Anacaona

CONTENT

CULTURAL HERITAGE RECIPES

ECONOMIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A

CULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B

ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C

LANDMARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D

INVENTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E

Aztec economy

Ingredients

Trade
Agriculture

Even though Aztec society became more urban, their economy was based mainly on agriculture and trade, which was provided by the citizens in outlying lands.

Agriculture

Many inhabitants of the Aztec cities were involved in planting, cultivating and harvesting the empire's food. Three crops formed the staples of the Aztec diet : maize/corn, beans and squash. A farming method used was called : Chinampas (or floating garden).

Chinampas weren’t just used for the capital city but throughout the Valley of Mexico around the lake bed. And as the empire grew, more sources of food were required. At that time this meant conquering more land and other times it meant expanding the Chinampas system. Most of the Chinampas have been abandoned and filled in - they weren’t used much after the conquest. Remnants of the canal system can be seen in Xochimilco - it is a popular weekend outing for Mexicans and tourists.

Trade

In the market, farmers and craftsmen presented their goods to about 60,000 village and city residents a day. Goods were bartered, as there was no known currency. The main item used for money was the cocoa bean. The Aztec people also used vegetables and fruits, animals, quachtli, and tajaderas as money when bartering. They traded with other Meso-american cultures. And merchants traveled via rivers and the Pacific to the lands of other tribes.

Of course the Aztecs valued the cacao beans and even demanded it to be part of tribute. They created something called xocolatl (meaning : bitter water) which was a spicy hot chocolate drink popular among the upper class. When the Spanish came, they introduced sugar - and this evolved into the hot chocolates and mochachinos we know today.

(Chinampas : Man-made islands, raised bed garden)

THEN

NOW

(Xocolatl : spicy hot chocolate drink)

(Mochaccino & hot chocolate)

Cultural heritage

Ingredients

Equal voices
Aztec games
Nahua people

Equal voices

The Aztecs taught us that even in a warrior culture such as their world, women have an equal voice. Women were not afraid to speak up. Women ran the markets. Women participated in telling stories and telling poetry. Women were strong. Even Today women are finding their voices and speaking up for equal rights as men.

Nahua people

Are the descendants of the Aztec. More than one-and a half million Nanna live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico earning a living as farmers. Like the Aztec the Nahua people are known for their agricultural pursuits. Through their cultural establishment and heritage of growing food, the Nahua furthered the agrarian societies upon which great empires would be built.

Ancient Aztec clothing

Ancient Aztec clothing, that is the clothing worn by tribes of the Aztec empire, was rich in variety. Aztec clothing was generally loose fitting and did not completely cover the body. Aztec clothes were generally made of cotton or ayate fiber, made from the Maguey Cactus. Because of their vast trading network, the Aztec were able to make use of a beautiful array of dyes, creating the brilliant colours still seen today in Mexico.Today the trend is to use their colours tie dyeing our clothes.

Ancient Aztec games

As any culture, the Aztec had many games and sports. There were games for children, adults, nobles and commoners. Being deeply religious people, their games would often have religious significance.

The Aztec ball game

Ullamaliztli, the famous Aztec ball game was played on the Tlachtli ball court. It was a very difficult game played with a large rubber ball. The game was not just important for entertainment but also political and religion. A form of the Aztec ball game is played today, known as ulama.

Ingredients

Aztec Arts

Montezumas headress
Jewellery
Sculptures

A big part of the Aztecs culture was their religion and we can see that in artifacts and Art created at the time.

They made beautiful sculptures we can still see today such as The Coatlicue statue.

This statue is of an old woman who was a patron of childbirth, welfare and agriculture. She was one of the most feared Gods. We know part of their heritage agriculture which is linked to that statue. Jewellery was an important piece of art and the craftsmen who made it even had their own God. The Aztecs loved shiny, stunning pieces of, but it was mainly only the upper class who wore them.

A major Artifact is Montezuma's headdress. Its size and beauty shows that the ruler was regarded highly and had a lot of power.

The Aztecs had their own calendars, one was called the Tonalpohualli and was used for tracking ceremonies and festivals. They divided the year equally among the Gods to keep the universe in balance. In parts of Mexico there are small indigenous communities that coexist with Christianity (Referred to as Nahua, or contemporary Aztecs) That continue to worship and make offerings to these Gods. The headress is now in a museum in Vienna. Jewellery can be found in Mexico and alot of current day designs are based off the old ones from the Aztec times.

Landmarks

Ingredients

The Templo Mayor was situated in the Aztec Capital Tenochtitlan which was now known today as Mexico City. It was the centre of Aztec religion and many major events such as coronations or human sacrifices. However, today it is a museum where we can go and learn about the history of the Aztecs and their culture.

It was first constructed in 1427 CE during the reign of Itzcoatl and improved upon by his successor Motecuhzoma and then further improved upon by Ahuitzol. Today however many excavations have been done on the pyramid, to reveal different pyramids underneath and to discover treasures that were hidden in it. With these new discoveries, we learn more about Aztec culture.

Some of the artefacts within the pyramid were fine pottery, figurines and a chacmool sculpture (used to burn victims' hearts). New artefacts are being discovered continuously as excavations of the site continue. The artefacts found are placed in the Temple Mayor Museum to be viewed and examined by the public. This link will take you to the website for the Temple Mayor Museum: https://www.templomayor.inah.gob.mx/english

History

Present time

Museum

Recipe Tips

This link will teleport you to a site with extra information on the Templo Mayor:
https://www.worldhistory.org/Templo_Mayor/