Ancient History Resources for Homeschool and Personal Study. This weeks topics: the Tenochca, Education, Warfare and Tenochtitlan

Ancient History is studied through the collection of archeological evidence, written records and oral stories or myths. Just because evidence shows a particular belief or custom was common at a particular time does not mean that everyone in that civilization shared that belief. When you study the topics for this week, you can either go deep on one topic for the week and skip the others or you can do a new topic each day. This outline is just a suggested pace, you can go slower or faster as needed. This outline is intended to provide you with a place to start. You will still need to do your own research.

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Homeschool Topics for Week 31

The Tenochca

Education in the Aztec Civilization

Warfare

Tenochtitlan

Discussion Questions

The Tenochca

The Aztecs referred to themselves as Tenochca or Mexica, people of the North. They imagined their origins in a land of cactus. They emerged from a flower-shaped womb or cave and migrated South. According to one source, when they arrived in the new land, "the Mexica hired themselves out as mercenaries in wars between Nahuas, breaking the balance of power between city states. Eventually they gained enough glory to receive royal marriages." In time they dominated Central America. Source
You can view an ancient depiction of this origin story here with interpretive text.

Education in the Aztec Civilization

Formal education began outside the home at age 14. There were two tracks - the training of leaders and warriors and the apprenticeship in a trade. The leadership education began with "cold baths in the morning, hard work, physical punishment, bleeding with maguey thorns and endurance tests—with the purpose of forming a stoical people." This formal education, only open to nobility, was called the "calmecac." Commoners learned a trade or craft. Girls were not taught to read or write - only to do domestic chores. Source

Warfare

The Aztecs believed that the moon and stars were created by a divine act of fratricide when Huitzliopochtli, the sun god, killed his siblings. This rivalry was repeated daily as the sun and the moon battled for control of the sky. The winter solstice was the beginning of the years' war campaigns. Fallen warriors accompanied the sun on his journey and were reincarnated as hummingbirds. Hummingbirds were caught and sacrificed to the gods. A piece of amazing Aztec art is the shield decorated with colored feathers. The flowery wars were agreed upon battles where the loser gave up warriors to be sacrificed to the gods. "One Aztec general, named Tlacaelel, likened this process to shopping in a market and stated that the victims should be as easy to pick up as tortillas." Source Mark Cartright

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztecs. It was built on an island in the middle of a lake. Two aqueducts provided the city with fresh water. The royal palace of Moctezuma had a zoo, an aquarium, an aviary and a botanical garden. The center of the city was the temple complex. The gods of conquered people were brought to the temple at Tenochtitlan to show symbolically who had the most power.

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