Aztecs. The. and their inventions. Click here to navigate to the History with Mr. E Social Studies Store!

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1 and their inventions Click here to navigate to the History with Mr. E Social Studies Store! Click here for I Can Statements and Logs! Click here to integrate math, map, and geography products! Click here for Interactive Student Notebooks!

2 Instructions: 1.) This activity is fairly straightforward, however please feel free to modify or tweak to meet your needs. 2.) I typically place the four different exhibits around the room (maybe 8 exhibits, 2 for each station to help with traffic) and have students navigate around the room to try to complete their handout. 3.) Students should read through the invention sheet and try to figure out which box is the focus of their invention. n, they should complete the short assignment for the invention in the box. y are fairly easy to figure out as they focus on key words. 4.) re is an alternate paper that you can use as well -- it provides more space for student answers and even a space to sketch out the invention. This will need to be copied front and back. re is also a key included on the last page to help you out! 5.) Finally, I included a writing assignment that I like to do once students finish - they have the choice which invention is their favorite and write a journal entry where they are involved with the invention! 6.) Enjoy!

3 F L O A T I N G G A R D E N S Land throughout the Aztec empire was not rich farmland. In fact, since the empire s capital was located on an island, Tenochtitlan, much of the land was swampy and flooded very easily. However, the continued to find innovative ways to grow their own food; they were successful too, since at their height the were able to feed the residents of Tenochtitlan with an astonishing 88 million pounds of corn each year. This amazing feat was no accident! Instead, it was the result of a brilliant invention known as a chinampa, or floating garden. In a chinampa, the grew corn, beans, squash, and even raised animals like chickens and turkeys! Chinampas were difficult to create, but once established they provided the flat, fertile land that the desired. To create these agricultural wonders, areas of approximately 90 feet by 8 feet (27.4 meters by 2.4 meters) were staked out in the lake. n, these stakes were joined by poles intertwined with reeds, twigs and branches to create a box-like enclosure. This rectangular enclosure was then filled with mud, rocks, and other decaying matter to raise it above the surface of the lake. Trees were planted around the border to help anchor the floating garden to the bottom of the sea or stream. To provide essential nutrients to their crops, the used human manure as fertilizer. This also helped to keep the city clean since waste was dumped here! Can you point out the chinampas in these pictures?

4 U N I V E R S A L E D U C A T I O N Are you sick and tired of being forced to attend school every day? Well, you can blame the! It was this civilization who first developed a system of compulsory education for all of their children. Aztec children began their education at home. Girls learned domestic chores from their mothers while boys were taught skilled trades by their fathers. Boys were also expected to become warriors in the Aztec army. In order to prepare the young fighters for this mighty task they often had to endure exposure to extreme temperatures. believed this helped boys develop a heart of stone, called yolteotl. Do you like singing in the school choir? Well, the did! From around age 12 to 15, all children were required to attend cuicacalli, a school where students learned ceremonial songs, chants, and studied the history of the Aztec people. To ensure all children were in attendance, elders escorted the young scholars to and from school everyday. Schooling ended for girls around the age of 15, but continued until around age 20 for boys. Following cuicacalli, boys would continue their learning at a school known as telpochcalli. Here, boys studied military fighting techniques. boys who demonstrated the best leadership qualities were pegged to follow coursework designed for future generals. Whereas these boys education focused solely on military training, wealthy sons attended a different school called calmécac. Here, these boys had their military training enhanced with a study of the humanities such as architecture, math, painting and history. It was from the calmécac that priests and government officials were often chosen from. Which of the Aztec schools is this picture showing?

5 S O C C E R Called ollama by the, this precursor to modern-day soccer (or called football by most the world) was one of the greatest Aztec inventions. game was played on a field known as a tlachtli. tlachtli was in the shape of an I and had high walls on all sides that were around 15 feet tall. Near the top of these walls were two stone rings; these rings were believed to represent sunrise and sunset. goal of ollama was to throw a small rubber ball, which represented the moon, through the stone rings using only one s hips, elbows, knees, and feet. Playing ollama could be extremely dangerous since the Aztec aggressive and warlike nature permeated into everyday life. contestants wore protective gear because violent collisions were common. During halftime or intermission, the frequently performed human sacrifices to please the Sun God. Too, an ollama match often ended with the members of the losing team being decapitated. Because of its brutal ending, many believe that ollama was not so much a game as it was a way to settle long-standing disagreements between families or neighboring tribes. A citizen who was not playing in an ollama match could still be involved by gambling on the outcome. In fact, Aztec children were frequently warned about not only becoming addicted to playing ollama but also gambling on its outcome. Ancient reports exist that tell of Aztec citizens betting so heavily on the game that they were forced to sell themselves into slavery to pay their debts! Do these images make sense now that you know about ollama?

