The Aztecs

1
The Aztecs
2
The Aztec Civilization

• The Aztecs built their capital city,
  Tenochtitlán, in 1325.
• They built homes called Chinampas. These were
  built on man made islands created with mud that
  had been piled up.
• They built bridges, roads, and canals and their
  city grew.

3
Everyday Life

• The Aztecs made canoes and would go fishing. They
  also grew food like corn and raised animals, like
  turkeys, to eat.
• The Aztecs also had traditional plants and
  ointments that they would use as medicine.
• The Aztecs made their own clothes.

4
Hernan Cortez

• Cortez was an explorer sent by the governor of
  Cuba on a voyage.
• He was chosen because he was an experienced
  explorer and was known for his courage. He also
  said that he would help fund the voyage and put
  all of his personal savings into the voyage.

5
Purpose of the Voyage
The governor of Cuba wanted more land and had
heard a rumor of land being found. He wanted to
send Cortez to find the land and claim it for the
many Europeans who had begun to move to Cuba. The
governor also thought that people in this new
area could be converted into Christians. At the
last minute the governor decided to cancel the
voyage because he thought Cortez had other
motives. Cortez set sail anyway!
6
Cortez's Voyage

• Cortez had 11 ships, 400 men, and 16 horses.
• The men on the ship were mostly poor Europeans
  who had come to Cuba for a new life. They were
  promised free land, but by the time they got to
  Cuba all of the land was taken.
• When the Spanish men landed Cortez burned the
  ships.

7
Motezuma

• Montezuma was the leader of the Aztecs. He
  believed that Cortez was the descendant of a God
  who was supposed to be coming back to rule over
  the Aztecs.

8
Welcoming of Cortez

• Montezuma welcomed Cortez into the city of
  Tenochtitlán with open arms and gave him presents
  of jewels and gold. The Aztecs also gave him and
  his men food.
• In return Cortez captured Montezuma and held him
  as a prisoner.

9
Cortezs Letter to the King

• Cortez had upset the governor of Cuba and needed
  to get someone on his side. He wrote a letter to
  King Charles V and told him of the "ungodly ways"
  of the natives and said that he was helping them
  rebel against their tyrannical ruler.
• He also told the king that the Aztecs had a huge
  wealth and that he wanted to conquer their land
  in the name of Christianity and the Spanish Crown.

10
Cortezs Past

• Cortez had gone on the voyage without permission
  from the governor of Cuba. As a result the
  governor sent him men to capture Cortez.
• Cortez had to leave the city of Tenochtitlán to
  meet them. Instead of taking him back to Cuba the
  men were talked into helping Cortez. He told them
  of the gold that was to be found.

11
Return to Tenochtitlán

• When Cortez returned to the city he found that
  the men he left in charge had brutally murdered
  hundreds of Aztecs.
• The Aztecs had been in the middle of a religious
  ceremony and had no weapons. The Spaniards had
  slashed the Aztecs hands and faces until they
  were dead.

12

• The Aztecs let Cortez back into the city.
• At first the Aztecs were calm, but then they
  surrounded Cortez and his men and began to attack
  them.
• Cortez made Montezuma speak to the Aztecs to calm
  them. The Aztecs threw stones at Montezuma for
  being a traitor and he later died.

13
Defeat

• Cortez and his men were forced to leave the city
  and it is said that he began to cry. The defeat
  of the Spanish that night is known as The Sad
  Night.
• Half of the Spanish men were killed.

14
The Sad Night
15
Revenge

• Cortez spent the next year building up his
  forces. He talked members of other native tribes
  to join him.
• The he went back into the city of Tenochtitlán
  and killed over 40,000 Aztecs. He also burnt or
  destroyed as much of the city as he could.

16
Wall of Skulls in Tenochtitlán
17
Tenochtitlán Today
Today Mexico City is built on top of the ruins of
the Aztec land. There are still Aztecs in this
area and they still have traditional ways of
life. They farm, make their own clothes, and
raise animals.