Aztec Empire for Kids
The Awesome Aztecs
Come meet the amazing Aztec Indians. Read the myth of the prickly pear cactus. Learn what happened in the short story Journey of a Princess. Discover Aztec correct behavior. Enter Tenochtitlan, the capital city. Explore the floating gardens. Play interactive games! Find out why ball games were so important. Investigate real life artifacts. Determine if any of the Aztec specialized professions might be for you. On their first visit, learn why Cortez and his Spanish soldiers almost did not make it out alive to come back a second time. For a quick look at this amazing culture, scroll down. Or see the menu below to find just what you need.
Welcome to the Aztec Indians in olden times!
A Quick Look
The Aztec Indians wandered around Mexico for about 200 years before they settled down in the Valley of Mexico. Other tribes were living in the area. Rather than start a war for a place to live, the Aztecs settled down peacefully (at first) in the swampy land around Lake Texcoco. They were clever people. They adapted to their environment. They built canoes to fish and hunt. They filled the marshes with a combination of reeds and stones and dirt to create more farmland. They built dams and dikes to free even more land. On a swamp (not in, but on a swamp), their engineers successfully built a bustling city, with wide plazas and many shops.
After they had settled in, the Aztec Indians began conquering neighboring tribes. Soon, the entire Valley of Mexico was under their control. Other tribes had to pay tribute to them in the form of food, clothing, goods, and captives to feed the hungry Aztec gods. The Aztec believed in human sacrifice. That was one of the many reasons the other tribes hated and feared the Aztec. But the Aztec seemed unstoppable.
The Aztecs believed in an afterlife. After they died, the Aztecs believed they would be assigned a job to do that helped their gods. The job you were assigned or what you became in your afterlife did not depend upon how well you lived your life, but rather on how you died. Warriors who died in battle were believed to turn into butterflies and hummingbirds. This helped the gods who created nature. This also helped to create a very strong army, with warriors who were not afraid of death. Warriors knew their afterlife would be spent in a most pleasurable way, unlike the people who died a natural death. People who died of natural causes had the most unpleasant afterlife job. Their job was to serve the gloomy Lord of the Dead. The Aztecs believed it took about 4 years of dangerous travel, first by boat and then sinking down under the earth, further and further, to finally reach the Land of the Lord of the Dead. Once they arrived at their destination, these poor people lived their afterlife in darkness. It was not a punishment. It was just the way things were.
The Aztecs had strict rules of behavior. There was only one correct way to behave in every situation. Situations included what you wore, what you carried, how you walked, what you said, what you ate, how you greeted each other, how you treated your children and other people. There were even rules on facial expression and how you waved your hands. All kids had to go to school - be they rich or poor or slaves. Every citizen in the Aztec Empire had to know the way to behave correctly. It was the law. These laws of behavior were written down. If you did not behave correctly, you could be killed. There was no recess in Aztec schools. The students worked very hard to learn everything they were taught. They had to. Their life depended on it.
Here are a few of their rules of correct behavior:
Do not mock the old
Do not mock the sick
Do not mock one who has sinned
Do not complain
Do not make wry faces
Do not interrupt the speech of another
Do not carry a fan unless you are a noble
It was not until the 1500s, when the Spanish arrived, that the Aztec were conquered. The Spanish brought guns, dogs, horses, and disease. It was disease that conquered the Aztec. The Aztec Empire collapsed. The Spanish took over the entire region.
Today, in Mexico, there are about one million descendants of the Aztec Indians. Human sacrifice is no longer part of their festivals (thank goodness!), but beautiful Aztec art and clever Aztec games are still enjoyed today.
To learn more about the amazing Aztecs, explore the menu above.
With great excitement, we are pleased to announce
We're Published!
Mr. Donn and
Maxie's Ancient History PowerPoints Series
Written by Lin & Don Donn,
illustrated by Phillip Martin, Published by Good Year Books
Mr. Donn and
Maxie's Always Something You Can Use Series
Written by Lin & Don Donn, Published by Good Year Books