All About , livre ebook

Andrews UK - S Quick P

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

80 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

This fantastic book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, describes what life was like for the Aztecs. It gives an in-depth account of all aspects of life and people of the time - including sections about the city of Tenochtitlan, religion and gods, Aztec law and many more. The 'All About' series is an educational collection of books from P S Quick, and is targeted to interest 7 to 11 year olds - but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

Informations

Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	05 mars 2015
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781783336081
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0150€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Title Page
ALL ABOUT
AWESOME AZTECS
P S Quick

Publisher Information
Published in 2014 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of P S Quick to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2014 P S Quick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Introduction
This fantastic book, filled with amazing facts and photographs, describes what life was like for the Aztecs. It gives an in-depth account of all aspects of life and people of the time - including sections about the city of Tenochtitlan, religion and gods, Aztec law and many more.
The ‘All About’ series is an educational collection of books from P S Quick, and is targeted to interest 7 to 11 year olds - but will fascinate readers of all ages. At the end of each book there is a quiz section for the reader, featuring 150 questions and answers.

Early Mexican Civilizations
The people who lived from the earliest times in ancient Mexico had many things in common although each had their own distinct features.
One of the earliest civilizations of Mexico was thought to be the Olmecs who lived there from about 1200 BC to 400 BC. There are few written records about them but they are well known for the gigantic stone heads found in the area that probably represented their rulers.
The Olmecs carved stone and jade, had elaborate water and drainage systems in their main city, and traded with people who lived far away. It is believed that their culture, religion and inventions such as the calendar and ball game, influenced not only the civilizations that followed them but also that of Mexican life today.
The Zapotecs were remembered for building the first real city on a flattened mountain top in the middle of a valley around 500 BC. They also had their own writing system as well as buildings from where they watched the skies.

Olmec warrior head
The Maya civilization had existed for many years but was at its strongest from about 250 AD to 900 AD. The Mayas built not only sculptures but also temples and massive stone pyramids. They were famous for their mathematics and astronomy and used a picture form of writing called ‘hieroglyphics’ to record their findings. They are also remembered for their art and architecture.
The Toltecs, with their capital city at Tula, were at their strongest between 900 AD and 1200 AD and were one of the great empires before the Aztecs. Little is known about them because the Aztecs destroyed much of the historical evidence by using stones from their ruined buildings to build their own cities, although the ruins of Tula can still be seen today. We know they were war like people as statues of their warriors have been found. Much of what we know is from legends passed down to later civilizations.
The Aztec civilisation that followed is probably the best known Mexican civilization. It is neither the oldest nor the longest lasting but is still a fascinating one, supported by a wealth of evidence that helps us to understand how these people lived.
The empire became the most powerful kingdom that had ever existed in Central America even though it had very humble beginnings. It covered a huge area which stretched from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico and from Central Mexico to the land that is Guatemala today. It might have become even bigger had it not been invaded by the Spanish in 1519.
The Aztec empire was different from other empires such as the Roman Empire because they did not rule over the other nations from one city. Instead the empire was more like a collection of states, called city-states, with the people living in them being forced to pay goods as tributes, like a tax, to the Aztec emperor.

The Aztecs Arrive in the Valley of Mexico
The Aztecs called themselves ‘Mexica’ [pronounced ‘Me-shee-ka’] and were a poor wandering tribe who left their homeland in the north to find a new home around 1000 AD. They moved homes many times over the next two hundred years until they finally founded the city of Tenochtitlan and settled down.
Although some of the recounts of their travels are legends, such as the island called ‘Aztlan’ where they once lived, there is also evidence to show these journeys took place. The story of their travels is also told in several painted folding books called ‘codices’ in which the Mexica or Aztecs are shown carrying their god Huitzilopochtli [ say wheat-zil-o-poch-tlee ].
The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico around 1200 AD. They found a valley surrounded by high mountains with marshy lakes that had been formed by the water running from them. There were animals, fish, plants, water to drink and many other natural resources which provided all the things they needed.
Many other tribes had also left the north because there was a great drought so by the time the Aztecs arrived much of the better land had been claimed. They first settled on the hill of Chapultepec [Grasshopper Hill] but are said to have sacrificed the king’s daughter who had been given them to worship as a goddess. This caused a great battle and they were driven out of Chapultepec again wandering for weeks looking for a place to settle.

Map showing Aztec migration
Legend says that their leader Tenoch had a vision in which the god Huitzilopochtli told him to look for an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake in its beak near a rock surrounded by water. When they saw the eagle they settled on the marshy islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco; land that was so poor no one else really wanted it.

The City of Tenochtitlan
The city of Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325 and eventually became the capital of the Aztec Empire. Although it was originally a poor place to settle the Aztecs turned it into a city rather like Venice is today.
They extended their small island by driving wooden stakes into the lake bed and binding the stakes firmly together so they could fill the enclosure with mud and create more islands. The islands were known as ‘Chinampas’.
In between the islands were canals on which people travelled and transported their goods. They built canoes so they could fish and hunt birds that lived near the water. Travelling around the city was easy but being surrounded by water also served as a protection from enemy attacks.
Much of the land was marshy and wet so they also built three main causeways which led from the island city to the mainland. There were also bridges built into these causeways so that small craft could pass under them. Talented engineers and builders, together with the traders who lived there, worked hard to make Tenochtitlan a great city.
To protect the city from flooding and keep the water fresh the Aztecs built a dike that was ten miles long to seal off part of the lake. They built two aqueducts to take this fresh water right into the city where the people lived.
Many activities took place in the centre of the city where there were huge temples and beautiful plazas which were like huge meeting places and where the markets were held. There were also schools for the nobles, the priest’s living quarters and ball courts in the city centre.
The Aztec Emperors built their palaces near the temples. They were magnificent stone buildings with up to fifty rooms surrounded by gardens and ponds.
The tallest building in the city was a stepped pyramid called the ‘Templo Mayor’ which had two temples on the top dedicated to their two main gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. The temple was rebuilt many times.
By the mid fifteenth century Tenochtitlan was the largest city in the world at that time, having a population of over 200,000 people. Some historians believe there to have been as many as 300,000 people living there.
When the Spanish invaded they destroyed most of Tenochtitlan’s buildings but archaeologists have discovered the ruins of the city near the centre of the modern Mexico City, which has covered up the lakes. All that is left of the lakes are small pockets of water and underground waterways. These have caused problems for modern citizens because their city is gradually sinking.

Model of Templo Mayor
When the Spanish soldiers arrived in the city in the early sixteenth century they could not believe what they found. They had never seen such a large market place with so many people buying and selling goods.
They were amazed to see the variety of things that could be bought such as medicines, herbs, all kinds of food including meat and game, pottery, mats and even paints for the artists - not to mention chocolate! They were fascinated to find such a clean city that even had hairdressers and restaurants with people bartering for the goods rather than paying with money.

Government
The Aztec Empire was made up of city-states. A city-state was a city, together with the land and villages around it that had its own government. These city- states were often allowed to be independent as long as they paid a tribute or tax to the emperor. A tribute would be a gift to show respect and gratitude such as food, clothing, jewels or gold.
The emperor was the most important ruler of the empire and was like a king. The Aztecs called their ruler the Huey Tlatoani whic