TABLE OF CONTENTS I Building an Empire.............................................................................. 1 Adapting to the Land.............................................................................. 1 Rising Power.......................................................................................... 2 II Living in the Empire............................................................................ 4 Social Classes........................................................................................ 4 Trade and Markets................................................................................. 5 Cultural Achievements........................................................................... 6 III Fighting for the Gods.......................................................................... 7 Human Sacrifices................................................................................... 7 War and Religion................................................................................... 8 The Aztec's Conflicts............................................................................. 9 & 10 Building and Empire Nobody actually knows the exact reason why all of the Aztecs moved to the place called the Valley of Mexico. Maybe the reason why they moved there was because they were attracted to the valley's climate and also the fertile soil. The high altitude gave the valley a very mild climate. By the time that all of the Aztecs arrived in the valley of Mexico in about the early 1300's, a lot of the powerful tribes had already taken all of the fertile lands in that area. So they settled on a very soggy, and uninhabited, island in the lake Texcoco.
Aztec empire on the eve of the Spanish Invasion
Aztec Calendar
English: Model depicting the first lake battle bet...The whole island was around 12 miles in square size.
Adapting to the Land The future did not look very good for the Aztecs. One reason was because the land that was on their island was almost mostly swamp, and they couldn't grow crops like corn for food or cotton for any kind of clothing. Also all of the timber and stone that they needed to build for huts was hardly even seen on that small island. However, the Aztec learned to use almost anything that they had around them and took advantage of those items. They used staff like reeds and mud from the swamps to make huts. They caught birds and fish that lived in the island or even in the water around it and than ate them. By looking and listening to all of the many tribes that were living around...