Jeds blog

Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice.

The Aztecs originally derived from Aztlan, somewhere in North West Mexico. The neighboring tribes thought they were just too wild, uncivilized, and barbaric. Thus, they had to move from place to place. After traveling a long distance, they arrived in the Valley of Mexico, which the Aztecs called Anahuac. During their travels, their chieftain, Tenoch, was leading them. Because of this leader’s vision, they were led to the Valley of Mexico. After reaching there, they were given land by the neighboring tribes. Unfortunately, they were given swampy, marshy land, which was not good for building. But they used this to their advantage and made them into chinampas, which will be discussed on in the next step.

Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.

I think one of the cons of building their city, Tenochtitlan, was because they only had a small piece of land surrounded by swampy marshes. This would’ve made building hard because of the wet and humid conditions. According to the sources, the Aztecs had used this swampy environment to their utmost advantage. This was a brilliant idea. They took the mud from the swamps and made it their foundation for building their temples. Since they were only a newborn civilization, but what they didn’t know was that they were soon to be one of the most powerful civilizations in all of ancient Mexico.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose?

The Aztecs worshipped many gods. Each god had a different role in controlling everything the Aztec people did. Different gods have different roles or powers. There were war gods like Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs had had a main god too. He was called Huitzilopochtli. He was also a god of war. There also were many other gods. Concerning the pyramids, they were built mainly for sacrifice. The Aztecs believed that their gods demanded human sacrifice and so priests sacrificed people like prisoners of war.

Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.

The ancient Aztec society is divided into three classes. They were slaves, commoners and the nobility. As you know, slaves were the lowest of all classes. Children of poor parents could be sold for a certain time period, although they could buy back their freedom. Also, if they were to escape and get to the royal palace without being caught, they given instant freedom. The second class was the commoners. This class was mainly involved in agriculture and trading. There were lower commoners too. These people could not own land and could never be owners. The highest class in the Aztec society was the nobles. These people became nobles by birth, or they were priests or they earned their rank.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.

The language that the Aztecs spoke was called Nahuatl. This language was also spoken in other parts of Mexico. At some times, they also used pictures and glyphs to tell stories and sometimes, a picture can tell a whole story. This form of drawing was called pictographs. Some pictographs represented ideas and some represented the sounds of the syllables.

Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.
The Aztecs main food resource was corn. They made this corn by digging the soil using a so called ‘digging stick, then planted the corn kernels into the ground. Once the corn was ripe, the Aztecs then put the corn in bins to be sold in the markets. Another way the Aztecs got their food was by hunting. The main animals they hunted were deer, rabbits, duck and geese. The animals that they raised for food were dogs and turkey. To get their food, they had to buy it. So they had a currency. Their currency then was cocao beans. The Aztecs treated this food source as if it were gold.

Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Find an image depicting this event. What I’m about to write would be what the Spanish thought. When the Spanish arrived, tribes attacked them and the Spanish easily defeated them. They then became Spanish allies and they’re going to be a great help to them further on. They then arrived at Tenochtitlan, where they were received with great hospitality because Cortez was thought to be the god, Quetzalcoatl. He was then given permission t o stay there and was given many gifts and offerings. But, the Spanish saw all the sacrifices the Aztecs had done and were disgusted at their cruelty towards their prisoners, this caused friction and then the Spanish had waged war on the Aztecs. The Aztecs, on the other hand, were terrified on how greedy the Spanish were for gold and other valuables, so they also waged war on the Spanish. Another reason for this was because when the Aztecs was performing a religious ceremony, Cortez’s men shot the performers and this caused an up rise within the Aztecs.

Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refers to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?
Dona Marina, also known as La Malinche, her Aztec name, was born in a noble Aztec family. Her father died, so her mom married another man and had a son. They decided to let him rule instead of Marina, so they sold her to traders and said she died. She ended up a slave until her master gave her to Cortez. She could speak the Aztec language, so she translated for Cortez. The Aztecs says she was a traitor for bringing the Spanish in, but what they didn’t know was that she persuaded the Spanish not to conquer them. The Spanish said that she was a hero.

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