Study Flashcards
What is Tenochtitlan?
Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec community, and was built on a lake.
What was the religious significance of Tenochtitlan?
The Aztecs believed the war God told them to go to a place where there was a bird eating a snake on a cactus, which was on a small island on a lake. They felt assigned a special position in the universe.
Who was Huitzilopochtli?
He was the God of War and of the sun.
How did Huitzilopochtli help the Aztecs find their empire’s location?
Huitzilopochtli told the Aztecs to find a spot where a bird was eating a snake on a cactus.
What was the significance of mountains to the Aztecs?
The Aztecs thought they were closer to the Gods, which is why the temples were built high.
How did mountains help protect the Aztec empire?
The mountains helped protect the Aztec empire from invasions.
What religious significance did the Aztec calendars have?
The Aztec calendars connected humans with Gods, sacred and physical lands.
Define aqueducts.
Aqueducts are structures used to conduct a water stream across a hollow or valley.
Define chinampas.
Chinampas are long and narrow floating fields on a shallow lake bed.
How did the Aztecs manipulate their environment?
They built aqueducts to ensure they got enough water and built on the waters around Tenochtitlan to grow their crops.
What did the Aztecs use to record their written work?
The Aztecs used glyphs to record their written work. The Spanish destroyed most of them.
Why was trading with other nations important to the Aztecs?
They formed trading and defensive alliances with surrounding peoples and took pride in being both traders and warriors.
Why was creating strong warriors important to the Aztecs?
They wanted prisoners to sacrifice to honor the gods, not just to kill enemies.
What is tribute and why was it important to the Aztecs?
Tribute was a valuable gift or tax from a conquered group, important for obtaining cocoa beans believed to give wisdom and power.
Who was Moctezuma?
Moctezuma was the emperor of the Aztecs.
What were two characteristics of the emperor?
Emperors were skilled warriors and knew military strategy.
Define hierarchy.
Hierarchy is a social system where people are ranked according to which family they are born in.
What was the calmecac and the telpochcalli?
The calmecac was the school for nobles, and the telpochcalli were for commoners.
Why was paying taxes important to the Aztecs?
Paying taxes was a key responsibility of citizenship, helping the state survive.
What was Tlatelolco?
Tlatelolco was the largest market in the Aztec empire and served as a social center.
What was the main goal of Aztec education?
The goal was to prepare children to be hardworking and obedient after being pampered until age three.
What differences were there between the education of nobility and commoners?
Nobles attended the calmecac, while commoners attended the telpochcalli.
Define glyphs.
Glyphs are a system of pictures used by the Aztecs for reading and writing.
What were two characteristics of Aztec slaves?
Slaves did not inherit their status and were not treated as badly as European slaves.
What is one similarity and one difference between the Aztec and Spanish worldviews?
Both wanted to expand, but the Aztecs aimed to collect tribute and sacrifices while the Spanish sought to destroy cultures.
