Grade 7 Standard Guide 24
Chapter Twenty Four Standard Guide: The Aztecs
Key Terms
- Tenchtitlan
- mercenary
- alliance
- plaza
- aviary
- causeway
- dike
- Moctezuma I
Essential Questions
- Where was the Aztec Empire located? Describe the Landscape of this region.
- What were the major accomplishments of the Teotihuacan and Toltec civilizations?
- How did the Aztecs arrive in the valley of Mexico? describe the Aztecs’ transition from mercenaries to empire builders.
- What were some of the features that made the city of Tenchtitlan so amazing to those who visited it. How did geography influence the development of this city?
- Explain how collecting tributes and training warriors enabled the Aztecs to build a powerful empire.
- Why did most of the people conquered by the Aztecs never consider themselves part of the Aztec empire? How did this contribute to the ultimate demise of the empire?
Standards Addressed
7.7 Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean civilizations.
7.7.1 Study the locations, landforms, and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South America and their effects on Mayan, Aztec, and Incan economies, trade, and development of urban societies.
7.7.2 Study the roles of people in each society, including class structures, family life, war-fare, religious beliefs and practices, and slavery.
7.7.3 Explain how and where each empire arose and how the Aztec and Incan empires were defeated by the Spanish.
7.7.4 Describe the artistic and oral traditions and architecture in the three civilizations.
