Aztecs

1. Aztecs By Nopaltzin (Satvik)

2. Hi my name is Nopaltzin. It means a cactus or a king. This is the year 1515. I am part of the Aztec empire(not a tribe). Napoltzin (Satvik)

3. Journal Entry #1, Summer Housing I love being a civil engineer! Here are a few facts about our houses: • Our climate decides what material is to be used. • Most have 1 room. • Square doorways • Flat roofs. • Nobles’ houses =2 stories and are near flowers and/or a pool. I think that our current emperor is a bit too harsh on building houses. His name is Moctezuma II, also known as Montezuma II. I wish we had more tools, such as hammers, and screw drivers, they have those in Tenochtitlan, our capital. http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a08/07/qs/aztec-homes-800x800.jpg Napoltzin (Satvik)

4. Journal Entry #1, Summer Clothing My mother and father want me to be able to make clothing. Some of the features are difficult to make. Some facts on the clothing are: • Made of beautiful fabric (that is what I’m told, though I have no idea what beautiful fabric is or means!). • Men wear capes and loincloths. • Capes are usually knotted on one shoulder. • The women wear sleeveless blouses with long wraparound skirts. • Headdresses include knotted feathers made by craftsman. The only reason I’m good at making clothes is because I’m an architect. My fingers replace the work that my hands do. Clothes are made by twisting cotton fibers onto a stick, which is weighted down with a clay spindle whorl to make thread. Napoltzin (Satvik)

5. Journal Entry #1, Summer Food Our food is always spicy, just the way I like it! With chili peppers and sauces that make my mouth flare up. Mom, what are we having for dinner? Rabbit and deer! Awesome! Come on guys! I’ll tell you the rest while we eat. What do you mean you can’t come?! Ouch! Sorry, that was some hot cooked deer, that fell on myself. We hunt for geese, ducks, deer, and rabbits. We raise only dogs and turkeys for meat. We also have tlaxcalli, a type of bread that can be used with all meals, and won’t go stale. Maize is used for everything! Maize is used to make tortilla shells. Xoars are also made from maize. Xoars are actually made from maize dough which is filled with chilies, beans, maybe even meat, then the dough is rolled into a ball. Atole is made from maize flour and is a thin gruel flavored with chilies and fruits. We also have an amazing soup called pozole which has kernels of maize. Everything is delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Napoltzin (Satvik)

6. Journal Entry #1, Summer Religion My favorite topic, our religion! We have a hierarchy in the gods. Our top three gods are Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. Below those 3, are 4 gods. Below those 4, are infinity gods. We majorly believe in sacrifice. Usually, we sacrifice only captives and children. Either one, or even thousands at a time. First the priest cuts the rib cage, then takes out the heart. Pretty disgusting, right? (Hey, oxymoron! ). Well, the first time I saw it, I threw up once I got home. Napoltzin (Satvik)

7. Journal Entry #2 Terrain my Empire lives on/in/near I love the mountains, deserts, jungles and plains! I am being trained to all 4 of those terrains. I have built a houses for my family in all 4 terrains. Napoltzin (Satvik)

8. Journal Entry #2 Ecosystem of my geographical region Our large population, (which gives me quite a bit of money!), allows us to get more land and power, but we don’t harm the environment. We deeply care for our environment, and strangely enough, we act as a part of the nature around us. Napoltzin (Satvik)

9. Journal Entry #2 Common plants near/in my empire Flora! Ouch! That was a prickly cactus. Oh, by the way, we also have maize(which is used to make tortillas), sweet potato, avocados, beans, squashes, chia, amaranth, and chilies. Lower in land elevation there grows cotton, fruits, cacao beans, and rubber trees. These all look yummy! Napoltzin (Satvik)

10. Journal Entry #2 Common animals near/in my empire Fauna! I love the variety of animals! They include: jaguars, monkeys, dogs, turkeys, deer, rabbits, bison, salmon, eagles, frogs, toads, geese, ducks, doves, elk, etc. Phew! That is a lot of animals! Yes, but we only eat 6 animals as meat! That’s only 6 of the 15 that I named! I really want a monkey as a companion for building(they’re very helpful). Napoltzin (Satvik)

11. Journal Entry #3 Weather Description We have long springs with lots of rain, no winters, short falls(autumns), and summers that give drought and famine, and are longer than what my ancestors had when they lived up north. There are two seasons, wet(spring and winter) and dry(summer and fall(autumn)). I hate dry seasons, but my ancestors loved summers. Napoltzin (Satvik)

12. Journal Entry #3 Weather impact on daily life The rainwater in wet season(spring and winter) almost cancels out our problems with droughts. We have to use very basic strategies to achieve the water through the drought. There is also the mountain water that can be used for droughts. The weather doesn’t really impact the clothes too much, or the housing, but it really impacts the food. Napoltzin (Satvik)

13. Journal Entry #3 Survival Strategies Weather - So basically, we have to use half of all freshwater for crops, cleaning, etc., and the other half for drinking. Terrain - We can use the lakes to our advantage and make certain bridges only Aztecs know how to cross. We can also use plants and animals to our advantage against intruders, because we know them well, but intruders won’t. Napoltzin (Satvik)

14. Reflection Future Plans and Outlook for my Tribe I want to become a palace builder someday. Building things and working as a team are things I am good at. I want to take it to the next level, to the level of palace building, which starts out with houses of nobles. I think that our empire is not going to fall at all. In fact I take a stroll everyday around the whole city of Tenochtitlan. I don’t work there, but everyday when I wake up, this lady comes by my house to collect goods and money for the empire. When I ask her what will happen, she says we will be conquered by a man named, aw man, I forgot the name! She was doing something like for charity. She never got many donations. That is why I inspect every day if our empire is running smoothly, because if it isn’t, the trouble will basically intercept. Also, if it isn’t, I will pay that lady a lot! Napoltzin (Satvik)

15. Reflection Outlook of my project I think that I deserve an A grade. Everybody knew about the Aztecs. I enjoyed when I was processing the information. I didn’t like trying to explain properly. I would give myself an A because I found lots of websites, I connected the information, and because I did that I wasn’t copying word-for-word. Napoltzin (Satvik)

16. Reflection Final thoughts I think that the lady went around for a reason. June 21, 1519- I see a man in metal coming near my house. I see a bunch of other men, none of them look like Aztecs. The lady was right! Nooo! They slaughtered my brother and sister!!!!!!!!!!! That’s it!! Take that! And that! 5 down 5 to go! Ouch! 9 down 1 to go! Yes!! My sister only has a broken bone, and my brother has a deep cut! I have both of those injur(ies), wait a minute! My other and father are joining the man remaining! They say his name is HèrnanCortès, and my parents have to kill me, my brother, and my sister! That is it! O.K. I have struck a deal with my parents. They want the same thing as Cortès. They will leave my brother, sister, and I at the house unless we want to come with them. We chose to stay. June 21, 1551- we are mourning for the Aztecs who died Napoltzin (Satvik)

17. Bibliography Sources http://www.aztec-indians.com/ www.answers.com http://www.angelfire.com/az/atid410/ http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=flo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#Agriculture http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=flo&id=502&typ=reg http://www.wyomingarchaeology.org/images/WorldArch.pdf http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/v_ingles/ecosystems/ecosysofMexico.html http://myperfed.com/lessons/website_lp_BQ-2755_Aztecs.pdf Napoltzin (Satvik)