Aztecs

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aztecs

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the capital of Aztecs?Tenochtitlan
2. What is the primary people?The Mexica (commonly referred to as Aztecs)
3. What is the imperial structure?Formed through a Triple Alliance (Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan)
4. What was Tenochtitlan and why was it special?Tenochtitlan was the Aztec capital built on islands in Lake Texcoco. It had canals and chinampas that helped grow food and support a large city.
5. How did the Aztecs grow food in the lake?They made chinampas, artificial islands made of mud and plants. These "floating gardens" produced many crops each year.

Mexica: The indigenous name for the people who established the Aztec Empire.
Chinampas: Intensive agricultural system of artificial islands used by the Aztecs for farming.
Triple Alliance: The political and military pact between Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan that formed the core of the Aztec Empire.
Templo Mayor: The main temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc.