Map

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Map

• Located Central Mexico
• Expanded to islands of Lake Texcoco
• Capitals Tenochtitlan and Tlatloco

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Religion

• Rituals dominated public life
• Polytheistic (both male and female)
• Major contribution- cult of Huitzilopochtli
• First associated with war
• Eventually identified with sun
• Required human hearts to sustain him
• Tenochtitlan- great twin temple devoted to
  Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc- symbolizes war and
  agriculture
  
• Increased human sacrifices

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Structure of Government

• Adopted political social practices from local
  agriculturalists (central Mexico)
  
• Introduced a monarchical system with expansion
• Ruler didnt have absolute power
• Selected from council of aristocrats
• Expected to launch successful military conquests
  renegotiate tribute
  
• Kinship based organizations- lost influence -
  monarchs and hereditary aristocrats remained

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Economy

• Tribute system provided ¼ of food
• Merchants dominated long distance trade
• Lack of transportation long distance trade of
  light products
  
• Merchants
• Provided political and military intelligence to
  elite
  
• Were armed on expeditions
• Became powerful but were denied privileges of
  nobility
  
• Traded w/o money and credit
• Used cacao, quills filled with gold, and cotton
  cloth as standard units
  
• Expansion- facilitated integration with others
  and offered rich variety of goods.
  

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Cultural, Technological, and Scientific
Achievements

• Cultural
• Music in their religious rituals
• Art- Calendar Stone represented the Aztec
  universe
  
• Large stone carvings colorful paintings
• Language - Nahuatl
• Set up schools kept records of history
• Technological
• Tenochtitlan- pyramid temple, aqueducts,
  causeways for travel
  
• 5 ½ mile dike constructed to improve agriculture
• Weapons
• wooden club (macuahuitl)
• atlatl
• Advanced agriculture
• Scientific
• 365 day calendar
• Physicians- able to treat wounds fill cavities
• Advanced medicine
• http//www.angelfire.com/az/atid410/

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Military

• No army, but military officers
• The highest ranks-elite members of the nobility,
  lesser ranks- lesser nobles, ect. down to the
  common foot soldiers
  
• Every able bodied boy was trained to fight
• Learned about fighting and weapons at school
• Considered a duty and an honor to fight in
  battle
  
• Effective- had courage and strength - expanded
  their empire - known as the fiercest of all the
  tribes in the Valley of Mexico
  
• Weapons- bows and arrows, rocks, spears, atlatl,
  darts
  
• http//library.thinkquest.org/27981/military.html
  
• http//209.85.207.104/search?qcacheapYxSxYmzuoJ
  www.bookrags.com/history/aztecs/07.htmlAztecmili
  tarysetuphlenctclnkcd6glus
  

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Conquests

• Defeated neighboring tribes
• Seized control of additional agricultural land
• Conquered people paid them tribute
• Became more ethnically diverse- eventually
  controlled 38 provinces
  
• Economically motivated
• Sought to get tribute
• Promote trade

http//209.85.207.104/search?qcachemRrh9N0VzuoJ
www.houstonculture. org/mexico/aztecs.htmlAztec
conquestshlenctclnkcd2glus

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Geography

• Advantages
• Soil was perfect for growing crops
• Water came from springs b/c lake water was too
  salty
  
• Mts. could serve as protection b/c they could see
  ppl coming up the trails
  
• Fished in rivers and lakes
• Disadvantages
• Very hot and humid
• Tenochtitlan- on an island trouble with
  agriculture
  
• Warm climate- forced to develop clothing that was
  loose and flowing
  
• Had to expand empire to get additional
  agricultural land
  
• http//www.sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us/schools/middle
  school/library/Pups20Class20Web20Page/Pups20Az
  tec20Civilization20final.htm
  

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Social Structure

• Four classes- nobles, commoners, serfs, and
  slaves (hierarchy of power)
  
• In government -most positions were hereditary,
  could obtain a high office by serving the
  emperor.
  
• Nobles- rich dress, ate an eccentric diet
• Slaves prisoners of war and people who couldn't
  pay debts
  
• Commoners -majority of the population, survived
  by farming, ate limited diet of staples
  
• Serfs worked land for nobles.
• http//www.angelfire.com/az/atid410/