Aztec Review

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Across
  1. 3. elite shock troops in the Aztec army / along with Jaguar warriors, they were one of the two highest warrior ranks open to commoners - their rank and status were determined by merit, particularly by their ability to capture enemy warriors / associated with the eagle, a symbol of the sun and strength - the eagle is also on the Mexican flag
  2. 6. Nahuatl word meaning "in the fence of reeds" / technique used in Mesoamerican agriculture, which relies on small areas of fertile, arable land built on the wetlands of a lake or a freshwater swamp
  3. 9. patron god of the Aztecs / god of the sun, war, and sacrifice / his shrine was decorated with skulls and painted red to represent blood / sacrifices were performed to nourish this god and ensure the continuation of the universe
  4. 10. "the Feathered Serpent" / patron of knowledge and learning / Franciscan friars recorded that the last Aztec emperor, Moctezuma, believed that the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes was the fulfillment of a prophecy about the return of this god
  5. 11. aka the Aztec Empire / an alliance of three Nahua city-states including Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan
  6. 12. subregion of North America / consists of seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
  7. 14. Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico / rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire
  8. 15. site of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids, namely the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon / predated the Aztec Empire by many centuries / the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was modeled after this city, which was also located in the Valley of Mexico
  9. 17. human blood was considered a "_________ _________" and was seen as a vital offering to the gods / spilling the blood of victims on temple altars was believed to keep the sun moving and to prevent the end of the universe
Down
  1. 1. identified by their jaguar-skin costumes and headdresses - they believed the animal's strengths would be given to them during battles / fought with wooden clubs, studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades / also used spears and atlatls / to join this military elite, a member of the Aztec army had to capture a total of four enemies that would sacrificed to the Aztec gods - this was said to honor their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield
  2. 2. lake within the Valley of Mexico / the Mexica built Tenochtitlan on an island on the western side of this lake / drained after the Spanish conquest - the entire lake basin is now completely occupied by Mexico city
  3. 4. capital city of the Aztec Empire / built on an island in what was then Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico / was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas at its peak / captured by the Tlaxcallans and the Spanish in 1521
  4. 5. historical region and cultural area that begins with the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America / defined by a mosaic of cultural traits developed and shared by the many indigenous societies that flourished there before the Spanish colonization
  5. 7. Aztec god of rain / associated with fertility and agriculture / his origins can be traced back to Teotihuacan, the Olmec, and the Maya civilizations
  6. 8. spoken in central Mexico since at least the seventh century CE / language of the Mexica
  7. 13. his name is interpreted as "he who is angry in a noble manner" / ninth emperor of the Aztec Empire / killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest
  8. 16. aka corn / the most important staple crop for the Aztecs / used to create a variety of foods like tortillas, tamales, and other dishes / played a key role in Aztec rituals, myths, and celebrations