The Aztecs

Summary
This lesson introduces students to the Aztecs.

Objectives
• To be able to explain the importance of religion to the Aztecs.

• To be able to describe the city of Tenochtitlan.

• To be able to describe aspects of Aztec culture.

Suggested Grades
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade

Excerpt
The Aztec culture began as a group of hunters and gatherers. The Aztecs had a legend that said that a god told the people to stop wandering the land when they found an eagle holding a snake in its mouth and sitting on a tenochtli. A tenochtli is a prickly-pear cactus. According to this Aztec legend, the people found the eagle as described. The cactus the eagle was sitting on was on an island in the middle of a lake. After finding the eagle, the Aztecs immediately began building their city on the island. This city was the city of Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan grew to have almost 150,000 inhabitants.

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