Aztec

Aztec politics

emperor is the representture of the god. He heaad of the goverment and highest preist.

emperror sentence the crimanals.

emperor could be dismised by the wise men

next emperor was not always a family member

Huey tlatoani (emperor) elected by a council of Wise men made up of the greatest warriors and wisest priest

Altepetl

City state made up of clan

own customs and be and beleifs

own origin stories and recorder history

their rulr is called tlateoni

the mexica had 3 altepets (great alliance)

Priest advised the emperor

Decided which days to go to war or to hold ceremonies

explained dreams or omens to the emperor

economy

Tribute to the emperor: could be in the form of

military service providing protection at the boarders

Food (cacao beans) used to buy goods

natural resources( lumber)

Special crops ( cotton)

feather work or precious metals

cottage industries

farming

irrigation and dike systems were created

chinampas ( floating garden)

Fertilized with human waste

Food grown on chinampas supplied almost have half of all the city

labor force consisted families or indavizalals working at home with their own equipment.
Ex: ceramic pottrey blades/ tools made from obsidian paper from inside of bark

Market place:

biggest was in tenochtitlan

each type of product sold on a separate street

based on trade

selling outside the marketplace was forbidin

large white cotton cloaks + cacao beans

were the currency

Pochteca

long distance merchants

organized porter (careers) in caravans all over the empire

traded finished goods for raw materials to make clothing + jewelry for the nobility

called "spying merchants" because they travelled enemy territory + report back to the empire

They held high status

religious beliefs and rituals:
aztec culture

humans

Gods

-huitzilopochtli was the war + sun god

small roll - die for gods- keep world in balanced.

many goddesses not + completely good or bad each a role. could transform into humans or items looked part humans/ part animal during cecrimons people would dress as gods

Example

huitz tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl.

ritual + sacrifice

humans were sacrifice to maintain balance

-predestined( life and death depended on the gods)

their job to ensure the sun doesn't die

other sacrifice included food paper feathers jewels

-huitzilopochtli was the war + sun god

whit out human sacrifice the world would end

alters at top of tembel used in sacrifice

large public events

warriors still beating heart was most important thousands could be sacrificed in one day

Medicine bundles

used in ceremonies. contend blessed corn, feather, rubber , pressure stones

medicine

blend of religion, magic and medicine
-religion certain gods were believed to send illness or heal them
-magic certain illnesses were believed to be caused by black magic of a sorcerer
-medicine- aztec knew the healing power of certain plants and minerals

The arts

manuscriptoin with no alphabet

used picture writting that included

pictograph

ideograph

number symbol

calendar symbols

codies were written on deerskin, cloth, or ornate paper maade from bark of fig tree

folded according style

image

sculptures

religos in nature

stoneculpters of gods were inside + under tempel

statues of animals, like jaguars and snakes, showed belief of keeping balance with natural world

states placed below ground to show recognition of underworld

image

Architecture

drandest + largest buildings were the tempel

pyrmiim style divided at the top in 2 tempels with two sets of stairs

tempel mayor was the the mayan temple in tenochtitlan + its 2 temples represented 2 sacred mountains. during equinox the sun rose between the 2 temples

image

click to edit

featherwork +luxury items

aztec prized feathers more than gold

feathers were used for ceremonial costume, headdresses, and warrior shields

jewellery + luxury items were made for the wealthy

image

Time

two calenders

xiuhtlapohualli- was the main caleneder

365 days solar yearly calender

18 months

a month= 20 days

5 extra days at the end

each month named for a god

it regulated agricultural activities ( planting + harvesting + market days

each year began with a festival to honor rain god, tlaloc

time

tonalpohualli

13 numbers + 20 signs represent an animal, a nature elemnt like water or an abstract idea like movment.

combined to make 260 in divdedually named days

named for the day you were born

used to determined when religious ceremonies were held

xiuhnolpilli

combines the 2 calenders

cycle of 52 years( time needed for the calendar to complete their cycles)

equal to a century( 100 years)

Aztec believed that the world could end at the end of this calendar, if there had not been enough rituals and sacrifice

image