chapter 8 review final Flashcards
What did Moctezuma see when he was watching the night sky, and what did the sign mean?
h saw something flaming across the night sky, was what the Aztecs called an “a star serpent” a comet with a fiery tail.
In Aztec Society, what were the two main classes?
nobles and commoners
What were some examples of commoner people?
anyone who was not a noble belonged to the commoner class
What were some examples of nobility people?
10-15 percent of the population belonged to nobility
priests came from the ranks fo the nobles
noblemen workers scribes, government officials and teachers
How did Aztec people treat the Emperor, and what were some of his privileges?
- he lived in an enormous palace with a garden and zoo servants carried him around the street with a platform draped in ocelot skin other servants sweep the street for him.
What were some of the emperor’s responsibilities?
was chief priest, commander-in-chief and head if state.
In the emperor’s role as commander-in-chief, what were some values he had to have?
the emperor had to be a skilled warrior himself. He had to know the military strategy and how to lead others.
In the emperor’s role as head of state, how did the process work?
before he made an important decision he would call together his council of priests and nobles and ask their advice. the decision, in the end, had to be the emperor’s decision
What were calpolli?
Aztec society was organized into units called calpolli. Members of a calpolli lived in the same neighborhood and worshipped at the same temple. Some calpolli was based on the work that people did, Others had close family ties.
What are some facts about the calpolli?
the calpolli owned the land where its members lived and farmed.
- each calpolli elected a captain and a council.
- the council of the calpolli assigned land and houses to its residents and collected taxes.
- it was important that the neighborhood was clean.
What did the merchants do that enriched the Aztec state?
the taxes paid on their profits enriched the Aztec state.
What was the most important food for the Aztecs?
Maize or corn was the most imortant food.
What are some facts about the farmers?
they were skilled hunters and fishers.
they sold much of what they caught in the market to add to the family income.
farmers gave up a share of their produce in taxes.
they had to donate a certain number of hours of labor to work on projects for the state.
What are some facts about the artisans?
- they were skilled craft workers. mak makers, goldsmith, and feather workers were among the most respected artisans.
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What was the Tlatelolco market, and what happened there?
- was the largest market in the Aztec Empire.
- the market could hold up 60 000 people at a time.
- it was mainly run by a barter system
- the Spanish arrive in the market and the soldiers describe it to be amazing with a lot of people
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In Aztec society, what were the 3 most common ways of indicating your position in society?
clothing, Jewelry and by the size and the location of your house.
What was the main way of moving up in Aztec society?
achieving success on the battlefield.
They wanted the prisoners to sacrifice to honour the gods.
If a warrior was a commoner, how could he move up his status?
if the commoner took four enemies to prison
Aztec society pampered their children until the age of what?
three
In Aztec society which people went to school?
every child went to school and schooling was free
What were the two types of Aztec schools?
calmecac for nobles
telpochcalli for commoners
What was calmecac?
was located in neighborhoods where nobles lived, It was often attached to a temple.
students studied codices to learn about their society. Religious training was an important part of their education.
What were telpochcalli?
school for commoners
What was the difference between how the commoner’s received their education, and how the nobles received their education?
they both used a system of glyphs.
- nobles learned how to read and write.
- commoners received all their instruction by spoken word rather than reading.
- they both used a counting system where they used their fingers it was based on number 20.
Once a boy knew how to fight what would happen?
once he knew how to fight a boy would serve as a soldier servant and follow the army to learn how warriors conducted themselves in battle.
At what age would boys become warriors themselves?
age 15 they would go into battle.
Unlike other cultures, the Aztecs thought that it was important for women to get what?
to get a good education
What happened when Aztec girls were 16?
most girls got married and moved in with their husbands. Then they educated their own children until they were old enough to attend school
What were some of the jobs that Aztec women could do?
army as doctors and healers because they had the most knowledge about medicinal herbs.
older women acted as matchmakers, bringing young people together for marriage, they also served as midwives.
What were some virtues of the Ideal Aztec Citizen?
courage
self-sacrifice
modesty
clean living
obedience
How did the Aztec legal system work?
the legal system was a powerful tool for maintaining order in their society.
it served to remind people of their duties as a citizen and to be honest and obedient.
In Aztec society, what was the difference between the punishment for lesser crimes, and the punishment for more severe ones?
for lesser crimes teh guilty person was fined or sentenced to slavery punishment
for serious crimes incluging theft was often death.
What were slave laws in the Aztec society?
- if a noble beat a slave so severely that the slave died, the noble could be executed.
- if slaves sold in the marketplace could escape and run to the emperor’s palace they would immediately win their freedom.
What did they think about slavery?
- they did not think it was shameful to be a slave
- they did not consider it a permanent condition
