Geography & Origin Story
What type of landscape/natural environment did the Aztecs build their capital city on?
An island in the middle of Lake Texcoco
Name at least 3 of the crops Aztecs grew.
Corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, avocados, chile peppers, cocoa beans, flowers
What was the roles and responsibilities of a merchant?
Specialized traders who traveled long distances to exchange goods. They held a separate social status and often acted as spies for the empire while engaging in commerce.
Name at least 3 Goods that you could find at the Aztec market, other than food.
Obsidian
Pottery
Jade
Patterned cloth (textiles)
Animal skins & feathers
What is the difference between an Empire civilization (Aztec) and a City-State civilization (Maya)
City states (Maya) had one ruler for each city while Aztec empire had one leader for all Aztec cities that lived in the capital city.
What was the prophecy that led the Aztecs to build their city where they did?
Eagle perched on a cactus prophecy
What is a chinampa?
A man made floating garden that Aztecs built to grow crops on around the shores of their capital city island.
Explain why an Aztec would become an enslaved person and how they could free themselves.
An Aztec could become an enslaved person if they owed a debt, committed a crime, or were sold into slavery by their family due to financial hardship. Unlike in many other societies, Aztec enslaved people had rights and could own property, marry, and eventually buy their freedom. They could be freed if they paid off their debt, completed their service, or if their master died without passing them on to an heir
What was the crop that was sometimes used like money at the market?
Cocoa beans
Name 2 Similarities between the Mayan and the Aztec culture.
Examples: Polytheistic, human sacrifice, social classes
What kind of resources did the Aztecs get from Lake Texcoco? (Name at least 1)
Fish and aquatic edible plants
What mode of transportation did the Aztecs use to travel on Lake Texcoco?
Boats, specifically canoes on causeways
Explain the roles and responsibilities of Priests
Religious leaders who conducted ceremonies, maintained temples, and interpreted the will of the gods. Some also served as astronomers, historians, and advisors to the emperor.
What social position would barter things at the market?
Merchant
Explain how one way the Mayans farmed is different from how the Aztecs farmed
Mayans used slash and burn, terraces, and raised bed fields, while Aztecs used Chinampas.
Mexico City
Was the water of Lake Texcoco safe for drinking?
No, it was salty brakish water that was not safe to drink.
What social classes were viewed as commoners? (Name at least 3)
The majority of the population, including peasants, fishers, farmers, artisans, merchants. They paid tribute through goods, labor, or military service, and some could gain wealth through skilled trades.
What does it mean to barter?
A barter economy is an economic system where goods and services are exchanged directly without the use of money. Instead, goods are traded for other goods and negotiation is typical. In this system, people trade items of value based on mutual agreement. The Aztecs, for example, used a barter economy in their marketplaces, where cacao beans, textiles, and other goods were traded instead of currency.
How does the power of the Aztec emperor and the way the Aztec Emperor is chosen compare to the power of a Mayan king and how a Mayan king is chosen?
Aztec emperors rule the entire empire and are elected by a group of nobles. Mayan kings indepdently rule one city and is chosen based on family lines.
The Aztecs were originally a nomadic group before they settled their city in the 1300s. What does it mean to be nomadic?
Nomadic means that the group did not stay in one place, but moved around the continent regularly in search of resources.
Explain how Aztec aqueducts provided clean water to the Aztecs.
Aqueducts funnel fresh mountain spring water from mountains on the mainland using tube or tunnel like structures running downhill, which led to the city or shore for people to consume.
Explain a situation that could result in social mobility in the Aztec Empire (being able to move up or down a social class)
Commoners could move up in social class by performing brave acts in war or by studying to be priests. Also, a noble could fall in rank if he failed to live up to his responsibilities.
How is a barter economy like the Aztecs had different from our economy?
The Aztec barter economy relied on trading goods and services directly, using items like cacao beans and textiles instead of money. Trade occurred in local markets through negotiation. In contrast, our modern economy uses money, fixed prices, and digital transactions, making buying and selling more efficient.
How does how the Mayan civilization end compare to how the Aztec empire ended?
Mayan civilization collapsed due to a combination of factors such as drought, increased warfare, environmental degradation, and/or overpopulation. Aztec empire ended because of the war and disease Spanish people brought to the region.