The Aztecs were a civilization that settled in Central America 800 years ago. In the 1320s, they founded the great city of Tenochtitlan (pronounced “te-no-chit-lan”) on the islands in Lake Texcoco. By the 1500s, they had become a large and wealthy empire. However, after a while, the Spanish invaded this region and the empire collapsed. Stunning artifacts from the Aztecs have survived to this day. Are you ready to learn about the fascinating characteristics of the Aztecs?
Tenochtitlan was built on an island, and the Aztecs had no land to farm. They would tie reeds together side by side and place them on the water. Then they would cover them with mud and rotten fruits and vegetables. In these special areas called “Chinampa” (pronounced “chi-nam-pa”), they would grow plants such as tomatoes, corn, potatoes, and peppers.
Their main food source was corn. They also consumed vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and avocados. Animals such as ducks, frogs, and fish were also among their main food sources.
The Aztecs had about 1000 gods. The most important of these was the sun god.
Some symbols used in Aztec writing.
The Aztec language was called “N’ahuatl” (pronounced “nah-wa-til”). Their writing system consisted of small pictures called “pictograms”.
Chocolate held an important place in the lives of the Aztecs. They consumed chocolate in liquid form, and they also added various ingredients to it. Chocolate was especially the drink of soldiers and the wealthy.
The god with the longest name is Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (“t›-la-hu-iz-kal-pan-tek-uh-t›-li” pronounced)
“Feather crafting was an important profession. Feather craftsmen made special headdresses and ornaments from the feathers of tropical birds.
There are also books called “codex” that have survived from the Aztecs to this day. We learned many things about the life of the Aztecs from these handwritten books. The pages of these books were made from the bark of fig trees or animal skins.
The Aztecs played a ball game called “tlachtli” (pronounced “tıl-aç-ıl-i”). This game was played on a special field with a rubber ball in two teams. The aim was to get the ball through a high hoop.
However, they had to do this using different body parts such as their elbows and legs, without using their hands.
The Aztecs had two types of calendars: a solar calendar and a religious calendar. These two calendars were used together. The religious calendar had 20 different day symbols. There were also 13 day numbers. The day symbols and numbers were used together. For example, 1 Crocodile, 2 Wind, 3 House, 4 Lizard. According to the solar calendar, a year had 365 days, and there were 18 months in a year. Each of these months had 20 days. Therefore, there were 5 days left over each year. Music and dance held an important place in Aztec life. Aztecs learned to dance, sing, and play musical instruments at a very young age. Rattles, flutes, bells, and shells were commonly used musical instruments.
