Across
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 11. aka the Aztec Empire / an alliance of three Nahua city-states including Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan
- 12. subregion of North America / consists of seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
- 14. Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico / rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire
- 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
- 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. 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. 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
- 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
- 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
- 7. Aztec god of rain / associated with fertility and agriculture / his origins can be traced back to Teotihuacan, the Olmec, and the Maya civilizations
- 8. spoken in central Mexico since at least the seventh century CE / language of the Mexica
- 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
- 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