Aztec Empire General Information Capitol Tenochtitlan Government controlled

Aztec Empire

General Information � Capitol: Tenochtitlan �Government controlled punishment, agriculture, and all aspects of economy �Now Mexico City � Culturally developed �Music ○ Played important role in religious rituals for worshipping their gods �Art �Crafts �sciences

� At peak, had 15 million people in 500 communities � 300, 000 in Tenochtitlan � Originated in area of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado � Migrated to central Mexico

Economy � � � Barter system Purchases made with cacao beans Society had 4 classes � Nobles ○ Highest rank � Commoners ○ Majority ○ Mostly farmers � Serfs ○ Worked land for nobles � Slaves ○ Captured ○ Indebted but couldn’t repay

� Very dependent on agriculture �Corn was the central crop � Hunting and gathering were also important � Sophisticated irrigation systems �Could farm dry lands � Chinampas �Little islands of scooped up mud in shallow lakes �Very fertile for growing crops

Religion � Human sacrifices �Many were war prisoners or children �Thousands of people were sacrificed each year �Felt that human hearts/blood gave the gods strength and appeased them when they were angry �Large temples for sacrifices �Sunstone calendar ○ 12 foot diameter ○ Represented Aztec universe ○ Placed hearts of human sacrifices on this stone for the gods

� Hundreds of gods and goddesses �Daily tributes to them � Ceremonies �Important during agricultural season in order to ensure good crops �Coronations

Life � Dress �Designing clothes was a form of art in their culture �Women usually made the clothing �Decorated with beads, flowers, and precious metals �Often used gold (abundant in Aztec empire) Conquered many other tribes and enslaved them � Cannibalism � �Common on special religious and social occasions

Defeat � Hernando Cortes heard of the rich empire and set out to find it � At first, Aztecs saw Spaniards as gods and gave Cortes many gifts of gold � Cortes teamed up with the tribes that had been conquered by the Aztecs and together they defeated the Aztecs �Smallpox and hunger also contributed to this defeat