The Aztecs Ms Baquedano Origin Myth Aztecs were

The Aztecs Ms. Baquedano

Origin Myth • Aztecs were originally nomadic hunters • Believed they would one day see an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its beak • This would be a sign from the gods that this is where they should build their great city • In 1325, the Aztecs settled on an island in Lake Texcoco, building the city of Tenochtitlan • This is where the Mexican flag design comes from

Valley of Mexico • Area was first settled by the Teotihuacans, then the Toltecs, then the Mexica [ pronounced me-hee-kah], who later turned into the Aztecs • The Aztecs fled a place called Chapultepec to finally settle on the island of Lake Texcoco, Tenochtitlan • Tenochtitlan was easy to defend, had plenty of fish, and water birds to eat

Beginnings • Began as mercenaries for group called the Tepanecs • Itzcoatl, Aztec ruler, rebels against the Tepanecs and forms a Triple Alliance with 2 other city-states, and defeated them • Itzcoatl set out to make the Aztecs powerful and legendary, even burning Aztec history to rewrite them as descendants of the Toltecs

Tenochtitlan • Even though it was an island, the city became HUGE • Aztecs were master builders – some of their buildings still stand • Built “floating gardens” called chinampas to grow crops • Built by putting poles in the water, and filling the space in between with mud, rocks, and straw