Aztecs Chapter 8 Flashcards
Define omen.
A sign of something going to happen.
Define ocelot.
A nocturnal wildcat that has a greyish or yellow coat and black spots.
Define calpolli.
Units of organization in Aztec society.
Define artisan.
A skilled craftworker.
Define quetzal.
A brilliantly coloured bird that lives in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.
Define Calmecac.
The Aztec school for nobles.
Define Telpochcalli.
The Aztec school for commoners.
Define glyphs.
Pictures or symbols used in writing.
Define retributive justice.
Dealing with law-breakers by punishing them.
Define restorative justice.
Dealing with a law-breaker by requiring the offender to repair the harm done.
What was the Aztec school for nobles called?
Calmecac.
What was the Aztec school for commoners called?
Telpochcalli.
Dealing with law-breakers by punishing them.
Retributive justice.
Dealing with law-breakers by requiring the offender to repair the harm done.
Restorative justice.
What was the Aztec society based on? (2) Guided by? (1)
- Agriculture.
- Trade.
- Religion.
What was the Aztec society with regards to structure?
Highly structured.
What was the Aztec society dominated by?
Pyramids topped with temples where human sacrifices provided the gods with human blood.
What were the pyramids and temples good for?
This was where human sacrifices were made to provide the gods with human blood.
Who was Moctezuma?
A great and powerful leader of the Aztecs.
What signs did Moctezuma see? (3)
- Lake Texococo turned red as blood.
- Threat of the 5th sun being destroyed by earthquakes.
- The star serpent (meteor).
What did the Aztecs call meteors?
Star serpents.
What did the meteor that Moctezuma saw mean?
That the Aztec empire would fall; death and destruction.
What were the two major social classes?
- Nobles.
2. Commoners.
Could you move up ranks in society?
Yes.
How could you move up ranks in society?
Warriors could rise to the greatest levels even if they were only a poor peasant to begin. Then, you could become an emperor because they were chosen from the nobles.
What is another name for the Emperor?
“Great Speaker”.
How was the Emperor treated?
Like a god, even though the people realized he was a human.
What was the Emperor given?
Every possible privilege and luxury.
Could you question the Emperor?
No one questioned the Emperor.
Where did the Emperor live?
In a magnificent palace with private gardens and zoos.
What did the servants of the Emperor do when he was out in public?
Servants carried him when out in public, while other servants swept the streets ahead of his arrival.
What were the responsibilities of the Emperor? (3)
- Chief priest.
- Commander-in-chief.
- Head of state.
What were the critical qualities of the Commander of the Army? (3)
- He himself was a skilled warrior.
- Excellent knowledge of military strategy.
- A great leader; knows how to lead others.
- He himself was a skilled warrior.
- Excellent knowledge of military strategy.
- A great leader; knows how to lead others.
Were the qualities of…
The Commander of the Army.
What did being the Head of State look like? (3)
- Asked for advice from his council of priests and nobles.
- Ultimate decision-maker.
- Responsible for the good of the entire empire.
Who is the number one in the nobility class?
The Emperor.
Explain which social class came after which. (Top to bottom.)
Emperor -> nobility + priests -> merchants, artisans, soldiers -> farmers, fishers, women -> slaves.
How were the Aztecs expected to conduct themselves? What happened if they didn’t?
In an exemplary way. They were punished more severely if they were disobedient.
How much of the population were the nobles?
10-15%.
What were the characteristics of the nobles? (2)
- Very wealthy.
2. Had a lot of political power.
Who could study to become a priest?
Boys from all classes.
What was the most important job of a priest?
To offer human sacrifices to the gods.
Could men in the priesthood marry?
No.
Could women become priests?
Yes.
What was the job of female priests?
Female priests received specific jobs worshipping goddesses.
Which was the middle class?
The commoners.
How could commoners improve their status?
By gaining recognition in the military or by becoming a priest, merchant, artisan or trader. The best way to get recognized and move up in society was by achieving success on the battlefield.
How were warriors seen?
As equals to the nobility.
How could you automatically become eligible for membership in a higher social class?
By not killing your enemy, but instead capturing four or more victims.
What did a person’s calpolli define? (2)
- Where they lived as a group/unit.
2. Which temples they worshipped at.
What would your calpolli be based on? Either… (2)
- Based on your area of work (If you were a farmer your calpolli would be with other farmers).
- Based on your family. (If you shared close family ties with other members you could join together in your own calpolli.)
Who owned the land the Calpolli’s lived on?
The Calpolli.
What gave the people some political power?
The calpollis elected a captain and council.
What was the job of the council? (5)
- Assigned land and houses.
- Collected taxes.
- Kept the neighbourhood clean.
- Washed the streets.
- Painted/scrubbed the buildings.
Who were the richest calpolli?
The merchants.
Who went on trading expeditions into the far corners of the Aztec Empire?
The merchants.
Where did the merchants go?
On trading expeditions into the far corners of the Aztec Empire.
Who acted as spies for the Aztecs?
The merchants.
How did the merchants sometimes act?
As spies for the Aztecs.
What did the spies/merchants of the Aztecs bring back?
Riches.
What did the merchants have a detailed knowledge of?
The geography and layout of foreign cities.
What made the merchants a valuable asset?
Their detailed knowledge of the geography and layout of foreign cities.
Who were the advisors during wartime?
Oftentimes the merchants.
What role did the merchants often have during wartime?
They were advisors.
Why were the merchants the advisors during wartime?
Because of their detailed knowledge of geography and layout of foreign cities.
What did the advisors during wartime do?
They generaled planning attacks.
