Aztecs questions Flashcards
Why were mountains considered sacred sites.
It was thought the height of the mountains brought people physicaly closer to the god.
Why did the Aztecs choose to make their home where they did?
It was because of the orders of the god Huitzilopochi, the Aztecs were to abandon the place where they lived and start a pilgrimage to find a place where an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, devouring a snake would be. This was to be their permanent living place. After wandering for 200.
Describe the landscape, including geography and climate.
Mexicos landscape includes deserts, mountains, tropical forest, ranch lands rich farmland and sea coasts on the east and west. Mexico is found in Mesoamerica and has a desert-like climate along with tropical coastal areas.
What is one benefit of the mountains and what are two drawbacks of the mountains?
One benefit of the mountain that surround the Aztec region was that they offered protection from the attacks of outside cultures. A draw back is the flooding and satiness.
How did the Aztecs use Lake Texcoco to protect them?
Bridges that connected the causeways to the city and the mainland could be destroyed to protect the city from invasion.
Explain two ways the Aztecs altered the geography to help them survive.
The Aztecs created the chinampas, aquedects and dams helped them.
Where is modern day Mexico City located?
The valley of Mexico when Tenotitichlan.
plateau
a flat land on top of mountain
Aztecs
a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico
Aztlan
Aztlán is the ancestral home of the Aztec peoples.
Mexica
There old name before they were called Aztecs.
Nahua
The Nahuas are a group of indigenous people of Mexico
Huitzilopochtli
it was the Aztec people god. A diety of war, sun, human sacrifices, and a patron of a city of Tenotitichiltan.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica refers to the diverse civillzations that shared similar characteristics in the geographical areas comprising the modern-day countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Beilieze, El Savador, Nicaragagua and couta rica
Lake of Texcoco
a lake in Mexico where the made land and settled there.
saline
very salty; salt
Tenochititlan
Tenochititlan was an Aztec city that flourished between A.D 1325 and 1521. built on an island on Lake Texcoco, it had a system of canals and causeways that supplied.
causeways
it is a way that connects to land.
chinampa
it was an agricultural system the Aztecs used while living in Tenochititlan
What are the two Aztec calendars and what three parts make up the Calendars?
There are two types of calendars. One is the solar calendar, and one is the sacred calendar.
Describe the xiuhtlapohualli calendar in 2-3 sentences.
This calendar is similar to the modern day calendar. It has 365 day calendar. Each year will begin with a festival to worship the god tholoc
Describe the tonalpohualli calendar in 2-3 sentences.
They used this calendar to determine when to do human sacrifices. People were named on the day of this calendar
Why do you think time was important to the Aztecs?
They named each other by using time and they also used time for religious reasons. Every day it tells which god they were worship. Time would end if they did not do the rituals.
Would the Aztec Sun stone be considered a primary source or secondary source?
primary source
How are the two calendars related?
They rotated at the same time to give them a 52 year calendar.
What kinds of information is on the Sun stone?
One type is the four suns and that will tell whether the world will end.
How are the calendars similar and or different than the one we use today?
They tell different things that are happening. They are different because they use two calendars.
What is the New Fire Ceremony and how did it work?
This thing happened after every 52 years. They thought that the world will end so they sacrificed a human so they can worship their god so the world would not end. They will take the heart out and put it in a bowl and make a fire out of it. This day happens when the crocodile is the first day of the new year
In what ways was the new fire ceremony like the way we celebrate the coming of a new year?
This day happens when the crocodile is the first day of the new year. In the modern calendar Jan 1 is the new year.
How do the two calendars influence the way the Aztec live their life?
They tell what to do those days and what to worship. They controlled religion and time.
xiuhtlapohualli
This was the main Aztec calendar with 365 days, like the modern day calendar. This was known as the solar calendar.
meztli
This meant the 18 months in the solar calendar
veintena
20 days in the 18 months.
nemontemi
the 5 useless days at the end of the year is called nemontemi