DESTINY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

THE
AZTECS
Mrs. Perdomo
 BIBLE VERSE
All worshipers of images are put to
shame, who make their boast in
worthless idols; worship him, all you
gods!
PSALM 97:7

INTRODUCTION
The legendary origin of the Aztec people
who emerged from their magnificent
capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs
started as the dominant force in central
Mexico, in the post-classic period from
1300 to 1521. Today we are going to
present their origin, and other
interesting facts about them.
Objectives
1. Achieve a more amplified learning of
who the Aztecs were and what their
culture and traditions were like.

2. Inform details about the Aztec

civilization and what was its impact for
example about their location, religion,
culture, traditions, clothing that the
Aztecs had.
Who were the
Aztecs?
The Aztecs were the
Native American people
who dominated northern
Mexico at the time of the
Spanish conquest in the
early 16th century.
 Where were the
Aztecs located?
In 1325 the Aztec people settled on an
island on Lake Texcoco. The lake was
located in the Valley of Mexico. In
1428, three cities made an alliance
called the Triple Alliance. The cities
were Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and
Tlacopan. The three cities worked
together to gain control of the Valley
of Mexico.
 Aztces Culture
The Aztec was a strong state due to its
military power, its religion, and its tribute
system. They developed their own
calendar of 18 months of 20 days each,
built large cities and huge pyramids and
temples, and developed a farming system
called chinampas that they used to grow
crops on shallow lake beds.
Aztecs festivals and
ceremonies
Traditional festivals were an important
part of everyday life for the Aztecs. This
article contains a list of the most
significant ancient Aztec festivals,
holidays, and celebrations including:
Rain Festivals
The New Fire Ceremony
The Quecholli Festival
The Xipe Totec Festival
The Festival of Xilonen
Aztec's Gastronomy
While the Aztecs ruled, they farmed large areas
of land. Staples of their diet were maize, beans
and squash. To these, they added chilies and
tomatoes. They also harvested Acocils, an
abundant crayfish-like creature found in Lake
Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae which they
made into cakes. Meat was eaten sparsely; the
Aztec diet was primarily vegetarian with the
exception of grasshoppers, maguey worms, ants
and other larvae. Even now, some of these
insects are considered delicacies in parts of
Mexico.
Other foods often consumed are avocados, tamales, tortillas, meat,
corn(maize), chili peppers, squash and chocolate.
Aztecs Religion
An important aspect of the Aztec
Empire and history was their religious
beliefs and practices. In general, the
Aztecs shared many of their main
religious beliefs and practices with
other societies in the region. For
example, some gods and religious
practices were common throughout
different Mesoamerican societies,
including: Toltec and Teotihuacan.
Aztecs Huitzilopochtli - the supreme god of the
Sun and war.
gods Tezcatlipoca - the ever-present creator god
and patron deity of warriors.
We are going to Tlaloc - god of rain, water, lightning, and
mention the most agriculture.
importants Aztec's
Quetzalcóatl - god of winds and rain and
gods.
the creator of humanity.
Coatlicue - the earth-mother goddess.
Aztecs Artifacts
Fired-clay Mictlantecuhtli Statue
Aztec Calendar Stone
The Florentine Codex
The Aztec Feather Shield
Moctezuma’s Throne
Aztecs Sacrifices
Human sacrifice was also a very
important part of Aztec customs. In
some cases cannibalism was also
practiced after death. Depending on
the god to whom the offering was sent,
the type of death and the type of living
being sacrificed varied: underwater
drownings, self mutilations, murders of
prisoners after wars, and even children
were given as gifts.
Aztecs Social Strecture
The Aztecs followed a strict
social hierarchy in which
individuals were identified as
nobles (pipiltin), commoners
(macehualtin), serfs, or slaves.
The noble class consisted of
government and military leaders,
high level priests, and lords
(tecuhtli).
Aztecs Social Structure
Priests had their own internal class system
and were expected to be celibate and to
refrain from alcohol. Failure wasn’t an
option, they would get strong punishments
or death. The tecuhtli included landowners,
judges, and military commanders. Nobles
were entitled to receive tribute from
commoners in the form of goods, services,
and labor, and they were the only ones
permitted to display their wealth by wearing
decorated capes and jewelry.
Aztecs Nowadays
The Nahuas, who are the
descendants of the Aztecs,
continue to be the largest
Indigenous group in Mexico,
but there are many others in
Mesoamerica, such as the
Hñahñu, the Mixtec and the
Maya.
CONCLUSION
All in all, the aztec empire was a booming
civilization that died before its time.
Although they disappeared long ago, their
heritage lives on in many residents of
Mexico. Their heritage will be passed down
from generation to generation and the
great stories of their amazing empire will
be told for many years to come.
VIDEO