Lili,+Chee+Eun+and+Ashley+Aztec+Project

=__**The Aztec Empire (1428~1521)**__=



Welcome to the Aztec Empire page! In this section, you will learn about the location, origin, economic systems, social systems, rise, downfall, and impacts of the Aztec empire.

Now, let's begin!

**Location**
Compare the two following maps (the old map and the current map):


 * Map 1:**


 * Map 2:**

media type="custom" key="12117822" (Please zoom out for convenience of comparing)

The Aztec Empire covered more than 800,000 miles of land, **reaching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf coast**. Its capital was at Tenochtitlán, shown at Map 1, which was located on a island with swamps.

**Origins**
Originally, the Aztecs were made up of various wandering tribes of warriors with different traditions and cultures. The only similarity of these wandering groups at that time was language. These wandering groups started settling in an area called the Valley of Mexico starting form the 6th century. Around this area, these groups of wandering people started to build independent city states. In 1428, the 3 most powerful independent states, Texcoco, Tenochtitlán, and Tlacopan, made a bond, which is now referred to as the Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance became the base of the great Aztec Empire.
 * The Triple Alliance was crucial to the unity and stability** of the Aztec Empire as it prevented the various city states from fighting each other and brought the small city states into one whole unit.

**Economic Systems**

 * Traders of the Aztecs traveled along the shorelines of the empire relatively safe as the Aztecs were feared due to their brutality. **From this, we can see that the inhumane characteristics of the Aztec Empire influenced the extent and the "safeness" of trade.**
 * Trade made the empire prosper; the Aztecs exported luxury goods, jewelry, cocoa beans, gold, silver, and art to the other regions such as current day Guatemala and Honduras. Goods that were imported such as rubber, cotton, and tropical bird feathers were brought back to the market place of the merchants.

//**Specializations (Jobs):**//
 * 1) **Soldiers:** They protected the trade routes from any attacks and fought in wars to expand their empire.
 * 2) **Priests:** They conducted the various rituals and sacrifices at the altars to please the gods that they believed in. It was the priests who created the calendar and kept track of records.
 * 3) **School Teachers**
 * 4) **Fishermen, hunters, and farmers**
 * 5) **Merchants (often referred to as the "pochteca")**
 * 6) **Engineers and Builders**
 * 7) **Craftsmen**



This **specialization of jobs indicate that the people did not have to worry about food** and that the empire prospered. If they had to worry about food, all of the Aztec people would have been farmers; there was no time for people to come up with innovative ideas.
 * The specialization of jobs is beneficial as it is important for the continuance of advancement**. Specialization made it possible for the people of the empire create various items that may be used for trade in order to gain wealth.

**Social Systems**
Side Note:
 * **//Religion://** The Aztecs believed that in order to prevent suffering (starvation, diseases, etc.), they should give **sacrifices** to the gods. They also believed that anyone who died in battles died for Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. For example, the Aztecs believed that the sun was a god. In order to keep the sun good "pleased", they believed that they had to give the lives of humans. Victims of sacrifice were told to go to the top of the pyramid and lie him down on a altar where he was brutally sacrificed.
 * The Aztec Pyramids: Aztec pyramids served as a place where priests would hold sacrifices. The fact that the Aztecs built great pyramids, which require great amount of labor, for religion shows that religion was an important part of the Aztecs. The importance of religion then also indicates the harsh conditions of living during the time as people tend to rely on religion when they are in great trouble.


 * **//Expectations of Boys/Men//**: Often, boys were trained to become warriors and fight rather than stay at home. Boys received education starting at the age of 15 until the age of 20. They could choose either to go to schools for priests or schools for warriors.


 * **//Expectations of Girls/Women//**: Girls, on the other hand, were given skirts, blouses, and weaving equipment. Girls were expected to stay at home and do household chores; starting at the age of 4, they were recommended to "cook and clean". However, they received schooling, learning dancing and singing. Women were not treated that well; their duty was to give birth to children


 * //**Ideologies**//: Although it now seems absurd, **the Aztecs believed that the blood from the wounds from the sacrificed victim makes the soil richer!** This ideology came from the Toltecs, one of the regions where the Aztecs conquered. The Toltecs were very brutal and inhumane group of people, but the Aztecs adopted their religion and ideologies!

Here is one short video that briefly explains what they believed: media type="youtube" key="PSQ_4hu_42A" height="305" width="521"
 * Youtube Video: Let's Learn About the Aztec "Sprinkler System"! **
 * **//Education//**: Going to **school was free and mandatory** for all Aztec children, regardless of status or sex. Teachers of the schools were highly respected; students were not allowed any breaks or relaxing time during classes. Children were taught that life is not so easy.


 * //**Daily and Family Life**//: Attire of the rich included fans made of feathers and fancy clothes decorated with jewelry and feathers. However, the commoners were strictly forbidden to wear attire with feathers because it was a symbol of high status. Men would marry at the age of 20 with women around the age of 15. Men would follow the advice of an old woman in choosing a bride. Some poor families would sell their children to make money (this idea is similar to the Mayans). The Aztecs put bodies of children in a jar rather than in a coffin.



(However, the game was brutal in a way as the losing team members lost their heads...)

