Ramzi’s Academics in Eighth Grade

Step 1:

·   Where did the Aztecs originally live? They originally lived in Atzlan some where in the northern west of
Mexico. 

·   What prompted them to relocate? A vision that came to Tenoch, that Huitzilopochtli (their god) command him and the entire village to journey south from where they lived to lead the people to the middle of the Lake Texcoco which was in the Valley of Mexico where he would find an eagle on a cactus eating a serpent.  ·   Where did they end up and why? They ended up living in Tenochtitlan around 1200 A.D., which is what they named their city in the middle of the swampy lake of Texcoco. The reason being that they found the cactus that was called Tenochtli and they also found the Eagle eating the serpent at an edge of a spring. They city ended up to have 15 million people.   

Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice 

Step 2: 

·   What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake?Pros- No one what’s to take over there land (Swap). Lots of close water to make crops. Easy to travel from one Chinampa to the next. Can make land were ever they wants (place plants and mud). Could grow crops at any seasons because they using Irrigation. Had floating gardens to make crops and use their actually island in the middle to make temples. Canals for defensive controls. Cons- Lots of creatures such as snakes. Decreasing amount of space for water. Needs man powder, plants and mud and time to build their islands.

·   Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.Their land was basically in the middle of a swamp. They placed trees to hold the soil. The lands on the swamps were created by placing lots of plants and mud to create the islands. The lake was filled with Chinampa which is an ancient Mesoamerican agriculture. They had rectangular shapes of land where they fertile land for crops. The outer edges of the artificial island are held by wooden posts. Their cities were thought to be beautiful and had a lot of resources like food. 

Step 3:

·   Which gods were worshiped? Main gods:- Huitzilopochtli was there main god. He was the one that told them to build their city and he was the god of war. - Tezcatlipoca was a god of the sky (bear constellation). The god saw everything and protected children and slaves and punished people who treated them badly. - Quetzalcoatl was the god of the mourning. - Tlaloc was there god of rain water. He was feared because he cold cause droughts and hunger. He could create hurricanes and make crops grow or destroy them.- Xipe – Totec was the god of farming. - And an infinity more.

·   The pyramids were built for what purpose?They practiced human sacrifices to the gods. They were built for deadly rituals. The temples were never destroyed because the Aztec just built a greater temple on top of the old one so it could be greater. The temples were like pyramids but instead of a pointy top they had a flat roof for sacrifices. The shrines are used to honor gods while the temples are for rituals.    

 Step 4:

·   Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? - Slaves: Slaves were like any other slaves. Slaves and poor children could be sold to others for a certain amount of time like renting a car. The slaves could gain their freedom if they bought it or if you had it to the royal palace without being caught. 
-Commoners: These are the average people. They work with agriculture and trade. The profits they earned they got to keep along with here land. The commoners were given land for life while lower groups of commoners weren’t allowed land.
-Nobility: you become a noble if you are born with it, a priest or earn it. The nobles worked in the army, priesthood or the government. The nobles pick one person to be the leader till the day he dies. The person is called tlatoani.    Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society. 

Step 5:

· The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Nahuatl was the language spoken between the Aztecs. It came from a few Indian languages along a few western tribes’ languages mixed together.  

· Did they use any other forms of communication? Writing- there writing were written in whole words and use pictures and symbols to communicate. They didn’t really use letters they used glyphs or pictures. When you place a few glyphs together they form a sentence. The recordings included conquests, heart sacrifices, calculations, diary entries and tributes from different conquered polities and history. Usually glyphs tell stories.  

Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs. 

Step 6:

·How did the Aztecs grow food? The Aztecs made terraces so that they could control the flow of water down the steps. This method had stopped the flooding of crops. To extend the crop land the Aztecs made Chinampas. They had also use the slash and burn agriculture.

·What was their main crop? They had made some major crops such as corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans, and other kinds of food. But the main crop was corn. While they made a cornmeal pancakes tlaxcalli which the Spanish called Tortilla.

·Did they trade and with whom? The Aztecs traded with other parts of its empire.

·Did they have a currency (money)? Yes they used cacao (chocolate) and their main currency. They had also traded with other supplies but this was their main trading item. The Aztecs had also traded with goods that were conquered from other cities. Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style. 

Step 7:

·Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Aztec point of view: The Aztecs thought that Cortez was a god so they willingly let him in. When the Aztecs first saw Cortez and his men they said things like: They saw Mountains on sea- sips that Cortez hadStrange metal armored creatures that were half man and half deer- soldiers on horses.When Cortez had placed an Aztec in prison they started doubting him. Finally when Cortez’s troops attacked a group of dances the Aztecs and the Spanish had a war. The Aztecs hated the Spanish because of their cruelty, dishonesty and arrogance.Spanish Point of view: Reached the eastern coast with small boats with 508 soldiers and 100 sailors’ 10-20 horses. Cortez didn’t search for trade or to explore his goal was to conquer and
Mexico and get goal. Cortez was afraid that he Aztec would sacrifice his troops so he put an Aztec in prison. Cortez’s soldiers had killed an unarmed crowd of dances, which lead to a war in July 10, 1520. The Spanish had guns while the Aztec didn’t which made it easy to defeat them.   

Book Source: Title- how would you survive as an Aztec?Publisher- Franklin Watts in 1995Editor- Penny ClarkeDirector- David SalariyaConsultant- Dr. Nicholas JamesWriter- Fiona MacdonaldCreated and designed- David SalariyaIllustrated- Mark Bergin 

Find an image depicting this event. 

Step 8: Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on
Mexico past and present.  

Positive: Stopped human sacrifices and saves thousand of Indians by convincing Cortez to negotiate with them rather than to slaughter them.
Negative: she had helped Cortez to overcome the Aztecs by translation the Indian language to the Spanish. She helped Cortez make allies with others to defeat the Aztecs.  

What does the term Mestizo refer to? Mestizos are mixers of different ancestry but in this case it means a person that is mixed with Spanish and Native American blood.  

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestizos  

·          What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?

The Spanish had burnt the Aztec’s books so little culture is pasted down but languages and food spoken is influenced by the Aztecs.

 

Vocabulary; 

Anthropologist – Some one who studies the origins, physical or mental features of humans (Homo sapiens).   

Archeologist- Someone who studies past humans and their cultures (Cavemen). 

Economist- Someone who studies the economy. Expert in economics or money. 

Historian- Some one who studies History. About the past of any one. 

Linguist- Some one who studies language or can speak a variety of languages. Even ancient language is what they study.  

Theologian- Someone who studies the science of God and religion.

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