Interactive image

Geographical features: Mexico has High mountains, Huge canyons, and long deserts more north. And in the south and the east there are large rain forests. Mexico has two main mountain ranges. Sierra Madre and occidental. These mountains are rich in copper and silver. Copper and Silver are important to Mexico because of there value, they are good for trading and are worth a lot of money. They are used in jewelry and tools. Also the Yucatan peninsula goes out into the gulf of Mexico from the southeastern tip. It was also the home of the Mayan empire. The Yucatan peninsula is and was important to Mexico because its surrounded by water but also connected to the mainland

Aztec capital and the fall of the Aztec empire: The capital of the Aztecs was a powerful country called Tenochtitlán. Tenochtitlan was led by Moctezuma II. And sat in the middle of a human made island in the middle of the lake Texcoco. It was the center for Aztec trade and politics. Tenochtitlan housed Palaces, Temples, Gardens, and high bridges that connected the city to the mainland. Tenochtitlan was First attacked on November 8th 1519 by the Spanish led by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez, Cortez and his army finally conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521. The city was prosperous with a population of 200,000 – 300,000.

1500s Aztec Trade: All Aztecs cities and villages had trade markets close to their city center. The city of Tlatelolco had the biggest popularity and the biggest market, pulling in 60,000 people daily. They sold a variety of everything. Cloth, produce, animals, obsidian tools, medicines, wood, fur/animal skins, valuable metals, jewels and pottery. You could trade for something to eat or drink for two cacao beans. Many people went to markets also to socialize. Regional markets were watched over by government employees. They made sure to check if sellers and buyers were being fair. The levels of markets are Tlatelolco, Xochimilco, Texcoco, and 5 day markets in other small Aztec cities

Aztec Religion: The Aztecs prayed to the gods “Huitzilopochtli” (God of war and sun) and “Quetzalcoatl” (Feathered Serpent) and “Tlaloc” the rain god. They worshipped in the “Templo Mayor” Like the mayans they made human sacrifices to the gods, for compensation and survival. This is an interesting visitor spot because you get to see the difference in religion and culture from then to now. This tells us that lot has changed and were not really savages to sacrifice people anymore. The Great Temple or Templo mayor is located in Mexico City, Mexico. It is a temple with 2 small twin temples on the top. This Temple is dedicated to the God of War Huitzilopochtli and the God of Rain Tlaloc. In the Templo mayor Sacrifices of animals and humans would take place for these 2 Gods. It was to satisfy their lusty appetites and to perpetuate harmony between gods and humanity.

Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian city that was built by the Mayan people. This archaeological site is located in Yucatan, Mexico. The Chichen Itza was the center of political and economic activity in the Mayan culture in roughly 600 A.D. The Chichen Itza was built on rough terrain that was leveled to accommodate other larger structures. The Buildings of Chichen Itza were all connected by a network of “sacbeob” also known as paved roadways and sidewalks, which is significant because Europeans did not yet have these features. Chichen Itza was the center of religious, military, political, and commercial works

Dolores Hidalgo is the city were Father Miguel Hidalgo uttered his famous cry for the Independence of Mexico, also known as the Grito de Dolores. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a Mexican catholic priest who was born on May 8th, 1753. He is known as the leader of the Mexican war of Independence and is recognized as the Father of the Nation. He served in a church in Colima then in Dolores. Upon his arrival he saw that they had very rich soil. He tried to teach the poor how to grow olives and grapes, but it was greatly discouraged or prohibited to prevent competition with imports from Spain. On September 16th, 1810, he gave the cry of Dolores, a speech to call upon the people to protect the interest of their king, who was held captive during the peninsula war. He revolted against European born Spaniards and gathered an army of nearly 90,000 poor farmers and Mexican civilians. They were poorly trained and soon ran into a well-trained army and were defeated in the battle of Calderon Bridge. After that battle, Hidalgo and his remaining troops fled north but hidalgo was betrayed, captured and executed.