6 R E D One of the lesser-known inventions that the brought to the world was a simple color: red. Prior to the Spanish arrival in South America, and their ensuing conquest of the in the early 16th century, Europe and the eastern hemisphere had never seen anything dyed with the bright, vibrant hue we associate with red. most related color that could be produced in Europe was with a plant extract known as madder red. This produced a color that was more pale than the Aztec red. When the Spanish saw the Aztec shade of red they instantly became mesmerized. Do you know what made the Aztec shade of red so different from what the Europeans experienced? It is simple - it comes from a tiny insect known as the cochineal beetle. cochineal is a tiny beetle that lives strictly on the prickly pear cacti, a type of cactus, native to modern day Mexico and the American southwest. Roughly twenty-five percent of the beetle s body consists of carminic acid - this acid is what produces the red dye. While this is the source of red dye, do you have any idea how many bugs are needed to produce an adequate amount to dye clothing? Aztec designers needed around 70,000 insects to produce just one pound of red dye! Spanish believed this dye would be a valuable commodity back in Europe. y immediately began exporting this liquid gold back to Europe where it became a staple in their economy for over 300 years. dye became so expensive that it was only used for royal matters. Red robes worn by the Catholic cardinals and the red coats of officers in the British army are some of the items that used this dye. Today, the dye from the cochineal beetle is still used as red food coloring!

7 Name Period Directions: Navigate around the room to uncover four major inventions created by the. As you read about each invention, figure out which box this invention belongs in and complete its short assignment! Invention: _ cuicacalli: telpochcalli: calmécac: Invention: chinampas: How would a chinampa be built? What dual-purpose function did the chinampa serve? Why wouldn t Aztec children be late to (or miss) school? Invention: Invention: and their inventions ollama: Describe three things you might notice when watching ollama: 1.) 2.) 3.) How was Ollama was an important part of Aztec life? Cochineal: Why were the Spanish so enthralled with this discovery? How was this invention used in Europe?

8 Name Period Directions: Now that you have learned about four of the greatest Aztec inventions, which one is your favorite? Imagine you are a child in an Aztec family and you are writing a daily journal entry where you describe an interaction with this invention! For example, are you watching an ollama match? Maybe you are attending a class in cuicacalli? Perhaps you are making red dye from the cochineal beetle? Or maybe you are building or caring for a chinampa? Whatever you choose as your favorite, be sure to include at least FOUR essential details about the invention. To make it clear what you are considering as essential details, underline each detail as you use it! Date: Sincerely,

9 Name Period Directions: Navigate around the room to uncover four major inventions created by the. As you read about each invention, figure out which box this invention belongs in and fill complete its short assignment! Invention: cuicacalli: _ Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption! telpochcalli: _ calmécac: _ Why wouldn t Aztec children be late to (or miss) school? Invention: Caption: and their inventions Invention: Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption! chinampas: How would a chinampa be built? What dual-purpose function did the chinampa serve? _ Caption:

10 Invention: ollama: Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption! Describe three things you might notice when watching ollama: 1.) 2.) 3.) Ollama was an important piece of Aztec life. How do you know? Caption: Invention: and their inventions Invention: Cochineal: Sketch a picture of this major Aztec invention and be sure to include a caption! Why were the Spanish so enthralled with this discovery? How was this invention used in Europe? Caption:

11 KEY Name Period Invention: Universal Education cuicacalli: school for children aged where students learned songs, chants, and studied history Invention: Floating Garden chinampas: a floating garden type structure built to create level, fertile soil in the Aztec swampy land HOw would a chinampa be built? telpochcalli: military schools for boys from 15 to 20. focused of military training and as a place to pick young leaders for military positions calmécac: military school for wealthy students that also taught advanced subjects, like math, painting, history, and architecture. Why wouldn t Aztec children be late to (or miss) school? because the elders walked them to and from school! no skipping school! Invention: Soccer area in swamp or still-water area would be staked off, then filled in between the stakes with sticks, mud, rocks to build up the ground. the enclosure was then leveled and was used to plant crops and raise animals What dual-purpose function did the chinampa serve? human waste was used as fertilizer, so crops benefited from the nutrients and the people were able to easily dispose of their waste. and their inventions Invention: Color Red ollama: precursor to modern-day soccer. Game played in a I shaped field with stone rings on the upper sides. Players tried to get a rubber ball through rings. Describe three things you might notice when watching ollama: 1.) - aggressive, war-like behavior - beheading of the loser 2.) - wearing of protective gear - a dispute being settled 3.) - people gambling or placing bets Ollama was an important piece of Aztec life. How do you know? losers were beheaded; people often gambled away children; it was used to settle disputes Cochineal: a tiny beetle full of carminic acid that was used by the for red dye Why were the Spanish so enthralled with this discovery? they had never seed this bright, vibrant shade of red before. How was this invention used in Europe? used for red cardinal robes and for the red officer coats for those in the British army.