The Aztecs

1. Becka O’Neil The Aztecs

2. The Aztecs lived in central Mexico Where were they?

3. Aztec men worked as warriors, farmers, priests, craftsmen and teachers Women preformed domestic tasks like weaving, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children All children were expected to help with chores, usually starting at age three Men were gone all day, sunrise to sunset. Women served the men dinner, then ate their own separately. Typical life

4. The Aztecs had many gods and goddesses. Here are a few. Tezcatlipoca: Sun god, most powerful Huitzilopochtli: War god Tlazoleotl: earth goddess, mother of gods Coatlicue: another earth goddess Tlaloc: Rain god Mictlantecuhli: god of the dead Aztecs sacrificed many people to their gods to please them. Religious beliefs

5. Ancient Aztecs had school for all children, called Teipuchcalli. Things such as history, religious ceremonies, arts and crafts, tradition and citizenship were taught. Boys also learned warfare tactics Girls were taught to sing and dance School

6. Tiachtli was an Aztec game. It’s a combination of basketball and soccer. It was played during religious ceremonies. Sometimes the Aztecs sacrificed the losers Aztecs also played board games, like patolli. The exact rules are unknown, but it was similar to Parcheesi. It was a gambling game. Recreation

7. Every man who could fight, did, starting at about 13 They took many prisoners, which later would be slaves or sacrifices. Special rank, land or office were rewards to bringing back captives. Some weapons used were macuahuitl (a sword edged with obsidian glass), bow and arrows, javelins, clubs and slings. Warfare

8. Aztec sculpting is still among the most elaborate in the Americas. One of the most remarkable is this 9 foot statue of the goddess Coatlicue. Temples were the most decorated They made pottery, jewelry, cloth and many everyday items. Art

9. Like the Egyptians and the Mayans, the Aztecs used two calendars. The first is a lunar calendar, consisting of 260 days. From there, the Aztecs divides the days into 13 months. The lunar calendar was used to determine when to have religious ceremonies, plant crops and go to war. Each of the 20 days of the month had a name, hieroglyphic, and a number of dots to represent the month Aztec Calendar (Lunar)

10. The second calendar was established on the movement of the sun. It had 365 days like our calendar. The calendar had 18 month, and five ‘unlucky’ days Aztecs did nothing on the five extra days, and after the five days, they would sacrifice someone to the gods Both of the calendars had 52 year cycles, similar to centuries. The end of the cycle was celebrated with ceremonies including the new fire ceremony. Aztec Calendar (Sun)

11. Clans were the basis of Aztec society. The clan would consist of all extended family members. Twenty clans would be a tribe, called calpolli. Each tribe elected officials to run it, so it was a democracy, but women didn’t have the right to vote. The council of elected officials selected a chief, who was in charge of civil and religious stuff, and another in charge of war. Society

12. At a birth, the tribe’s chief would look in the book of fate to see if the birthday was lucky. Four days later, the family would have a feast and name the child. Families always arranged marriages, but the boy and girl usually gave consent. You could only marry someone outside the clan. During the wedding, the priest tied a cloak around the couple, as a symbol of their becoming one. Afterwards, the bride became a member of her husband’s clan. Family matters

13. The end!!!!!!