Aztecs Flashcards
When/where did they migrate?
They migrated south around the 1100s.
Who were the first Aztecs?
Farmers from northern mexico
What did they find out when they arrived in central Mexico?
They found out that other tribes had taken all the good farmland.
What effect did war have on the aztecs?
Ar was a key factor in the aztecs’ rise to power
What was left for the aztecs?
A swampy island in the middle of lake Texcoco
What did the aztecs do to survive?
They hired themselves out as skilled fighters
What did the aztecs do to build their empire?
They conquered many towns and made alliances.
When did the aztects build a secret alliance with two other cities
1420s
Where were the two cities that the aztects made secret alliances with from?
Lake Texacoco
What did they do to ppl they conquered
They made the ppl they conquered pay tribute
What were some things the conquered ppl payed tribute with?
Cotton, gold, food.
Did the aztecs control a trade network?
Yes a huge one.
What did the emperors use merchants as?
Spies
When did they rule the most powerful state in mesoamerica
Early 1500s
What was the most powerful and wealthy place?
Their capital, Tenochtitlan
Why was travel and trade difficult?
Because of the city’s island location
What made it easier to get to and from their city?
Causeways
What are causways?
Raised roads across water or wet ground
What were causeways made out of?
Rocks covered with dirt
What was Tenochtitlan surrounded by?
Undrinkable water
What did they do to bring fresh water to the city?
They built a stone aqueduct.
What is an aqueduct
A channel
What were chinampas
Floating gardens built to create more land for farming.
About how many ppl lived in Tenochtitlan?
200,000
Who arrived into the Americas
The spanish
When did the spanish arrive?
Late 1400s
What are conquistadors
The soldiers
Why did the conquistadors come
To explore new lands, search for gold, spread catholic religion
When did a small group of conquistadors reach mexico
1519
Who was this small group of conquistadors led by?
Hernán Cortés
Who believed cortes to be a god?
Moctezuma II
What god was supposed to return to mexico in 1519
Quetzalcoatl
1521 who conquered tenochtitlan?
Cortes and his men
Causes of the defeat of the Aztecs?
Alliances, weapons and horses, geography, disease.
Social class pyramid?
Kings Nobles Priests Warriors Merchants
What is a capulli
A community of families that shared land, schools, and a temple.
What is another name for an ancient book of historical records?
Codex
