1. the Aztec Empire Is Located in What Two Modern Countries?

Name ______Date ______Period _____

Aztec Video Guide

1. The Aztec empire is located in what two modern countries?

I. II.

2. What was the Aztec capital city called? ______

3. How many people lived in the Aztec capital city? ______

4. The Aztecs are famous for sacrificing humans; however the Aztecs had a complex culture. Explain two important idea advancements that the Aztec culture used and were involved in accomplishing that historians would point to in an argument for why the Aztecs were a sophisticated culture.

I.

II.

5. What does it mean when historians describe the Aztecs as a society that tribute based empire?

6. What was the goal of Aztec warrior in battle? ______

7. How did people in the Aztec empire respond when they were chosen to be sacrificed?

8. When European outsiders first interacted with the Aztec culture they saw some rituals that lead them to calling the Aztec culture barbaric. Explain two parts of Aztec culture that Europeans saw as barbaric and use the words ‘flay’ and ‘cannibal’ in your response.

9. Describe the ceremony that was performed every 52 years by the Aztecs. Give specific details about what happened and why it was important.

10. Describe the ancient prophecy that lead to the destruction of the Aztecs? (Spelling help? - Quetzalcoatl) ;)

11. Who was the famous conquistador that encountered the Aztec culture? ______

12. Who was the Aztec king when the Spanish arrived? ______

13. What are two reasons that the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish?

I. ______

II. ______

14. How did the Spanish Catholics view the Aztec religion? ______

15. What did the Spanish leave that was much more dangerous than their swords? ______

16. Respond to the following question with an argumentative thesis: “How should people in the modern day world evaluate the Aztec civilization of the past?”