Unit 3

Lesson 3
Language and
Technology
 Language/Writing
● Spoken language - Nahuatl (still used today in some
parts of Mexico)
● Written language - hieroglyphics
 Language/Writing Con’t
● Only priests could read and write
● They wrote on long sheets made of animal skins or
plant fibers

Codex: the first kind of book made up of a number of

pages; hand-written, usually stacked and bound by fixing one
edge, with covers thicker than the sheets
 Activity #1

Who were the only people that could

read and write?

HOW AND WHY DID THIS MAKE THEM

IMPORTANT?
Commoners
 Activity #2

Explain the differences between boys

and girls within Aztec society.
 Technology
● Pyramids were important in Aztec architecture
● The major cities each had at least one
 Technology Con’t
● The pyramids had stairs up all four sides, and at the
top, there was a sacrificial temple
● Aztecs did not have wheels or pulleys like the Egyptians
when building their pyramids
 Technology Con’t
● One of the most famous
aspects of Aztec
technology was their use of
calendars
● They were used not only to
keep time but for tracking
religious ceremonies and
festivals
 Activity #3

Aztec technology was some of the best

in the world during the peak of their
Empire. Explain why their technology
was so important and how they used it
to their advantage.
 Activity #4
Using the 7 characteristics of civilizations as
guide, compare and contrast the Aztecs and
the Mayans