Aztec Fact Sheet *Do not copy*

Aztec Fact Sheet

Gabriela, Matthew, Alix, Stephen

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Geography:

• The center of the empire was located southwest of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Valley of Mexico- which was the
• heart of the Aztec civilization.
• Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan on Lake Texcoco. It was also a city-state, with complex systems of waterways between the five main islands constructed, servicing canoes and other boats.
• It was at its largest in 1486, under Moctezuma

Climate:

• 7,000 feet above sea level
• Hot and dry in the summer, cold in the winter because of the elevation
• Large irrigation canals and waterways

Language and Culture:

• spoke Nahuatl, a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family
• religious festivals coincided with the Aztec calendar, usually related to various deities worshiped with elaborate temples and ceremonies
• To the Aztecs, death was instrumental in the perpetuation of creation, and gods and humans alike had the responsibility of sacrificing themselves in order to allow life to continue.

Early History:

• The empire was originally several groups of nomadic tribes who banded together.
• Aztec empire was developed by the Triple alliance, composed of the three cities located on Lake Texcoco: Tlacopan, Texcoco, and Tenochtitlan.
• Over time, Tlacopan and Texcoco declined and Tenochtitlan was the sole capital of the Aztec empire.Ninjas

Leaders:

• There were 19 leaders of the Aztec empire, (Tenochtitlan rulers or "Aztec Emperors")
• Acamapichtli ("Handful of Arrows")- formed a coalition with other lakeside people against the Tepanecs which brought an end to the Tepanec Domination of the Mexican basin and founded the Triple Alliance.
• Itzcoatl ("Obsidian Serpent")-guided early construction of the city and accomplished a number of local conquests.

• Moctezuma Ilhuicamina ("Angry Lord, Archer in the Sky")

Military:

• The Aztec military used fear tactics by spreading rumors across Mexico of the Aztecs' brutality.
• The Aztec military used fear tactics by spreading rumors across Mexico of the Aztecs' brutality.

Developments:

• Mandatory education for children
• Chewing gum
• Highly advanced calendars and astronomy systems (365 day calendar)
• Medications for various afflictions (eg. heart/stomach problems, flu symptoms, pain, etc.)

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