Source Packet

ANCIENT AZTECS

1. Chalchiuhtlicue, or Chalchiuhcueye
2. The Great Flood Myth
3. Agriculture and Chinampas- floating gardens
4. Texcotzingo and King Nezahualcoyotl

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 Source Name: Book of the Gods and Rites and The Ancient Calendar
Source (Author, Citation, Website, etc): Duran, D. ,Diego. 1971 “Book of the Gods and
Rites and the Ancient Calendar.” Norman, University of Oklahoma Press
https://archive.org/details/bookofgodsritesa0000dura/page/n4/mode/1up

Sourcing Questions - before you read, ask Why was it written down?
yourself - When was it written?
Who wrote this? Where was it written?
What perspective does the author Is it trustworthy?
have?
Why was it written?

Highlight or Underline quotes, phrases, and words that you want to unpack Annotation
further: s
(Use this
column to
Chalchiuhtlicue or Chalchiuhcueye take notes,
draw
Chalchiuhtlicue was the goddess of bodies of water pictures,
like: seas, rivers, and lakes in addition to moving and make
water. connections
of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses. )
She was depicted as a woman with a green skirt or
with a skirt made of jade stone. She sometimes is
shown to have black lines on her face.

In Aztec mythology, all rivers stem from the mountains. The goddess was
believed to live in the mountains and send water down to the people to give
the people life and wash them clean, Chalchiutuhtlicue was both feared and
respected. On one hand, the fear was due to the Aztecs' belief that if she
was displeased she would create dangerous storms and the rain would
destroy crops. On the other hand, the gratefulness came from her gift of
water which then increased crop growth.

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 Below are some examples of her attributes as depicted in Aztec art:

Chalchiutlicue was seen to be a very powerful and influential goddess on

the Aztecs and their religious beliefs. In fact, most of our sources on this
goddess revolve around myths of her existence in relation to how she was
important to the Aztec’s whole culture. (This includes religion, agriculture,
and more. One source we have is from the accounts of Fray Diego Duran,
who was a Dominican Friar who wrote a book on his observations of the
Aztecs. Below includes an excerpt from his book, Book of the Gods and Rites
and The Ancient Calendar:
People used to believe in some strange things about springs and rivers. They
thought that if you crossed one of these, took a bath in them, or saw your
reflection in the water, it was like looking into a magical mirror. They also
believed that by doing things like tossing objects into the water or trying to
predict the future with it, they could make special things happen. People even
thought you could tell if you were sick by looking at the water.

Some people believed that you could swing kids over water without them
touching it, and it would bring them good luck. And there was a fear that if you
crossed two rivers, your life would become an hour shorter. People were also
afraid that if they made the Lady of the Waters angry, bad things would happen
to them. So, in the past, folks had all these superstitious ideas about water.

Summary or Lingering Questions:

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 3
 Source Name: The Great Flood Myth
Source (Author, Citation, Website, etc):

Sourcing Questions - before you read, ask Why was it written down?
yourself - When was it written?
Who wrote this? Where was it written?
What perspective does the author Is it trustworthy?
have?
Why was it written?

Excerpt:

Long, long ago, there was a world filled with people, animals, and plants. It was a happy
world, but the gods, who were in charge, were not so pleased with it. They wanted to
create a new, better world. So, they came up with a plan to start over.

The chief god, Huitzilopochtli, wanted to warn a man named Nata, who was a humble
and good person, about the coming flood. Huitzilopochtli warned Nata to build a big
boat and take his family and some animals on it. Nata listened and began building the
boat, just like Noah in the Bible.

When the boat was ready, Nata and his family, along with animals like dogs, birds, and
insects, got on board. They brought some seeds too because they needed to start a new
world once the flood ended.

The rain started falling, and it didn't stop. The water rose higher and higher, covering the
entire world. But Nata and his family were safe in the boat. They waited patiently for the
rain to stop.

Finally, after a long time, the rain slowed down and the water started to go down. When
the floodwaters receded, they found themselves on top of a tall mountain called
Colhuacan. Nata and his family were happy to be safe and knew that they needed to
repopulate the world. They planted the seeds they had brought, and the new world
began to grow once again.

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 4
 This story is the Aztec version of a great flood, just like the story of Noah's Ark in other
cultures. It teaches us about starting over and finding hope, even in the face of a big
disaster.

