Mesoamerica in a Minute
Aztec World History Review Geography: Your Own Personal Map of Mexico!
• Maya: Thumb • Aztec: Heart of your Palm Valley of Mexico, ca. 1519
• Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, was build on an island in Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico Aztec Capital: Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan
• Over time the Aztec developed Tenochtitlan into a complex city with floating farms and causeways connecting the city to the main land Codex Mendosa Tenochtitlan • The city itself was founded in 1325 • At first it wasn’t very impressive, but by 1428 the Aztec empire had become powerful, and Tenochtitlan was the most important city in all of Mesoamerica • During the reign of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world, with over 200,000 inhabitants Tenochtitlan - Templo Mayor
• Built in the center of Tenochtitlan in an open public square, Templo Mayor served as a temple to both Huitzilopotchli and Tlaloc Tenochtitlan - Templo Mayor
The nested remains of successive phases of construction, Templo Mayor, Aztec Empire, Mexico City, Mexico Aztec Sacrifice
• Like many other Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztec practiced blood and human sacrifice • Here the Aztec are shown offering a human heart to the sun god
Human sacrifice to honor the sun, Aztec codex, 16th century. Aztec Sacrifice
Human sacrifice as shown in the Codex Magliabechiano Aztec Calendar Aztec Calendar The Spanish Encounter the Aztecs
World History QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture.
Native American Groups Pre-Conquest Video Clip
http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=1674 QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture.
Spanish Conquistador Video Clip
http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=474 Terms • colonies - lands controlled by another nation • Conquistadors - explorer-conquerors who sought wealth and land in the Americas for Spain • Hernando Cortes - led Spanish conquest of the Aztec • Montezuma II - Aztec emperor during Spanish conquest Tenochtitlan, 1519
• It was a time of uncertainty in the Aztec calendar. The 52-year calendar cycle was ending which signaled an unsure time. It had long been Aztec legend that their god Quetzalcoatl would appear from the east at the end of the calendar cycle and come and destroy their empire. Tenochtitlan, 1519 • The legend goes that a Toltec king was a priest of Quetzalcoatl and became known by the god's name. This king, described as fair- skinned and bearded, was exiled by his enemies, but he vows that he will return in the year 'One Reed' of the 52-year calendar cycle. • In 1519, a 'One Reed' year, a fair-skinned stranger lands on the east coast. The Aztecs welcome him as Quetzalcoatl. He is the Spanish conquistador Cortes… Arrival of Cortes • When the Spanish, led by Cortes, arrived on the eastern coast of Mexico in 1519, they heard of the wealth and gold of the Aztecs. Cortes and his men soon made their way to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. • The Aztecs, led by Montezuma II, were apprehensive about the arrival of the Spanish, and many bad omens surrounded the arrival of these foreigners… Bad Omens 1. a strange appearance in the eastern sky 2. fire consuming the temple of Huitzilopochtli 3. a lightning bolt destroying the straw temple of Xiuhtecuhtli 4. the appearance of streaking fire across the sky Bad Omens 5. the “boiling,” and later flooding, of a lake nearby Tenochtitlan 6. a woman weeping in the middle of night 7. the capturing of an unknown creature with a fishing net 8. the sightings of strange monsters having two heads and only one body throughout the city What does all of this mean for the Aztecs???
• Read “Historymakers: Montezuma II” to find out! Cultures Clash! • In 1521 the Spanish arrive in Mesoamerica under the command of Conquistador Hernan Cortes • Bring with them horses, superior weapons, and DISEASES! • Within a year, the Aztec empire has fallen and millions are dead • Spain creates an Empire, spreads Christianity, and destroys the Mesoamerican cultural past Aztec ruins of the former island city-state of Tlatelolco (foreground) and the church of Santiago de Tlatelolco on the Plaza of the Three Cultures, Mexico City. Tlatelolco was subsumed by Tenochtitlán in the late 15th century. View of the ruins of the main temple of the Templo Mayor complex. The main city cathedral is visible just behind the ruins. Diseases Brought to the New World from the Old World Smallpox Smallpox is a contagious disease caused by a virus. Smallpox virus has been eradicated worldwide through successful vaccination and treatment programs, and now exists only as a stored virus in a few research centers. Symptoms include a severe rash (which leaves scars), fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Smallpox case from Illinois, 1912
Progression of Smallpox – Days 3, 5, 7