Moctezuma. Aztec Ruler

19 Pages·2007·4.162 MB·English

by  Wendy Conklin

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Publishing Credits Table of Contents
Meet Moctezuma II ............................................................................4–5
Content Consultant Editorial Manager
Moctezuma, the Priest ........................................................................6–7
Heather Teague Gisela Lee, M.A.
Associate Editor Creative Director Reading a Calendar ............................................................................8–9
Christina Hill, M.A. Lee Aucoin
Serving in the Army .......................................................................10–11
Assistant Editor Cover Designer
Torrey Maloof Lesley Palmer
How to Be a Ruler ..........................................................................12–13
Editorial Assistants Designers
Deborah Buchanan Deb Brown
Touring Tenochtitlan .....................................................................14–15
Kathryn R. Kiley Zac Calbert
Judy Tan Amy Couch
Questioning Quetzalcoatl ..............................................................16–17
Robin Erickson
Editorial Director
Neri Garcia
Emily R. Smith, M.A.Ed.
Cortés Marches to Tenochtitlan ...................................................18–19
Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed.
Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed. The End of the Aztecs ...................................................................20–21
Other Rulers and Their Nations
Incas Rule! .................................................................................22–23
The End of the Incan Rulers ....................................................24–25
My, Oh Maya! ............................................................................26–27
Mayan Talents ...........................................................................28–29
Teacher Created Materials Publishing
Glossary .................................................................................................30
5301 Oceanus Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Index.......................................................................................................31
http://www.tcmpub.com
ISBN 978-0-7439-0457-5
© 2007 Teacher Created Materials, Inc. Image Credits ........................................................................................32
Reprinted, 2008
 3
Aztec Ruins Today
Meet
Map of the
To this day, many of the
Aztec empire
Aztec sites are hidden.
Moctezuma II
Some still lay under
Mexico City. Others are
slowly being uncovered.
There are many famous rulers
Two Moctezumas?
from the past. Some of these
Moctezuma II’s father
rulers lived in an area called
was Moctezuma I.
Mesoamerica (meh-zo-uh-
Moctezuma I is not
MER-ih-kuh). One great ruler very well known. So,
was named Moctezuma II Moctezuma II is usually
called just Moctezuma.
(mawk-tuh-ZOO-muh). He
ruled one of the most powerful
Aztec Capital
empires at the time. This
The Aztec capital city
empire was in Mexico and his
was located where
people were the Aztecs (AZ-teks). Mexico City is today.
The Aztecs had lived there just a Moctezuma II
short time when Moctezuma II became
king. This was in 1502. They built their city in
the middle of a lake. It had all the things a major city needed. Their
beliefs in the gods ruled their daily actions. To please these gods, they
built temples that looked like pyramids.
The Aztecs were expert warriors and knew how to win in battle.
Most of central Mexico was under their rule. They won each battle,
and it looked as though no one could defeat them. Then, in 1519,
some unexpected Spanish guests showed up. And, it all came to
an end.
Mexico today
4 5
Moctezuma, the Priest
Other Aztec
Schools
Mostly children from
As a child, Moctezuma went to a special school called a calmecac
nobility went to the
(kahl-MEH-kahk). This school taught boys how to be priests. He
calmecac. Commoners
studied the calendar, religion, poetry, songs, speech, writing, history, attended a school called
law, and war. When he grew up, Moctezuma ran the school. a telpochcalli (tel-pohch-
KAH-gee). Elders ran
Aztec priests had important jobs. The priests took care of the
these schools and taught
temples. They believed in many gods and offered them sacrifices
warfare, trade skills,
(SAK-ruh-fice-ez). Thousands of these sacrifices were people. The religion, and history.
Aztecs felt it was an honor to be sacrificed.
This is the Wall of Skulls. It is where Priestesses
Aztecs placed the skulls of people
The Aztecs also set up
who were sacrificed.
These temples were built
temple schools for girls
before the Aztecs. But, the
from noble families. Here,
Aztecs also ruled the area. Priests studied astronomy
they could learn how to
(uhs-TRAWN-uh-mee) to see if the serve the community as
gods were happy with them. It was priestesses.
important to make these gods happy.
Military School
The Aztecs thought that the sky
Some boys attended a
held messages from the gods.
special military school