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 5
 Source Name: Engineering an Empire: The Aztecs (S1, E3) Full Episode, History

Source (Author, Citation, Website, etc): History, July 25th, 2020

Engineering an Empire: The Aztecs (S1, E3) | Full Episode | History

Sourcing Questions - before you read, ask Why was it written down?
yourself - When was it written?
Who wrote this? Where was it written?
What perspective does the author Is it trustworthy?
have?
Why was it written?

Highlight or Underline quotes, phrases, and words that you want to Annotations
unpack further: (Use this column to
take notes, draw
The Three Sister Plants: pictures, and make
connections)
Maize or Corn:

Maize has been an important

food for the Aztecs for many
years. The Corn was critical for
the Aztec’s survival. On top of
this, it was a disaster when there
were floods or droughts that
affected this specific crop. In
order to take care of this crop,
the Aztecs did practical things such as terrancing their fields to
preserve water, bringing in fresh water from afar with their aqueducts
and also fertilizing the soil.

Beans:

Beans were also another

staple for the Aztecs and their
culture. Beans were not just a
vegetable they relied on for
food, but they also used beans
as a source of currency.
Specifically, The Aztecs used
Cocoa beans as a way to

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 6
 barter goods, just like how people today use coins or dollar bills to buy
goods.

Squash:

Squash was the third plant that

was essential to the Aztecs’
survival. All parts of the squash
were used, even the seeds and
the skin of the vegetable. All
three of the sister plants still
remain important to Mexican
cuisine today.

Engineering an Empire: The Aztecs (S1, E3) Full Episode, History

The sections of 0.00-18:24 (or longer will be shown)

Summary or Lingering Questions:

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 7
 Source Name: The Garden of the Aztec Philosopher- King
Source (Author, Citation, Website, etc):
Susan Toby Evans, Pennsylvania State University. “The Garden of the Aztec
Philosopher-King”
https://anth.la.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/Evans_gardenofaztecphil.pdf

Sourcing Questions - before you read, ask Why was it written down?
yourself - When was it written?
Who wrote this? Where was it written?
What perspective does the author Is it trustworthy?
have?
Why was it written?

Highlight or Underline quotes, phrases, and words that you want to unpack Annotations
further: (Use this column to
take notes, draw
pictures, and make
connections)
Texcotzingo

Texcotzingo was a special place designed by a very smart man named

Nezahualcoyotl. Nezahualcoyotl was like an artist who used the land to show his

ideas. He made sure there was water from the mountains that went to Texcotzingo,

where it blessed different spots, grew special plants, and watered the farms. This

place had two big things on the east side: a place where water came in and a set of

open areas where people could do rituals and dances for the rain god. There was

also a tall mountain nearby, and the people believed a powerful rain god lived there.

They built a shrine at the top and kings would visit it every year.

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 8
 On the east side of Texcotzingo, you could see the aqueduct system, which was like

a big water channel. This water came from the mountains and was carried on a high

embankment, like a road for water. On the west end, there were platforms with

columns that had stories about the people who lived there.

Around the same level as the aqueduct, there was a canal and a path that went

around Texcotzingo. There were three cool rock-cut baths, one of them named after

a place called Tula, another after Texcoco, and the last one after Tenayuca. Under

the Tenayuca bath, there were rooms that belonged to Nezahualcoyotl.

Near these rooms, there were special gardens where the water from the Tenayuca

bath and the sunny side of the hill made a nice place for tropical plants.

Nezahualcoyotl liked to grow plants from the areas he ruled, and even if some

couldn't survive there, he showed them in art.

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 Nezahualcoyotl was a really smart and important guy, and Texcotzingo showed that.

It was like his way of saying, "I'm a big deal!" This place was built to show off and to

make Texcoco an important city. It also remembered the places where his family

came from and their alliance with other cities. On a big level, it honored the spirits of

water and mountains and showed how important a city was in ancient times.

So, Texcotzingo was like a big garden and a statement of power and culture made by

Nezahualcoyotl, who was a very impressive person in the past.

Summary or Lingering Questions:

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license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 10
© 2023 Buck Institute for Education. Educators are permitted a limited, revocable
license to use, including modification, in non-commercial classroom applications. ` 4 - 8 Social Studies - PILOT 11