Education and Writing: What were the two kinds of schools? What was studied in each? Did girls go to school? Describe the Aztec system of writing.Food Production and Preparation: What were the major crops? How were fields prepared for growing the crops? Who worked in the fields? What types of meat were eaten? How was corn usually prepared for a meal?.Social Structure: What were the calpulli? What were the major classes of Aztec society? How did clothing reflect a person's class? Which was the largest class? Which was the smallest? Describe the life-style of the ruler.Local Environment: Describe the geography of the Aztec territory - were there mountains? Deserts? Grasslands? Lakes? Rivers? What was the climate like? Does this seem like a good place for farming? Why or why not?.Once you have determined your topic, use the corresponding worksheet to gather information: Working in groups, research different aspects of Aztec life. The topics are the following: the local environment, the Aztec social structure, food production and preparation education and writing and warfare. On a print or PDF copy of the map, mark the site of Tenochtitlan and the general area of the Aztec Empire. Point out that the Aztec empire extended entirely across central Mexico, from ocean to ocean. Click on Maps, then Regional Maps, then Medieval Maps, and finally, Maya and Aztec. Now go to HyperHistory Online available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Conquistadors. Then customize the map: turn off borders and names to better see the geography of the region. Locate Mexico City, the country's capital, which was built on the site of the old Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. On the world map, click on North America, then click on Mexico. Guiding QuestionsĪfter viewing scenes from the Invicta History documentary on the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, go to National Geographic's Mapmaker site. In this lesson, students will learn about the history and culture of the Aztecs and discover why their civilization came to an abrupt end. Tenochtitlan was the hub of a rich civilization that dominated the region of modern-day Mexico at the time the Spanish forces arrived. There were palaces, parks, ball courts, a zoo, a bustling market, and an awe-inspiring temple complex. A network of canals made up the city streets, and farmers grew vegetables on ingeniously constructed “floating gardens” ( chinampas). Stone aqueducts delivered fresh water to the city residents. The island city was built in the middle of Lake Texcoco, connected to the surrounding land by three great causeways. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán de Cortés and his army arrived in Tenochtitlan (ten-ohch-teet-LAHN), capital of the mighty Aztec empire, they were amazed by what they saw. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Spanish conquistador "All about us we saw cities and villages built in the water, their great towers and buildings of masonry rising out of it…When I beheld the scenes around me I thought within myself, this was the garden of the world."
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