If you want interesting information about the daily life of the Aztecs, here is a short video which represent the typical food of the Aztecs: media type="youtube" key="IdsMtPOFjU0" height="228" width="392"
 * Youtube Video: Historical Masterchef - Aztecs **

The Rise of the Empire
Thus, basically, the rise of the Aztecs was due to **technological advancements (medicine and agriculture), architecture, and "geographic luck" of the capital city.**
 * One group called the Mexicas emerged and expanded the empire from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
 * People of conquered regions were allowed to keep their own traditions and rules, but in return, they had to give tributes to the central authority (and they were most likely to be victims of sacrifice).
 * The location of their capital, Tenochtitlán, which was on an island, prevented the capital from invasions.
 * Not only the Aztecs were great conquerors, but they were also great craftsmen and good farmers.
 * The Aztecs developed an agricultural system called the **chinampas**, which were artificial grounds that floated on water for growing crops as they did not have adequate natural soil due to the climate.
 * However, no plows or wagons were invented or used by the Aztecs.
 * The Aztecs had advanced medicine such as cures for stomach aches, broken bones, and external wounds.
 * In order to conduct their rituals to the various gods, the Aztecs built various structures, making them excellent builders. They built structures such as temples, pyramids, and palaces.

The Downfall of the Empire

 * A Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519.
 * Motecuhzoma II, the Aztec King at the time, treated Hernan Cortes as a god, giving him gifts and letting him stay in a royal palace at the capital, thanks to an old legend.
 * The old legend stated god Quetzalcoatl, who is a bearded white man, would arrive with a sword and bring peace to Mexico. The Spanish fit these characteristics of Quezalcoatl perfectly.
 * In the meanwhile, Cortes acquainted with tribes that hated the Aztecs. These tribes helped the Spanish to conquer the Aztec king.
 * In 2 years, Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs in 1521 fairly easily due to advantages such as steel swords, armor, guns, cannons, and horses. (The Aztecs only had war clubs, spears and arrows). Furthermore, "new" diseases from Europe such as smallpox, measles and whooping cough wiped out millions of people of the Aztec empire.
 * In 1521, the Spanish renamed the Aztec Empire as part of New Spain.

Basically, this is what happened: media type="youtube" key="h7MvBf3mFLI" height="303" width="610"
 * Youtube Video: Spanish Warrior vs. Aztec Warrior **

Thus, the downfall of the Aztecs was primarily due to **lack of sophisticated weaponry, brutality towards their people, and lack of immunity of new viruses.**
 * Also, the disadvantage of geographic location partly contributed in the downfall of the Aztec Empire** because the Aztecs could not advance in weaponry due to the lack of contact with the Chinese; the Chinese are the people who first invented gunpowder. European regions such as Spain could get contact with China through trade routes; thus, they were able to develop advanced weapons compared to the Aztecs.

What Can We Learn from This Empire?
To explain, although the downfall of the empire was primarily due to lack of sophisticated weaponry compared to the Spanish, it was also due to the brutal treatment of the surrounding areas. The people of the surrounding areas of the Aztec Empire hated and feared the Aztecs. Hence, the people of the surrounding regions complied in helping the Spanish in conquering the powerful Aztec Empire.
 * Legacies: The Aztecs had a common language, Nahuatl. This language is still used in some parts of Mexico today.
 * **Moral: Empires or countries have to be "nice" to the people.**
 * So, was the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire justifiable? We believe so.**

"To Watch" and "To Visit" List
Here are some interesting web sites and videos that you might find helpful!

media type="youtube" key="PrJLoRdLa20" height="311" width="402"
 * 1. ★Horrible Histories-The Aztec Song! ★ **


 * 2.★ [|"Aztecs for Kids" Website]★ **

**3.★[|The Rise of the Aztec Empire Reading]** ** ★ **


 * 4. **** ★[|BraniPOP: The Aztec Empire!] **** ★ **
 * (Username, password can be found on the school website.) **

**5.★[|Short Reading: Aztecs Trade]** ** ★ **

**Bibliography:**
// Aztec Civilization //. BrainPOP, 2012. Web. 18 Jan 2012. . "Aztecs: Trade, Economy, and Merchants." // Empires Past //. Think Quest Team, 1998. Web. 21 Jan 2012. . Deary, Terry. //The Angry Aztecs//. London: Scholastic Children's Books, 1997. Print. Schmal, John. "The Aztec Empire." //History of Mexico//. Houston Institute for Culture, 2004. Web. 18 Jan 2012. . "The Awesome Aztecs." //Mr.Donn.org Social Studies//. MrDonn.org, n.d. Web. 18 Jan 2012. .
 * Information**

//Aztec Ball Game//. N.d. Photograph. OnCourse Systems For EducaitonWeb. 18 Jan 2012. . //Aztec Sun Stone//. N.d. Photograph. Sun StonesWeb. 18 Jan 2012. . // Aztec Temple //. 2005. Photograph. Tom Swift in the City of GoldWeb. 18 Jan 2012. . // Aztec Warriors //. 1997. Photograph. Tripod. 18 Jan 2012. < http://members.tripod.com/aztec_warrior/Warrior.htm >. // Chinampas //. N.d. Photograph. Latin American Studies.org.Web. 18 Jan 2012. . Philip Martin. // Aztecs Index //. N.d. Photograph. Mr.Donn.orgWeb. 18 Jan 2012. . // The Aztec Empire //. 2006. Photograph. Western Kentucky University, kentucky. Web. 18 Jan 2012. <http://people.wku.edu/darlene.applegate/newworld/webnotes/unit_3/aztec.html>. //Valley of Mexico//. 2012. Photograph. BrainPOPWeb. 18 Jan 2012. <http://www.brainpop.com/>.
 * Images**

// Angry Aztecs Historical Masterchef //. YouTube, 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdsMtPOFjU0>. //Horrible Histories - The Aztec Song//. YouTube, 2011. Web. 18 Jan 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrJLoRdLa20>. //Horrible Histories Aztec's Gardeners World//. YouTube, 2011. Web. 18 Jan 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSQ_4hu_42A>. // The Aztec Warrior //. YouTube, 2011. Web. 18 Jan 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7MvBf3mFLI>.
 * Videos**