What was unique about Tenochtitlan?
The small natural island was perpetually enlarged as an artificial island as Tenochtitlan grew to become the largest and most powerful city in Mesoamerica. Commercial routes were developed that brought goods from places as far as the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and perhaps even the Inca Empire.
What made Tenochtitlan such an amazing city?
Tenochtitlán was an Aztec city that flourished between A.D. 1325 and 1521. Built on an island on Lake Texcoco, it had a system of canals and causeways that supplied the hundreds of thousands of people who lived there.
Who destroyed Tenochtitlan?
Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city. Cortés’s victory destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control over what became the colony of New Spain.
Why was Tenochtitlan destroyed?
Lacking food and ravaged by smallpox disease earlier introduced by one of the Spaniards, the Aztecs, now led by Cuauhtemoc, finally collapsed after 93 days of resistance on the fateful day of 13th of August, 1521 CE. Tenochtitlan was sacked and its monuments destroyed.
What did the Aztecs eat?
The Aztec diet was dominated by fruit and vegetables, as domesticated animals were limited to dogs, turkeys (totolin), ducks, and honey bees. Game (especially rabbits, deer and wild pigs), fish, birds, salamanders, algae (used to make cakes), frogs, tadpoles and insects were also a valuable food source.
Are there any Aztec ruins left?
The best-known remaining Aztec site is the Templo Mayor in Mexico City. Although much of the capital of Mexico was built over the Aztec capital city, the Templo Mayor ruins remain.
Is Mexico a Mayan or Aztec?
The Aztecs were Nahuatl-speaking people who lived in central Mexico in the 14th to 16th centuries. Their tribute empire spread throughout Mesoamerica. The Maya people lived in southern Mexico and northern Central America — a wide territory that includes the entire Yucatán Peninsula — from as early as 2600 BC.
Why did the Aztecs build Tenochtitlan on a lake?
Tenochtitlan, the biggest Aztec city, was built on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs didn’t have any farmland, so they devised a way to create their own farmland, called chinampas. The mud that the Aztecs used to build the chinampas had lot of fertilizer for growing crops.
How did the Aztecs build a city in the center of a lake?
It was built on an island in the middle of a lake. The Aztecs built causeways, or raised roads across water or wet ground, so people could access the city. The gods told the Aztecs to search for an eagle holding a snake in its beak perched atop a cactus. This is where they were to build their capital city.
How did the Aztecs build causeways?
The Aztecs built causeways by using a foundation of wooden stakes, rocks and clay covered with a puzzle-like layer of fitted wood pieces. The upper layer provided a firm foundation and made it possible for the Aztecs to quickly disassemble the causeways if the city came under attack.
Are causeways man made?
Originally, the construction of a causeway utilised earth that had been trodden upon to compact and harden it as much as possible, one layer at a time, often by slaves or flocks of sheep. Today, this work is done by machines.
What made the Aztecs a great civilization?
Their relatively sophisticated system of agriculture (including intensive cultivation of land and irrigation methods) and a powerful military tradition would enable the Aztecs to build a successful state, and later an empire.
Where were the Aztecs told to build their capital quizlet?
When did they start building it? Tenochtitlán was the capital of the Aztecs and it was located on a small island in Lake Texcoco, in the valley of Mexico. The Aztecs started building the Tenochtitlán in 1345. The modern day location is Mexico City.
What did Aztecs demand from people they conquered?
What did the Aztecs demand of cities they defeated? Aztecs demanded that you pay tribute, honor huitzopochti, promise obedience to their ruler, but otherwise they lived the same. This made it easy for the Aztecs to rule, but the conquered people never thought of themselves as true Aztecs and wanted freedom.
What made it easier for Cortes to conquer the Aztecs?
Hernan Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec Empire by scaring the natives with the 16 horses, gaining alliances with the other enemies of the Aztec, having superior and better weapons than the natives (like guns), having armor, and having steel.
What did the Aztecs demand from their conquered people?
The Aztecs demanded that the city pay tribute, promise to obey the Aztec ruler, and honor the Aztec god. One disadvantage was that most conquered people never felt any allegiance to the Aztecs, they resented paying tribute, and this led to a lack of unity in the empire.
Did the Spaniards enslave the Aztecs?
The Spanish army had help in sacking the city. Though Cortés enslaved much of the native population, other indigenous groups were fundamental to his success, according to Cosme. “The Aztecs were not always popular rulers among their subjected cities.
What made the Aztec empire strong and rich?
Many merchants doubled as spies, keeping the rulers informed about what was happening in their lands. War, tribute, and trade made the Aztec Empire strong and rich. By the early 1400s the Aztecs ruled the most powerful state in Mesoamerica.
How did the Aztecs keep their gods happy?
The Aztecs built temples to honor their gods. Temples provided a place for the music of worship, a place for the private ceremony of personal bloodletting, and a place to conduct the many human sacrifices that the Aztecs believed were necessary to keep their gods happy.