The Aztecs

The Aztecs

By Eric Rubio

​a group of countries, city-states, or other entities who agree to work together, usually for common defense or trade

Alliance​

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a Mesoamerican people who built an empire in central Mexico that flourished from 1428 to 1519 C.E.​

​​Aztecs

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a professional soldier who is paid to fight for another country or group​

Mercenary ​

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a public square or open area in a city where people gather.​

​Plaza

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From about 100 to 650 C.E., the Valley of Mexico was dominated by the Teotihuacáns (TEH-aw-tee-wah-KAHNZ). These people built an enormous capital city, Teotihuacán. One of the city's buildings, the Pyramid of the Sun, was more than 200 feet high.

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​Civilizations in the Valley of Mexico

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After Teotihuacán's collapse around the 700s, a group from the north, the Toltecs (TOHL-teks), migrated into the valley. Toltec civilization reached its height in the 10th and 11th centuries. The Toltecs built a number of cities, including their capital Tollán (toh-LAHN), which boasted large pyramids topped with temples.​

​The Toltecs

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Multiple Choice

What do you believe the Toltecs are remembered for today?

• Their temples

• Art

• Culture

• Food

Sometime around 1250 C.E., a new group of people arrived in the Valley of Mexico. This nomadic band of hunter-gatherers called themselves the Mexica (meh-HEE-kah). We know them today as the Aztecs.​

​The Aztecs had a difficult time establishing themselves in the valley. The people living in the city-states thought the Aztecs were crude barbarians. But the Aztecs were fierce warriors, and the city-states were willing to employ them as mercenaries.

After they settled in the valley, the legacy of the Teotihuacáns and the Toltecs began to influence the Aztecs. They made pilgrimages to the ancient ruins of Teotihuacán and adopted Quetzalcoatl (ket-sahl-koh-AHT-l), the Teotihuacáns' feathered serpent god, as one of their own gods.

Multiple Choice

What food did the Aztecs not eat?

• Cactus

• Pumpkin

• Grapes

• Chocolate

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people who built a vast empire for nearly 100 years in what is today central Mexico. Their empire flourished from 1428 C.E. until 1519 C.E., when it was destroyed by invaders from Spain.​

The Aztecs​

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​The Aztecs told a legend about the beginnings of their empire. Originally a wandering group of hunter-gatherers, the Aztecs believed that one day they would receive a sign from the gods in the form of an eagle perched on a great cactus with “his wings stretched out toward the rays of the sun.” In its beak, the eagle would hold a long snake. When they saw this eagle, the Aztecs would know they had found the place where they would settle and build a great city.

Aztec Origin ​

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In 1325, the Aztecs took refuge on an island in Lake Texcoco, where Aztec priests saw the eagle on the cactus, just as the gods had promised. The Aztecs set about building a city on the site, which they called Tenochtitlán (tay-nawh-tee-TLAHN), and made use of the land's abundant resources. Its name means “the place of the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.” In time, the island city became the center of the Aztec Empire.​

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Multiple Choice

When the Aztecs discovered chocolate how would they consume chocolate?

• They ate it

• They drank it

• They cooked it

• They melted it

Multiple Choice

Since the Aztecs drank chocolate, what would they add to their chocolate drink?

• Vanilla

• Honey

• Chile

• sugar

The Aztecs started building Tenochtitlán in 1325 C.E. For the next 100 years, they again served as mercenaries for a powerful group called the Tepanecs. Through this alliance, the Aztecs gained land, trading connections, and wealth.

Eventually, however, the Aztecs rebelled against the heavy-handed rule of the Tepanecs. Under the Aztec leader Itzcoatl (itz-koh-AHT-l), Tenochtitlán joined with two other city-states in what was called the Triple Alliance. In 1428, the alliance fought and defeated the Tepanecs. Together, the allies began a series of conquests that laid the foundation for the Aztec Empire.​

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