Aztec Prelearning

According to legend, the Aztec settled where they did because they saw an _________ perched on a cactus and believed this was a sign from their god.

Why did the Aztecs see mountains as not just physical but also sacred?

• Because mountains contained gold that was valuable to European explorers

• Mountains contained codices where the Aztecs recorded information about society

• Mountains were just like a hierarchy; the nobility on the top and the peasants on the bottom

• The Aztecs saw mountains as an opportunity to get closer to the gods

Despite the mountains being sacred, they could also cause lots of problems for the Aztec people. One issue was _____________ in low lying areas

Lake Texcoco, which surrounded Tenochtitlan provided safety from enemies. The Aztecs built three _______________lining the lake to the mainland. Bridges that connected the causeway to the city could be destroyed to protect the city from ____________.

Which of the following does not describe a chinampa?

• floating island

• protected the city from invasion

• made of stacked reeds and mud

• used for growing vegetables, flowers, and medicinal herbs

The Aztecs believed that the gods controlled every aspect of their ________and they looked to the gods for signs of how to live.

This god encouraged the  Aztecs to leave their ancestral homeland and settle in the valley of Mexico.He was the Aztec’s tribal god and had warlike aspects.

• Quetzalocoatl

• Tezcatlipoca

• Huitzilopochtili

• Tlaloc

The god of rain, they could unleash deadly floods or withhold the rain for years.

• Tlaloc

• Quetzalocoatl

• Huitzilopochtili

• Tezcatlipoca

Aztecs kept large libraries or ______________ in which they recorded information about their society.

Which of the following statements does not describe the Aztec calendar.

• They had 2 calendars; a solar calendar and a sacred calendar

• They had two calendars, a solar calendar and a sacred calendar. The sacred calendar was 260 days long and it took exactly 52 years to “catch up”

• The Aztec calendar emphasized a close connection between gods and humans

• The Aztec calendar is the same system that we use today