Aztec Empire

Question 1

Three cities that formed the Triple Alliance that would eventually become the Aztec Empire

Answer 1

Tenochtitlan, Tlacopan, and Texoco

Question 2

Colorful name for the ritual warfare between the Aztecs and minor city states like Tlaxcala.

Answer 2

Flower Wars

Question 3

Account of the Aztec people written in the Nahuatl language and named after a viceroy of New Spain.

Answer 3

Codex Mendoza

Question 4

Large ethnographic research study of the Aztec people created by a Franciscan friar.

Answer 4

Florentine Codex

Question 5

Creator of the Florentine Codex

Answer 5

Bernardino de Sahagun

Question 6

Aztec Emperor who preceded Montezuma II. At his inauguration, he famously sacrificed a ridiculous 80,000 war captives to the gods.

Answer 6

Ahuitzotl (Water Monster)

Question 7

Event in which Deputy Governor Alvarado slaughtered Aztecs who were celebrating an indigenous holiday at a certain location.

Answer 7

Massacre at the Great Temple

Question 8

Event that occurred after the death of Montezuma II in which Aztecs battled the Spaniards and forced the Spaniards out of Tenochtitlan.

Answer 8

La Noche Triste (The Sad Night)

Question 9

Second largest city of the Aztec Empire. Polychrome pottery was an important part of this city’s economy, and a lot of it was imported to Tenochtitlan.

Cortes was allowed to stay in this city, but when he found out about a secret plot by the leaders of this city and Tenochtitlan to ambush them , he committed this city’s namesake massacre.

Cortes once said for every native temple in this city, he would build a Christian church.

Answer 9

Cholula

Question 10

Two main administrative units of the Aztec Empire, meaning ‘large house’ and ‘city-state’

Answer 10

Calpulli and Altepetl respectively

Question 11

Tradition in which every 52 years, lives would be ‘renewed.’ Old household items would be discarded and the New Fire Ceremony would be held.

The Purpose of the tradition was to make sure the sun came back and stave off the end of the world.

Answer 11

Binding of the Years

Question 12

Ceremony that was part of the Binding of the Years in which after the ‘fire drill’ or Orion’s Belt came up to the sky, a captive’s heart would be pulled out and placed in a fire.

Answer 12

New Fire Ceremony

Question 13

Aztec agricultural technique in which artificial islands (also called floating gardens) would be made for crop planting.

Answer 13

Chinampas

Question 14

Official title for the Aztec Emperor. Give both the Nahuatl phrase and its meaning in English.

Answer 14

Huey Tlatoani - Great Speaker

Question 15

Class of Aztec merchant traders organized into guilds who were very often employed as disguised spies.

Answer 15

Pochteca

Question 16

Two elite special forces units of the Aztec Empire. Both of these required extensive Spartan-like education and training. The second one of these required the trainee to capture four captives to join the force.

Answer 16

Jaguar Warriors and Eagle Warriors (Or Jaguar Knights and Eagle Knights)

Question 17

Calmecac

Answer 17

Aztec school for the nobility where students would be trained in religious duties and astronomy