Food and Markets
What was the main crop and staple food of the Aztecs?
What type of transport did the Aztecs mainly use on the canals?
Canoes
Who was the ruler of the Aztec Empire?
Answer: The emperor
Who did the Aztecs believe sacrifices were made for?
Answer: The gods
What valuable item did the Aztecs sometimes use like money in trade?
Cacao beans
What drink did the Aztecs make from cacao beans?
Chocolate Drink
Why were causeways important in Tenochtitlan?
They connected the island city to the mainland.
What was the name of the Aztec social class made up of common people such as farmers and workers?
Commoners (macehualtin)
Why did the Aztecs believe sacrifice was necessary?
They believed it kept the gods happy and the world functioning.
What insect did the Aztecs sometimes eat as a source of protein?
Grasshoppers (chapulines)
What large market city was famous for trade in the Aztec Empire?
Tlatelolco
What was one reason Spanish explorers were amazed when they first saw Tenochtitlan?
It was huge, clean, organised, and built on water with canals and temples
Which social class was just below the emperor and helped govern and lead the army?
Nobles
Which Aztec god was strongly connected to the sun and war?
Huitzilopochtli
What colourful feathers were highly valuable to the Aztecs?
Quetzal feathers
Name four items that Aztec farmers commonly grew on chinampas.
Answer: maize, beans, squash, tomatoes, chilli peppers, flowers
What type of homes did most common Aztec people live in?
Simple houses made from mud bricks, reeds, and thatch
What role did priests have in Aztec society?
They led religious ceremonies, made sacrifices, and communicated with the gods.
What building was the centre of religious ceremonies in Tenochtitlan?
The Great Temple (Templo Mayor)
What made Tenochtitlan unusual compared with many European cities at the time?
It had canals, causeways, organised markets, aqueducts, and advanced city planning built on a lake.
Why were chinampas important to the Aztec civilisation?
They created fertile farming land and helped feed the large population of Tenochtitlan.
What was one major feature that supplied fresh water to Tenochtitlan?
Aqueducts bringing water from springs on the mainland
Why was the Aztec social structure considered hierarchical?
People were ranked in levels with different power, rights, and responsibilities depending on their class.
Why did the Aztecs believe the sun needed help from humans?
They believed the gods sacrificed themselves to create the world, so humans needed to repay them through offerings and sacrifice to keep the sun moving and the world alive.
What did many Aztec people use to brush and clean their teeth?
Twigs, salt, or herbal mixtures