The Aztec Empire Sol Maniera, AP World History

1. The Aztec Empire Sol Maniera, AP World History

2. Largest Territorial Extent The peak of the Aztec’s reign over Central America was right before they were destroyed by Europeans in 1519. At that time, the empire extended from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, from central Mexico all the way to modern day Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

3. Important Figures Montezuma II: Became the ruler of the empire in 1502. He took many long and rough journeys with the soldiers to conquer more land then they already had, building up riches and sacrifices to offer the gods. Montezuma became a very rich and respected as well as feared ruler, no one was allowed to look him in the eye. Even the nobles had to walk barefoot in his presence. Hernando Cortez: Probably one of the bravest conquistadores from Spain, Cortez came over to invade the Aztec with only a couple hundred men and succeeded. The Aztecs thought that he was a messenger from one of their gods, and so Cortez fooled them, capturing King Montezuma and the capital city of Tenochtitlan and therefore conquering the Aztec Empire. He brought the end to the Aztec Empire by introducing smallpox to Central America, which killed thousands of Aztecs. Never having had the permission from the Spanish king to conquer the Aztecs, he went back to Spain only to return shortly and conquer it again.

4. Religion Ancient Aztec Religion was composed of the interaction with gods, specific dates, directions and colors. Most of the religion had to do with the fear of nature and the fear of the end of the world. Quetzalcoatl was the god who created humans. Human sacrifices were extremely common to “help the weak sun continue fighting the battle between the light and darkness” Highly focused in keeping nature in balance. The heavens were 13 ascending levels and the Underworld was 9 descending levels. The afterlife was based on how they died. Eventually, thought almost everyone had to make the long journey through the 9 descending levels of the Underworld, so most were buried in squatting position to help them ease into their journey.

5. Importance/Effect of Religion in the Aztec’s lives The Aztec went on hunts on new lands to conquer to find sacrifices for the Gods (known as the Aztec flower war) ; the main reason they conquered so much land Every 52 years, the people thought the world was ending. Sp, all religious fires were extinguished, everyone in the empire destroyed all their furniture and precious belongings and go into mourning. When the constellation of the Pleiades appeared, the people knew they were safe for 52 more years. All military and ritual sacrifices were related The people lived in fear because of the gods, the king, and nature

6. Culture and Economy There are 2 main social classes: the nobles or pilli, then the peasants or macehualli Slaves were well-treated, and slavery was not hereditary. There were several ways a slave could be freed, such as purchasing it. Everyone was given mandatory education, no matter gender or class, though boys were overall given a wider education than girls. On top of being taught how to cook and clean, women were taught how to economically run a home and things like crafts, which gave women a lot of power in society. The economy was run by trade, especially trading of crops They used a unique method of agriculture called chinampas, or floating gardens, to grow crops. They were raised fields that the Aztecs constructed in swampy areas and in shallow water which was then filled with soil to bring it above the water level. Maize, squash, and beans were reffered to as the “Three Sisters”. When grown together they kept the nutrients in the soil and therefore allowed for plenty of food to grow to feed everyone.