The Aztecs believed in many gods.  They believed they controlled nature and watched over their crops.  Aztecs believed the gods needed rest just like people.  They had two gods of war - one for wars during the day and one for wars fought during the night.  This way, one could sleep while the other watched over Aztec warriors.  Warriors were brave and confident about war at all times because they had a well rested god helping them.  

They built temples to honor the gods and the priests spent their time planning activities to make the gods happy.  Human sacrifice was used as well as prayer.  Aztecs thought if they did not sacrifice to the gods they would be punished.  In fact, they were terrified of what could happen if the gods were angry.  Human blood was spread all over the steps of the main temple and rotting skulls from the dead were hung to honor the gods.  The human heart was burned during the sacrifice.   We will read more about sacrifice later.

The afterlife was just as important as when you were alive. Every Aztec that died was given a job to do that helped a god.  Your job usually depended on how you died.  

Aztec homes depended on how much money or status you had.  

Rich - The rich lived in homes built of sun-dried brick and sometimes stone.  They added a coating of white wash to make them sparkle in the sun.  Rich houses had four or more separate rooms.  Feathers were a sign of importance so they used them to decorate their house.  Steam baths were popular for the rich too.  They had a separate room for this and poured water over hot stones to make the steam (like a modern sauna).  They could afford more furniture and obviously had more room to put it.

Poor - The poor people were mostly farmers.  Poor farmers lived in small huts made of sticks or tree limbs with thatched roofs.  The thatched roof was made of leaves or grass.  This small hut was often only one or two rooms.  Poor people had little furniture or belongings and no place to put them anyway since their houses were so small.  Woven mats and baskets was usually all they could afford.  Outside their house was always a garden because it was cheaper to grow your own food.  They never had feathers for decoration because that was for the rich people and they could rarely afford it anyway.

The Aztec did not have cows, sheep, or goats. There was no way to let these animals graze on the floating chinampas they used for crops.  Instead, they hunted ducks, turkeys, and other birds. They also ate lots of fish from nearby lakes. These and growing beans provided them with protein.  They ate beans with almost every meal. Beans are high in protein and this was important since they did not have a lot of meat. 

They did grow gardens and other crops (on the chinampas we read about).  They grew corn, tomatoes, squash and many other fruits.  They made lots of stews (soups) with their vegetables. Flatbread and tortillas were also popular.  Food was very spicy since they put chilis into almost everything.  Honey was also a seasoning they used to sweeten their food.

The Aztecs were also "creative" with their diet. They ate insects like grasshoppers, ants, and crickets.   They also dined on lizard, frog, and salamander. They even skimmed algae off lakes to make into a dish that tasted like cheese bread.

The Aztec played a ball game very similar to the Maya.  We know this because ball courts were also found near their temples & pyramids.  Archaeologists believe they played the game in much of the same way the Mayans did - with a hard, rubber ball, not using their hands, and trying to get it inside a small hoop.

Another popular sport was called Volador or the flying bird game.  Players wore costumes designed with beaks, feathers, and other features to make them look like a bird.  These costumes were colorful and heavy. Players competed to see who was the best "flying bird".

They climbed a 60-90 foot pole.  Then, had ropes tied to the top of the pole.  Amateurs or beginners tied the rope to their feet and tried to soar through the air like a bird.  An expert or professional would show off their skills with a more difficult version.  They would "hang onto this rope" with their legs, ankles, or feet.  The rope wasn't tied to them.  Points were given for speed, style, and costume design.  If the costume was made properly and they could hang on, the contestant looked like a bird flying through the sky.  Spectators gathered to watch this dangerous sport and they respected the athletes very much since it was extremely dangerous.  Today, well-trained Mexican acrobats perform this type of show for entertainment.

On your notes write four things that are similar and four things that are different than school at Haysville West.

Aztec schools offered all children an education.  Everyone had to go - even girls and slaves had to attend, it was mandatory just like it is for us.  School was tough.  There was no recess or time to relax in school.  So the Aztecs could forget fun things like Go Do It or PE.  Even though school was tough, Aztec kids still got to learn about song and dance because they were important to religious festivals they held.  Religion was also part of their daily school routine, but here at HWMS we do not have organized prayer in class.  Luckily, we still have classes that teach singing, band, and sports.

Aztecs had three different schools:  one was for girls and two were for boys.  The Aztec boys and girls never went to school together.  In Aztec schools children stayed the night at school - like college in the US.  Separation from their family was thought to make more focused students and better learners.

Girls' school was for learning how to cook and sew, weave clothes, and care for children.  Their goal was to learn all about taking care of the house.  At HWMS we focus more on math and reading for everyone.  However, at HWMS we do have sewing and cooking classes you can take for fun called FACS in 8th grade.

Sons of the rich people had a special school.  In this school boys learned about law, history, writing, and medicine. They were also taught how to speak well in public.  This school was tough.  The students were often humiliated and made fun of to toughen them up.  These boys might later in life become a priest, scribe, medicine man, or important government worker.  Sons of the poor people had a different school.  The main goal of this school was to train farmers.   They very rarely learned how to read and write because this wasn't needed if you were a farmer.  Students were given a skimpy blanket to sleep at night and hard bread to eat.

All Aztec schools taught kids how to behave.  They had very, very strict rules about behavior.   It was the law to follow them or you could be beaten or killed.  Here are a few below:

* Never make fun of other people

* Do not complain

* Only rich people (king, his relatives, and priests) can carry a fan with feathers

 The Aztec used pictures for words that they put into books or pages about their life.  Most of what we know about the Aztecs comes from these books they left behind. These pages were called a codex.  Archaeologists managed to figure out the picture symbols and have learned a lot about them.  They spoke a language called Nahuatl and the words avocado, chocolate, and tomato come from this ancient language. 

Everyone in the empire had to give a tribute or tax to the king.  It was usually part of a crop grown since most people were farmers.  This tax was used to trade with other tribes which helped make the Aztec empire rich and strong.  The king then used these riches to build roads, train an army, build temples, and pay teachers.

The Aztec believed in many gods and thought that human blood kept their gods happy.  They sacrificed as many as 30,000 people in one year.  The special ceremony was done on the temple steps by priests.  They cut out the still beating human heart and offered it up.  They placed it in a bowl and burned it.  Sacrifice was practiced almost daily.  Usually the victims were from neighboring tribes they conquered.

Laws were very strict in the Aztec empire and even included laws pertaining to how you could act or treat others.  You were not allowed to complain about the government, make fun of others, or interrupt others while they were speaking.  Punishment was for crimes was always harsh.  For example, if you were caught stealing the Aztecs cut off your hand.  The death penalty was used often.  As a result, there was little crime in the Aztec empire.