 Cocoa beans were very important
– Made a drink from it with chili peppers
– Used as currency
– Would grind it to a paste, then mix with water:
called “xocoatl”--> Spanish changed it to
chocolate, which they brought back to Europe

34. Cocoa Beans http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/uploadim
ages/ans_21_01_2.jpg