Aztecs
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Geography
Tenochtitlan is located in the Valley of Mexico, sometimes called the Basin of Mexico. This valley is located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the high plateaus of south-central Mexico.It has a minimum altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) above sea level and is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes that reach elevations of over 5,000 meters.
Photo by pacomexico
Tenochtitlan
was an Aztec city-state located on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico. Founded in 1325, it became the capital of the expanding Mexica Empire in the 15th century,until captured by the Spanish in 1521. At its peak, it was the largest city in the Pre-Columbian Americas.
Photo by Travis S.
Aztec farming
In the swampy regions along Lake Xochimilco, the Aztecs invented yet another method of crop cultivation. They built chinampas. Chinampas are areas of raised land, created from layers of mud from the bottom of the lake, and plant matter/other vegetation. These raised beds were separated by narrow canals, which allowed farmers to move between them by canoe. The chinampas were extremely fertile pieces of land, and yielded, on average, seven crops annually. In order to plant on them, farmers first created seedbeds, or reed rafts, where they planted seeds and allowed them to grow. Once they had, they were planted in the chinampas. This cut the growing time down considerably.
Photo by ngg
Government
The Aztec Empire was an example of an empire that ruled by indirect means. Like most European empires, it was very diverse, but unlike most European empires, it was more of a system of tribute than a single system of government.
Photo by listentoreason
Religion
for the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, the Aztecs reported that they sacrificed 80,400 prisoners over the course of four days, reportedly by Ahuitzotl, the Great Speaker himself.
Photo by Xuan Che
Social structures
The highest class were the pīpiltin or nobility.The second class were the mācehualtin, originally peasants.Slaves or tlacotin also constituted an important class. Aztecs could become slaves because of debts, as a criminal punishment or as war captives.
Photo by archer10 (Dennis)
Architecture
Tenochtitlan was built according to a plan and centered on the ritual precinct, where the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan rose 50 m above the city. Houses were made of wood and loam, roofs were made of reed, although pyramids, temples and palaces were generally made of stone.Around the island, chinampa beds were used to grow foods as well as, over time, to increase the size of the island. Chinampas were long raised plant beds set on the shallow lake bottom.
Photo by Anika Malone
Agriculture
raised beds were separated by narrow canals, which allowed farmers to move between them by canoe. The chinampas were extremely fertile pieces of land, on average, seven crops annually. The Aztecs are credited with domestication of the subspecies of wild turkey.While most of the farming occurred outside the densely populated areas, within the cities there was another method of farming. Each family had their own garden plot where they grew maize, fruits, herbs, medicines and other important plants.
Photo by D.H. Parks
