HIST010 -9 Aztecs 1 - Lecture notes 9 PDF

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Key Terms: Aztecs Aztlan 1111 Texcoco 1168 Tenochititlan 1325 Itzcoati 1426-1440 Montezuma I 1440-1468 Ahuitzoti 1486-1502 Montezuma II 1502-1520 Quetzalcoati 1519 ● Aztec -first civilization in mexico ○ lived in tiny island called Aztlan (the term Aztec derives) ○ never called themselves Aztec(=European name given to them); called themselves Mexica. ○ visited by chief god: “must leave and find new home. will know when you’ve found the spot by the sign” ■ Sign: an eagle sitting on cactus eating snake ○ After years of wandering, landed in valley of Mexico lake called Texcoco, which has been center of great civilization before Aztecs. ■ Inhabited by 4 ethnic grps. ■ settled people unhappy with new arriving Aztecs. ○ difficulty in finding place to settle down. constantly attacked by more powerful neighbors, constantly on the run. ○ Forced to flee into the lake and found sanctuary on tiny island in lake Texcoco, the island with sign foretold by God. ○ Built city called Tenochititlan (place of the cactus) on this island. ■ Great place to build great/powerful city. ■ middle of water; plenty of water and inexhaustibly growing food to feed and drink growing population ■ main diet: algae that grew in the lake; built floating gardens in the lake so they could grow more algae. ■ the island could be expanded ■ being on an island provided protection (no enemy successfully attacked them) ○ Conquered by 3 great warrior king ■ Itzcoati - Aztecs first time moved out of island and conquered other in valley of Mexico. - To facilitate movement of soldiers, built large navy control in lake Texcoco ■ Montezuma I - Completed conquest of valley of mexico - Conquered land beyond other part of mexico

■ Ahuitzoti - completed conquest of Aztec empire; largest empire in history up until this time ○ Why successful? ■ 1) Great leadership - unique system of choosing a king. ● King dies, all important Aztecs gather and elect new king. King chosen from royal family; avoided pitfall of hereditary monarchy (no child or stupid) ● those not chosen, accepted the decision. (no civil war/rebellion/assassination). didn’t waste power fighting each other. ■ 2)Great military - good army/navy ● navy control lake Texcoco ● large/good army ● almost all aspects geared towards producing best soldiers (like Spartan, training early age) the society expected you to do well in war; how many enemy you captured in battle. ● fair amount of social mobility, do well in war = rise up on social ladder ■ 3) Religion - chosen by god to rule the world ● important to keep gods happy = through human sacrifice ● Montezuma I - human sacrifice practice expanded dramatically ● Aztec suffered through natural disasters = signs from the gods ● sacrificed more people; it actually stopped the disasters ● convinced large scale human sacrifice made god happy ● in future, not gonna wait but sacrifice ahead of time ○ needed more captured enemy for this ■ loosely ran empire; conquered people allowed to run own affairs and pay taxes. ■ Messenger - hated symbol of Aztec; demanded subjects different type of food like chocolate ○ Aztec empire people most not Aztec but subjects who hated Aztecs ■ had to pay people as taxes for the human sacrifice ■ forced people to come to Tinochitlan and watch ceremony (took out the heart, and threw the body down the stairs) to terrorize the subjects. ○ Montezuma II ■ greatest empire in history ■ still worried about future ● natural disasters ● comet seen in the sky (a sign that something bad/big will happen) ● Received strange report from eastern coast of Mexico ○ strange white man with chalk faces seen

○ tax collector reported tiny little mountains moving on the sea but never reached the land. ● all these had to do with Aztec legend, Quetzoalta ○ Aztec god left Mexico and has gone east. Predicted Quetzoalta would return and take control of Mexico. ● Montezuma assume all have to do with Quetzoalta’s return, but in fact involved spanish explorers. This greatly impacted reaction of Montezuma when Spanish arrived. Key Terms: Henry 1415 Dias 1487 Ferdinand+Isabella San Salvador Da Gama Montezuma II Cortes Quitlahuas Aztecs’ fall

1492 10/12/1492 1497-1499 1502-1520 1519 1520 8/13/1521...