The Capital City
This capital city of the Aztec Empire was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.
Tenochtitlan
This crop was the main food source for the Aztecs.
maize
This group made up most of the population and included farmers and workers.
commoners
The Aztecs believed in many gods, which means their religion was this type.
polytheistic
In Aztec society, this person was considered the master of the household.
the father
These raised roadways connected Tenochtitlan to the mainland.
causeways
These special merchants imported goods from faraway places.
pochteca
These people were captured in war and sometimes used for religious ceremonies.
slaves
This sun god was one of the most important Aztec gods.
Huitzilopochtli
Noble boys attended this school instead of the telpochcalli to prepare for leadership and religious roles.
calmecac
These floating gardens were used to grow crops in the lake.
chinampas
This item served as a standard of value when measuring the worth of expensive goods like a warrior’s costume.
a cotton cloak
What is Huey Tlatoani?
The name of the emperor
This god was known as the feathered serpent.
Quetzalcoatl
Some older women practiced this type of profession, helping other women with childbirth or social connections. (name both)
matchmaking
being midwives
This lake surrounded Tenochtitlan before it was drained.
Lake Texcoco
Name three crops Aztec farmers grew besides maize.
Red peppers, tomatoes, sage, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, or avocados. (Any three)
Name 2 facts about peasants
About 30 percent of the Aztec people were peasants. Unlike people who were enslaved, people in this class were free, but were considered inferior to commoners. Peasants did not belong to a calpulli and were not loaned land to farm. Instead, they hired out their services to nobles.
Why did the Aztecs practice human sacrifice?
The Aztecs believed they needed to offer this to the gods to keep the world in balance.
Name two tasks that boys performed in commoner households before joining their fathers at work or the market.
Young boys fetched water and wood, while older boys learned how to fish and handle a canoe. Eventually, boys accompanied their fathers to work or to the market.
Time period that was the height of the Aztec civilization
1400s C.E.
What did the Aztecs eat when crops were bad?
(name 2)
Frogs, shrimp, insect eggs, and algae formed into cakes.
In addition to performing religious ceremonies, what else did priests do?
Priests conducted all religious rites and served individual gods. Some priests ran the schools that trained boys for government jobs and the priesthood, while others studied the skies and made predictions about the future.
Why was religion central to Aztec life?
Religion was central to Aztec life and society because the Aztecs believed that humans needed the gods for survival.
Why did Aztecs honor a woman’s role in giving birth as much as a man’s role in war?
Because they believed the purpose of marriage was to bring children into the world.