THE PEOPLE OF THE SUN

•the physical landscape•the sacred landscape•expanding the empire

THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE

• What do you feel when you see the following images

THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE• For the Aztecs, a mountain was a sacred or

holy site, one that due to its height brought people physically closer to the gods

• There were two landscapes for the Aztecs, the physical and the sacred

• The temples that the Aztecs built to worship the gods were pyramids in the shape of mountains

• The Aztecs believed that their god, Huitzilopochtli, had led them to the place where they lived

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WN_XciZXhc&

THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE• The mountains that surrounded Tenochtitlan

gave the Aztecs a sense of security• They felt that the mountains protected the

city from attack by invaders• Rainstorms caused flash floods in low lying

areas• After a great flood in 1500, Aztec engineers

built an earthen dam across the lake to the east of the city

• The mountains also limited rainfall in the area, requiring the construction of an aqueduct, a structure which provides fresh drinking water from a distance

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az5YpOgHDik&

THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE• Lake Texcoco, which surrounded

Tenochtitlan, also was a safety feature• The Aztecs built three causeways that linked

the island to the mainland• The bridges could be destroyed in the event

of an invasion• For 200 years, the Aztecs grew from a few

thousand into a society of several hundred thousand

• They were efficient food producers, with a surplus of many items

• Beans, corn, chillies, peppers and tomatoes were among the farmed items

THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE

• Chinampas were floating islands built in the water around Tenochtitlan to grow crops

• Using stakes, reeds and soil, layers were constructed until there was a thick layer of mud and mats rising above the waters surface

• Farmers had to access their crops by canoe and use the simplest of farming tools

• Lake Texcoco was part of series of five interconnected lakes, and there was no river for water to flow out of the lakes

• Evaporation caused a build up of natural salts in the water

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hew9ZDO1caw

THE SACRED LANDSCAPE

• Huitzilopochtli according, to Aztec legend, was responsible for the site of the Aztec homeland

• The Aztec believed that the gods controlled every aspect of their lives

• The Aztecs had many gods and they believed some were stronger than others

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXqv0yLZ-lA

THE SACRED LANDSCAPEGOD’S NAME INFORMATION IMAGE

Huitzilopochtli encouraged the Aztecs to leave their ancestral home land and settle in the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs believed they needed the blood of sacrificial victims to give him the strength to overcome night’s darkness

Tezcatlipoca The most powerful of the gods. Name means “smoking mirror”, from the black mirror he used to see visions of the future. Also known as Lord of the Night Sky

Quetzalcoatl The god of the wind, name means feathered serpent. Left Mexico after a fight with Tezcatlipoca, sailing to the east on a raft of snakeskins. The priests prophesized in the year One Reed bringing destruction to the Aztec empire

Tlaloc The god of rain, who could unleash deadly floods or withhold rains from coming for years, causing droughts and famines. Aztecs feared him because he controlled their survival

AZTEC CALENDARS• Emphasized close connection between the

gods and human beings• Actually had two calendars

– Solar calendar – Sacred calendar

• It took the sacred calendar 52 years to catch up to the solar calendar

• It was carved in the mid 1400s and was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli

• The Aztecs believed there were four eras prior to the present one and each had been destroyed

AZTEC CALENDARS• According to legend

– Jaguars destroyed the first– Hurricanes destroyed the second– Fiery rain ended the third– Flooding doomed the fourth

• According to legends earthquakes will doom the current era

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn3Gsr4PkU8&

HUMAN SACRIFICE

• These ritual killing had deeply religious significance for the Aztecs

• It was their strongest expression of devotion to the gods, they believed the victims blood actually nourished the gods

• The Aztecs would utilize captured victims for the sacrifice

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVo8ODkXCSs

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQKJRnPpIxw&

TENOCHTITLAN: CENTRE OF THE WORLD

• Aztecs believed the world was round, flat and divided into four sections

• In the middle was Tenochtitlan , the capital city of the Aztecs

• The city was also divided into four sections• The Great temple was in the middle of the

city• There were hundreds of temples within the

city• Most were built in pyramid shapes to

resemble a sacred mountain• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myRXkk6tO2Q&

EXPANDING THROUGH TRADE

• The Aztecs could not produce tropical fruits like avocados, papayas, cacao which grew in the rainforests along the coasts

• Gold and silver deposits were also away from the deposits of gold and silver

• Therefore they needed to trade with cultures for those goods

• Aztecs would use slaves in the transportation of goods

• Trade exchanges could last months travelling to remote parts of the empire

• Aztec traders would act as spies creating maps to show which cities were well protected and which could be easily conquered

EXPANDING THROUGH WAR

• “We shall conquer all people of the universe. I will make you lords and kings of every place in the world.”– Huitzilopochtli prophecy

• When the Spanish arrived in 1519, the Aztecs controlled the greatest empire in North America

• Military service was mandatory among the Aztecs

• Every young man served in the military• The worst insult in Aztec society was to be

called a coward• A lack of courage weakened the army, which

weakened the state

• Aztec Regular Units• The Aztec army was well organized and with a well

organized command structure. The common warriors were formed up into companies called Calpulli. Each Calpulli was further divided into fourths and led by nobles from the region were the troops were recruited.

• Elite Aztec Warriors– The noble warrior class also formed special

military elite units, formed from warrior societies such as the Eagle and Jaguar or the dreaded Shorn Ones. Sons of nobles were expected to enter into one of the societies and to progressed through there ranks.

B

• Eagle and Jaguar Warrior Societies– The largest warrior societies were that of the

Eagles and the Jaguars. They dressed like their name sake animals and wear headquartered in the Quauhcalli "the Eagle House" located in the ceremonial precinct in Tenochtitlan. Eagles were adorned in eagle feathers and wore headgear with an eagle head on it, their faces looking out from an open beak. Jaguars wore suits made from the pelts of pumas (jaguars) and associated themselves with their god of night.

• Otomies– The Otomies were another warrior society, they are

named after the Otomi people who were known for being fierce warriors and allies of the Aztecs.

• The Shorn Ones– The "Shorn Ones" or Cuachicqueh was the most

prestigious warrior society and the tlacateccatl, a very high ranking general, was always a member. The Shorn Ones are so named because their heads were shaved accept for a long braid over the left ear.

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syMWXBBDeZE&