I’not sure about the answers, but I hope it helps
Anthropologist – The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.
Archeologist- an anthropologist who studies prehistoric people and their culture
Economist- a specialist in economics.
Historian- an expert in history; authority on history.
Linguist- a person who is skilled in several languages; polyglot.
Theologian- a person who is learned in the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God’s attributes and relations to the universe; study of divine things or religious truth; divinity.
Who are the Aztecs?
The Aztecs are Native American people who lived in Mexico during the 14th century, the 15th century and the 16th century
What made them a civilization?
Is there evidence today of Aztec influence?
Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? – Valley of Mexico, Anahuac. What prompted them to relocate? – They were too wild and nasty, so they were driven away.
Where did they end up and why? – Swampy area near Lake Texcoco, named Tenochtitlan because he was told to look out for an eagle perched on a cactus, growing from a rock or cave surrounded by water.
Choose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event.
Support your choiceStep 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.
The land was marshy and snake-infested. They used irrigation to grow crops and hold mud by planting trees.
Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose?
The sun god, Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Chalchiuhtlicue.
They built temples to do sacrifice
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.
Slaves- the young were sold to others temporary until they have enough money to buy themselves freedom.
Commoners- involve in agriculture and common trade. Lowest commoners work as tenant farmers.
Nobility- These people were members of the hereditary nobility and occupied the top positions in the government, the army and the priesthood.
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 Aztecs were Nahua-speaking people, they also uses pictograph to communicate through writing.
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 had several ways of growing crops. They would make terrace that descends down to help the flow of water irrigate the crops. They too used the Olmec’s ‘slash and burn’ technique. Besides that, they had to grow crops for a huge population by weaving reed mats together to extend their crops into the swampy areas. Their main crops were corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans, etc. They traded with merchants from different cities called the pochteca. They don’t really have a currency, they just use cacao beans as their main trades.
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.
The Aztecs thought they finally found their god, Quetzalcoatl as they mistaken him for being light skin with a beard. Cortez took opportunity to rule this empire. The Aztecs were betrayed and fooled, they decided to drove Cortez away, but they were in no position because Cortez was armed with many soldiers. Soon, they lose.
Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?
