~Ancient Civilizations~

The Aztecs
Answer Key
Aztec Map Skills
Directions: Locate the area of the Aztec civilization on the map below. Shade in the area
with a colored pencil. Label at least one major city with a dot and its name. Also, label any
natural features (bodies of water, mountains, rivers, etc.) that are around the area.

The Aztecs lived

approximately in this area.
Surrounding the city of
Tenochtitlan is Lake Texcoco.

Aztec Vocabulary Words

Directions: Write the definition to each vocabulary word. If possible, draw a picture to go
along with your definition.

Important Word

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Definition

Picture (if possible)

A raised road across

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Causeway

a body of water

The Aztec god who told the

Aztecs to settle where they
saw an eagle sitting on a cactus
with a serpent in its mouth

Quetzalcoatl

Tribute

A tribute is another word for taxes.

The Aztec ruler would collect
tribute from the enemies that they
conquered.

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Aztec sun god; the Aztec sacrificed

humans to please this god and to
make the sun rise each day.

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Huitzilopochtli

Spanish conquistador who came to

Tenochtitlan in 1519 and conquered
the Aztec people

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Cortes

Island gardens for growing crops

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Chinampa

Aztec Calendar

One calendar, called the

xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It
describes the days and rituals
related to the seasons. The other
calendar has 260 days.

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Location
Directions: Fill in the table below about the Aztec civilization. Try to include as much detail
as you can.

Important Word

Definition

Continent civilization
is located on

North America

Country/Countries today
where civilization lived

Mexico

Important city/cities
of civilization

Tenochtitlan

Overall landscape of
civilization (mountains,

Valley; Swampy island; Lake Texcoco

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rivers, lakes, etc.)

Understanding Aztec Human Sacrifice

Category

WHO

WHERE

WHEN

WHAT

WHY

Two Details
The Aztec would conquer new areas and would
find victims to sacrifice. These people were
sometimes called flowers and the wars were
called flower wars. Oftentimes warriors were
sacrificed. Sometimes it was seen as an honor.
Priests would do the sacrificing.
Sacrifices would take place at religious temples,
especially for Huitzilopochtli. Some Spanish
records say the heads of sacrificed people were
rolled down the stairs.
Sacrifices took place multiple times a day,
sometimes even multiple times an hour. Once
source says they took place from midday to
sunset.
A priest would use a sacrificial knife and take out
the heart of the victim and offer the heart to the
gods.
The Aztec sacrificed to honor their gods. They
believed if they stopped, the sun would not have
the strength to rise and that would cause their
crops to fail. Historians think rulers may have
enforced sacrifice to control the population.

European Influences
Directions: Your job is to research and answer the questions below on how European
explorers influenced and the lives of the Aztec civilization.
1. What was the name of any famous European explorer who came in contact with the
Aztec civilization? When did this person arrive in The New World? What country did
the person come from?
Hernando Cortes was an explorer that came in contact with the Aztec. He arrived in
Mexico in 1519. He came from Spain.
2. What were the effects on the people when this explorer came in contact with them?
What happened to the Aztec civilization?
Europeans brought disease like Smallpox from their homelands that greatly
decimated the Aztec population. The European conquistadors conquered the Aztec
people in 1521 and built Mexico City on top of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The
Aztecs were forced to either move away or live like the Spaniards.
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3. What advantages did the European explorers have over the Aztec people?
The Spaniards had many advantages over the Aztecs. They had superior weapons
such as steel armor and swords. The Spaniards also had horses which were an
advantage to have in battles. They also had an unfair advantage of the diseases
they brought to the area that killed many of the people.

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