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AZTECS FACTS Around 1300 CE, a wandering tribe of Indians wandered

into the Valley of Mexico. These people were called the Aztecs. 

When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already in residence. They had already taken the best land. The Aztecs had to make due with the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco. 

One of the most highly respected professions in the Aztec world was that of ballplayer. The best players were treated like super stars, similar to the way we treat our best athletics today.  

The Aztecs, like the Mayas, had huge ball courts. The goal of the game was to get a hard rubber ball over the middle line into your opponent’s court. You got points for that. But the real goal was to get your ball through one of the two hoops that hung down over the center of the court. The opposite team, of course, did everything they could to stop you. 

The game was exciting because you always had a chance to win no matter how far behind your score was at any one time. 

It was hard to get a ball thought a hoop. Most courts had hoops positioned about 10 feet above the court, and hoops were only about 1 foot wide. But it was possible. That was the Aztec way. You had a chance.

BALL GAME

AZTECS GOVERNMENT

: Around 1400 CE, the Aztec government began conquering neighboring tribes. The Aztec population had grown. They needed many things to manage their growing population. They needed new cities to house their population. They needed new lands to feed their population. They needed new captives to feed their hungry gods. Schools needed to be run. Storehouses needed to be filled. Temples needed to be built. The government had its hands full trying to satisfy all these needs.  

PICTURES

GAMESThe Aztecs had two different games - tlachtli and patolli. Tlachtli was a ball game that was played between teams using rubber balls. The court was shaped like a capital I and it was 60 meters long by 10 meters wide. One person on each team would have to shoot the ball into a vertical hoop high over their heads with their knees without using their hands. The hoop was placed on opposite walls at the midpoint of the court. In a way this game combined modern day soccer and basketball. Whichever team made the first basket won the game. Sometimes it took hours to complete a game.

TENOCHITLAN

With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had huge temples, beautiful open plazas, and a huge bustling central marketplace.  By the mid-1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a population of about 300,000 people, which made it the largest city in the world at that time! 

When Spanish soldiers first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, they were amazed at what they found in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Everything was clean. There were “eating houses” and hairdressers. You could buy medicines and herbs and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and game. There were streets that sold only pottery and mats.  Painters could buy the paints they needed for their art. 

TENOCHITLAN

TENOCHITLAN

With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had huge temples, beautiful open plazas, and a huge bustling central marketplace.  By the mid-1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a population of about 300,000 people, which made it the largest city in the world at that time! 

When Spanish soldiers first arrived in the Valley of Mexico, they were amazed at what they found in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Everything was clean. There were “eating houses” and hairdressers. You could buy medicines and herbs and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and game. There were streets that sold only pottery and mats.  Painters could buy the paints they needed for their art. 

AZTECS FOOD AND DRINK

Aztecs also ate chocolate. In their culture chocolate was reserved for warriors and nobility. A drink of cacao mixed with ground maize was believed to provide stamina and was used in sacred rituals. Chocolate was a drink for the elite. The Aztecs ate twice a day and the main meal was eaten during the hottest part of the day. Some of the edible things available in an Aztec market were fruit, vegetables, spices, flowers, edible dogs, and birds.