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16.3 – Aztecs Control Central Mexico

16.3 – Aztecs Control Central Mexico. Valley of Mexico. Mountainous basin high above sea level Large shallow lakes & the center Large quantities of accessible resources Very fertile soil Attractive area for people to develop a civilization. “City of the Gods”.

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16.3 – Aztecs Control Central Mexico

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  1. 16.3 – Aztecs Control Central Mexico

  2. Valley of Mexico • Mountainous basin high above sea level • Large shallow lakes & the center • Large quantities of accessible resources • Very fertile soil • Attractive area for people to develop a civilization

  3. “City of the Gods” • 1st major civilization = city-state of Teotihuacán (~200k people) • Contained 20+ pyramids dedicated to the gods • Apartment-block housing for the people • Center of a trade for Central America • Obsidian = weapons • Conquer & influence much of Mesoamerica • City mysteriously abandoned in 750 A.D.

  4. Toltecs • ~900 A.D. – Toltecs rise to power • Rule from Tula (capital) • Warlike people centered on conquest = practice human sacrifice • After 1000: Topiltzin tries to follow Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent) • Warriors revolt & he is exiled • Toltecs decline afterwards & lose power by early 1200s

  5. Empire • 1200: Aztecs enter valley • Poor nomadic people from Northern Mexico • Adapt culture & work as mercenaries • Huitzilopochtli (God of Sun) tells Aztecs to found own city (p. 454) • 1325: Found Tenochtitlán on Lake Texcoco

  6. Aztec Power • 1428: Form the Triple Alliance w/ Texcoco & Tlacopan • Early 1500s: Empire stretches 80k sq. miles & contains 5-15m people • Power based on military conquest & tribute • Gold, cotton, jade, etc. • Often allowed local rulers to maintain power • Brutally put down resistance – slaughter villages

  7. Society • Emperor = absolute power • Noble Class – military leaders, government officials, & priests • Ruled as lords of estates • Commoners – merchants, artisans, farmers, & soldiers • Own land • Merchants – elite, travel as spies, gain wealth • Enslaved Persons – low

  8. Tenochtitlán • Early 1500s: 200-400k people • 3 causeways connected city w/ mainland • City connected by vast network of roads • Tlatelolco (market): traded all goods of the empire • Food supplied by chinampas (raised land on marshes) • Center: Palaces, temples, & the Great Temple (Sun & Rain Gods)

  9. Chinampas

  10. Religion • Religion ruled Aztec life • Worshipped ~1,000 gods • Adopt many gods from other cultures (i.e. Quetzalcoatl) • Practiced elaborate public ceremonies • Win favor of the gods • Offerings, dances, songs, & plays made up ceremonies • Calendar include festivals to honor specific gods

  11. Sacrifice • Huitzilopochtli (Sun God) = most important = most important rituals • Made the sun rise & had to fight evil to do it each day • Practiced human sacrifice to give him strength to fight • Belief: Sun would not rise w/o offerings & plunge world into darkness • Victims: slaves, criminals, tributes, & prisoners-of-war (main source)

  12. Problems • 1502: Montezuma II crowned emperor • Provinces rebel due to greater demands of tribute & sacrifice • Reforms fail & bad omens occur • Ex. Lightning striking the Great Temple • Greatest Threat = The Spanish: • Bring disease, guns & horses • The return of Quetzalcoatl

  13. Conquest of Mexico

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