The Aztecs

Aztecs

Megan Burnette

        The Aztecs years were 1350 to 1519. They lived in the capital of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs lived in a high altitude world and droughts were a threat. Before 1325 the Aztecs were a group of about ten thousand people who migrated to Texcoco. When learning about the Aztecs, it is important to understand the Aztecs family structure, their agriculture, and what they did for human sacrifice.  

        When learning about the Aztecs, it is important to understand how the family value was treated and their traditions. In document O it shows how the family was treated. For younger people it says that if they stepped out of line then they could have punishments. Some of their punishments where they could give them to smoke treatment, prick their flesh with thorns, or leave them outside all night to sleep in a mud puddle. If adults did, they would be put to death or private execution. It is important to know what they had to do at a certain age. In document O its says that when they turn 3 they got life-like toys. At 6 you take on broader domestic responsibilities, and at 15 you got to begin regular schooling. Marriage was expected when a girl turns 16 and a guy reaches 20. It is important to know what they believe in. In document D they believe that their god saw a prickly pear cactus, and it was standing on a rock. They saw that an eagle had made a nest on top of that cactus. Their god ordered them to call that place Tenochtitlan.

        When learning about the Aztecs, it is important to understand how the Aztecs agriculture was highly organized. The Aztecs grew many crops be they mainly grew corn because it could be stored for a long time. They also grew squash, pumpkin, beans, avocados, tomatoes, and more. Another thing they grew was cotton and that was for their clothes. It is important to know where and what they grew their crops on. In document K they grew their crops on floating islands in lake Texcoco. These islands were called chinampas, and they were about twenty thousand acres of them. It’s important to know how some Aztecs worked with crops. In document C while men and women worked in the fields, behind them was a person dressed as a corn goddess. Some of the jobs on the chinampas were, that some men plant and harvest the corn, maize, plants. Women rolled up the products into tortillas.