Moctezuma learned how to read the where they learned only
sky. Many Aztecs thought he was a the art of war.
wise man.
Aztec
gods
 7
The Aztec calendar had 18 months.
Aztec Calendars
Each month had 20 days. At the end of this
The Aztec calendar was
cycle, five unlucky days remained. They
more accurate than the
believed the unlucky forces roamed freely at
ones used in Europe at
this time. the time.
Each month of the calendar year had its
Discovery of the
own rituals (RICH-u-wuhlz). Some months
Calendar Stone
honored battles. Other months showed
In 1790, the Calendar
Aztecs when to plant crops, build homes,
Stone was discovered
or honor the dead. underneath Mexico City.
It recorded the movement
You can see of the sun. It shows the
glyphs on Aztec beliefs about the
the Calendar creation of the world. The
This calendar Stone. Aztecs wrote their stories
shows the on the Calendar Stone in
days in one glyphs (GLIFS).
month.
Reading a Calendar
Another group of people in Mesoamerica were the Mayas. The
Mayas created very detailed calendars. The Mayas used the calendars
to make big decisions like when to go to war. These calendars were the
most advanced of any in the world at the time.
The Aztec calendar was much like the one used by the Mayas. It had
both lucky and unlucky days. The calmecac trained the future priests to
read this calendar. Moctezuma knew how to do this.
8 9
Serving in
Aztec Knights
the Army
The Eagle Warriors and
Jaguar Warriors were
This Aztec weapon much like the knights from
was both a sword Europe. They formed a
The Aztecs were almost always at
and a club. royal guard and taught
war. They had to have a fierce army.
young men how to fight.
At one time, Moctezuma was a general in
Chocolate Please!
this army. He knew how to fight and lead
men. The Aztecs conquered the groups Chocolate comes from
the cacao bean. The
living nearby.
Mayas also grew cacao
Conquered groups paid taxes to the
trees in their rain forests
Aztecs. Often, this tax was paid in cacao and made chocolate from
the beans. Today, sugar is
(kuh-KOW) beans. Moctezuma brought
added to make chocolate
in 50 thousand pounds (22,700 kg) of
taste good.
Chocolate is made
beans each year during his reign (RAIN).
from beans inside
At times, they offered these beans as
this cacao pod.
sacrifices to the gods.
The most skilled soldiers were part
of two groups called the Eagle Warriors
and the Jaguar Warriors. These men
were born into noble families. They
This piece of art
were very brave. To be one of these
shows a Jaguar
warriors, the men had to prove
Warrior. It can
also be played themselves. First, they fought in
to make music.
hand-to-hand combat. Then, they
had to capture others in battle.
10 11
How to Be a Ruler Ruling Millions
Moctezuma ruled 10
million people during his
The Aztecs divided their city into different sections. Each section reign. That’s more people
than live in New York City!
had a leader who served on a council. The council chose one leader.
He became their ruler. He was called the Great Speaker. In 1502, the
Reluctant Leader
council chose Moctezuma. He was just 35 years old at the time.
Moctezuma did not want
Even though Moctezuma knew how to fight, most people
to be the Great Speaker.
thought of him as a thinker. He was very smart and valued learning. The council searched all
over to find him. When
Moctezuma was a strict leader. He made sure everyone followed
they finally did, he was
the laws. Moctezuma was not weak. He was even tough on his own
cleaning a temple.
family. At times, he went to the court in a disguise to see how the
judges ruled. If they did not follow the law, he punished them.
As a leader, Moctezuma held talks with other leaders.
The Great Speaker Moctezuma meets with the council.
1 13
Touring Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan
and Venice
The Aztecs had lived on an island since 1325. Their city was called Some people today
compare Tenochtitlan to
Tenochtitlan (tay-noch-teet-LAWN). When they found Tenochtitlan,
Venice, Italy. In Venice,
they knew it was just right for them. A prophecy (PRAWF-uh-see) told
people travel by water like
them to look for an eagle eating a snake. The eagle would be perched they did in Tenochtitlan.
on a cactus in the middle of swampy land. That exact place was where
Moctezuma’s
they should construct their great city. When they found an eagle eating
Palace
a snake, the Aztecs started building.
Today, there are
By Moctezuma’s reign, the Aztecs had built temples, ball courts,
government buildings on
and palaces. They made floating gardens where they grew crops of corn, Venice, Italy, today the site where Moctezuma’s
beans, and chilies. palace once stood.
To get around their city, they rode in canoes. They also built
Mexico’s Flag
highways that went over the water to the shore. If they were being
Today Mexico’s flag has a
attacked, the Aztecs could pull the highways away from shore. This
picture of the prophecy told
kept their city safe from enemies.
to the Aztecs.
The floating gardens are shown
on the left of this picture.
The symbol
from Mexico’s
flag shows the
prophecy.
14 15