What did the merchants do?
They sold goods in markets. The taxes they paid helped the Aztec Empire.
What were the responsibilities of the farmers? (3)
- Paying taxes.
- Growing crops for the empire.
- Donating hours of labour to complete projects for the empire.
What did the farmers do? (2)
- Grew crops.
2. Sold their goods in markets to add to family income.
What were farmers skilled in (besides agriculture)? (2)
- Hunting.
2. Fishing.
Who were the crafty people?
The artisans.
Who made the finer things for the Aztecs?
The artisans.
Who were the most respected artisans? (3) Which was most respected?
- Mask makers.
- goldsmiths.
- Feather workers.
Feather workers were the most valued, as were their creations.
What did the Aztecs do with tropical birds?
Tropical birds with beautiful feathers were hunted and kept in captivity, bred for their feathers.
What were feathers used for? (4)
- Fans.
- Head dresses.
- Tunics.
- Shields.
Who was allowed to wear garments made with feathers?
Only members of the nobility class.
Which bird was the most prized? Why?
Quetzal, because he was most associated with Quetzalcoatl, so the feathers of the quetzal were considered sacred.
Which group held the lowest of the low statuses?
The slaves.
How did you become a slave?
Nobody was born a slave. You became a slave when you could no longer afford to pay your debt, so you had to sell yourself.
Did the slave owners own the slaves?
Slave owners only owned the slave’s work, not the actual person.
Could slaves buy back their freedom?
Yes.
Who was there a great distinction between?
Who was wealthy and who was just making enough to earn a living.
What were the most common ways of indicating your position in society? (3)
- Clothing (quality of cloth and patterns printed on cloth).
- Jewelry.
- Size and location of house (the closer to the middle, the richer).
What was the gender role of women? (5)
- Could not have a position of power.
- Cared for the household and family.
- Could do crafts.
- Could run a business.
- Could control their own property.
What were two key points to Aztec marriage? (2)
- Women received legal protection from marital abuse.
2. If their marriage ended, women had automatic custody of the children.
What was the gender role of men? (2)
- Did the physical work.
2. Joined the army.
When did children start working?
At the age of around 5.
At what age did boys and girls marry?
Girls married mid-teens and boys married in late teens/early twenties.
What were the two types of Aztec schools? Which was for who?
- Calmecac - for nobles.
2. Telpochcalli - for commoners.
Where was Calmecac located?
In the neighbourhoods the nobles lived in.
What were Calmecacs often attached to?
Temples.
What was the Aztec counting system?
Based on 20; they used their fingers and toes to count.
What did the nobles learn? (3)
- Students learned about their past to learn about their society.
- Religious training was an important part of their education.
- Nobles were taught to read and write glyphs instead of letters.
Who trained to become warriors?
All boys.
What happened once training was complete for the military?
Once training was complete and the boy knew how to fight, they became soldier servants. They would follow the army to learn how warriors conducted themselves in battle.
At what age did boys become warriors?
Age 15.
What did warriors do?
They took an active role in battle.
What were the most prestigious military orders? (2)
- Jaguar.
2. Eagle.
What did the commoners learn? (4)
- Religious rituals.
- Singing.
- Dancing.
- Music (flute/drums).
How were traditions passed on by the commoners?
Traditions were passed on from one generation to the next. Most information was passed through stories (oral lessons) as they did not need to learn to read or write.
At what age did you attend school (Telpochcalli)? (3)
- You received an education from home until you were old enough to attend school.
- School began in your early teens.
- School lasted until marriage.
Could every girl attend school?
Every girl, regardless of rank, attended school.
What did girls learn? (6)
- To manage households for their spouses.
- Religion.
- Spinning and weaving.
- History.
- Morality.
- Traditions.
What were roles women could pursue? (5)
- Doctors in the army.
- Healers in the army.
- Priestesses.
- Matchmakers.
- Midwives.
What was the deal with self-sacrifice? What were things they had to be willing to sacrifice? (3)
The group was considered more important than the individual. Every Aztec had to be willing to sacrifice possessions, comfort, even life itself for the good of society.
What was the deal with courage?
Aztecs were expected to show courage and deal with hardships without complaining because it made the army strong.
What was the deal with modesty?
No one, not even the greatest warrior, was to boast about personal achievements or do anything else to stand out from the crowd.
What was the deal with the clean living?
People had to keep themselves healthy and avoid overindulging in food and drink. The Aztecs punished harshly what they considered evil behaviour.
What was the deal with obedience?
Everyone had to obey superiors without question because this helped preserve the social order.
What were the principles of citizenship? (5)
- Self-sacrifice.
- Courage.
- Modesty.
- Clean living.
- Obedience.
What were rights protected by?
Written laws.
What did laws remind people of?
Their responsibilities as citizens to be honest and obedient.
Who did the laws apply to?
Everyone, including the nobility and emperor.
Who did the law often judge most harshly? Why?
The laws often judged the nobility more harshloy than the commoners because the nobility are expected to set a good example.
Who could Aztecs appeal decisions to?
From the lower court to the high court, and even to the emperor.
Did the Aztecs have prisons?
No.
What was the general punishment idea? (2)
- Slavery/fines for lesser crimes.
2. Death sentence for theft/murder.
How did laws protect slaves?
If they were beaten to death, the noble could be executed.
How could the slaves win their freedom if not by buying it?
If the slave could escape from the slave marketplace and run to the emperor’s palace, they won their freedom.
What did it mean to be a slave?
It was not shameful to be a slave, it just meant that they had had some pretty bad luck.
Were children born to slaves free?
Yes.
