Chapter 7

Question 1

Who was Huitzilopochtli?

Answer 1

The solar and war deity of Aztec society.

Question 2

What was the sacred calendar?

Answer 2

The calendar showed how the world began and how it will end. It shows how each of the four eras had been destroyed; the first by jaguars, the second by hurricanes, the third by fiery rain, and the fourth by a flood. Carved into stone and was dedicated to Huizilopchtli.

Question 3

Define compulsory.

Answer 3

To be required by law.

Question 4

Define tribute.

Answer 4

A gift or offering.

Question 5

What did Huitzilopochtli tell the Aztec people to do when they saw an eagle perching on a
cactus?

Answer 5

To build a civilization there.

Question 6

For the Aztecs, a mountain was more than a physical site. How did they “see” mountains?

Answer 6

They also saw mountains as holy sites, where, due to their height, one could get closer to the gods.

Question 7

Why was the area that the Aztecs lived not an ideal location?

Answer 7

Small, swamp island surrounded by a lake filled with salty water.

Question 8

The mountains surrounding Tenochtitlan had both positive and negative effects on the Aztec
people. List some of these positives and negatives.

Answer 8

PROS:
Protected the city

CONS:
Steep, caused flash floods
Keeps out clouds that brings rain

Question 9

How did the Aztecs ensure that they would have plenty of clean drinking water even in times
of drought?

Answer 9

They built an aqueduct.

Question 10

The key to Aztec success as farmers was the chinampa. What were the chinampa and how
did they aid the Aztecs in farming?

Answer 10

The Chinampa were small islands that were used for growing medicinal herbs and vegetables.

Question 11

Who was the most powerful of the gods the Aztecs believed in?

Answer 11

The moon god.

Question 12

Who was the god of rain?

Answer 12

Tlaloc.

Question 13

Human sacrifice was an important part of Aztec culture. Why did they believe it was
necessary to give the gods human blood?

Answer 13

So that the sun could rise the next day, as even though the sun god was powerful, they believed that he was weaker than the moon god.

Question 14

What was the religious event called the “new fire”?

Answer 14

It took place every fifty-two years, and the event went like this; they were light a fire and let it go out, where people would then sit atop their roofs and watch the sacred fire alight in Tenochtitlan, where a courier would come around carrying a torch lit by this fire to re-light each fire that had been extinguished in the houses of the Aztec people.

Question 15

How did Aztec philosophers describe the earth? How did they describe Tenochtitlan?

Answer 15

It was a round, flat disc that was divided into four sections; and in the middle was Tenochtitlan, which was also divided into four sections.

Question 16

Why did the Aztecs believe mountains were sacred places? Why were their temples often in
the shape of pyramids?

Answer 16

The mountains were sacred as people believed that the gods were in the sky. And with the mountains being tall and mighty, they made it easier to pray. Their temples were in pyramid shapes so that they were able to resemble this.

Question 17

The Aztecs loved tropical fruits such as avocados, papayas, and cacao but were not able to
produce them where they lived. How were Aztec merchants able to get them?

Answer 17

Through defensive trading alliances.

Question 18

Why was every Aztec prepared to sacrifice his or her own life for the good of the group?

Answer 18

They thought that their group or society was much more important than the individuals within.

Question 19

The worst insult among the Aztecs was to call someone a coward. Why?

Answer 19

A lack of courage in a man made them leave the military, which meant they fled from the state.

Question 20

Why did the Aztecs create poetry?

Answer 20

To teach lessons.

Question 21

How did the Aztecs, as a society, profit from the wars they fought?

Answer 21

When they won a war, they were able to collect tributes as prisoners. These tributes were then sacrificed to the sun god, so he was able to rise and bring light to the land each day.

Question 22

What was the solar calendar?

Answer 22

A calendar that tells the date using the sun’s position relative to the stars.