Aztecs History Trivia

1. The origin of the Aztecs is said to be what city that was supposedly located in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico?

From Quiz Brief History of the Aztecs

Answer: Aztlan

The existence of Aztlan has been debated for years. Aztec accounts regarding the city don't always agree on the details, and in some cases directly contradict other writings. If the city did exist, it appears to have been located somewhere in the vast area of the American southwest and northern Mexico.

From Quiz Let's Go Shopping At The Aztec Marketplace

Answer: Black on orange

Pottery was used from everything from plates and kitchen pots to urns found in funeral ceremonies. The traditional coloring was black design on orange clay which is today called Aztec III. Geometric shapes were the predominant artwork but one could also find images of animals or plants from the area. What is amazing about this work is that the Aztecs did not have use of a pottery wheel but instead used thin strips of clay and their imaginations and and craftsmanship.

From Quiz Aztec Daily Life

Answer: Telpochcalli

Telpochcalli was the equivalent of public school. It was attended by those who were going to be warriors. Calmecac was the school attended by children from wealthy families or the nobility.

From Quiz Aztec Economy, Cuisine, and Religion

Answer: Nobles

Nobles were the highest class in Aztec society, while peasants were the lowest class. In the later stages 20% of people were peasants and 80% were warriors, artisans, and traders.

From Quiz The Aztec Empire

Answer: all three of these

The priest would grab the heart and tear it out, still beating. It would be placed in a bowl held by a statue of the honored god, and the body thrown on the temple's stairs.

From Quiz Aztec Sacrifices

Answer: Sun

Nanauatzin and Tecuciztecatl both sacrificed themselves and everything they had to create the sun and the moon. It was Nanauatzin that jumped into the great bonfire first, thus becoming the sun. It was his and Tecuciztecatl's self-sacrifice, along with blood from the other gods, that laid the foundation for the belief that the gods demanded blood as repayment for the creation of the Fifth Sun.

From Quiz The Mighty Aztec Empire

Answer: Mexico City, on the elevated central plateau, was built on Tenochtitlan

Although the year of founding of Tenochtitlan is uncertain (estimated as early-mid 14th century CE), it eventually grew to be the largest altepetl (city-state) in the Aztec Empire. Some references state the city was founded in 1325 but this was based on a 1925 declaration that the city (Tenochtitlan then Mexico City) was 600 years old. The city was originally built on a swampy island near the western shore of Lake Texcoco. The city expanded and by the time it was rebuilt over the period 1486-1502 after flooding of the lake, it had become one of the largest cities in the world. Estimates of the peak population vary significantly but range between 200,000 and 400,000 inhabitants. Although Tenochtitlan is the most famous of the Aztec city-states, other major altepetl were also located around the lakes system of the elevated central Mexican plateau. These other cities included Tlacopan and Texcoco.

From Quiz Life of the Ancient Aztecs

Answer: position in society

A king, for example, wore a long flowing cape, jewelery, sandals, etc., whereas a man of very low standing wore only a loin cloth.

From Quiz Brief History of the Aztecs

Answer: Mexica

We get the name Aztec from the Nahuatl word Aztecah, meaning "people from Aztlan". After the Aztecs were conquered, the lands of their empire became the State of Mexico, derived from Mexica. It was a part of New Spain.

From Quiz Fall of the Aztec Empire

Answer: Extremadura

Hernan Cortes was born in Medellin, a small town in Extremadura, Spain, in 1485. He had an education in law rather than in warfare. With hot and dry summers and terrain that yielded little income from farming it was the least populated region of Spain. Many of the impoverished population went to the New World hoping to make a fortune. The region was the birthplace of several other famous (or notorious) conquistadors such as Francisco Pizarro, Francisco de Orellana and Hernando de Soto. In 1504 Cortes sailed to Hispaniola where he assisted Diego Velazquez with the conquest of Cuba. Velazquez became the governor of Cuba and later Cortes' brother-in-law. When in 1517 Velazquez commissioned an expedition to the mainland Cortes lobbied to be the commander of the expedition. Although by then the relationship between Velazquez and Cortes was already strained he reluctantly gave his permission, albeit under the condition that it would only be a trade mission. Velazquez later changed his mind but Cortes ignored that and went anyway. Cortes set sail with 500 conquistadors and a number of Cuban servants to the Yucatan peninsula. There they rescued Geronimo de Aguilar, a priest who was shipwrecked a couple of years before and had learned the Maya language. The three wrong answers are also autonomous communities in Spain.

From Quiz Aztec Daily Life

Answer: The land was divided equally along with the rest of their possessions. If the couple had children the sons would go with the father and daughters would go with the mother.

The Aztecs were very fair people. :)

From Quiz Aztec Economy, Cuisine, and Religion

Answer: Cacao beans

The Cacao bean is mostly grown in South America and Africa. Many types of insects, fungi, and viruses can destroy the cacao beans that are produced by the tree.

From Quiz The Aztec Empire

Answer: blood was necessary to make the world go round

Aztecs made sacrifices to make the world go round. The pyramid shaped temples had gutters down to the earth so the soil could soak up the blood. If there wasn't enough blood shed the sun would stop and eternal darkness would overcome the Aztecs.

From Quiz The Mighty Aztec Empire

Answer: Mineral- and nutrient rich mud from the local lake

Chimampas were small, rectangular floating islands in the shallow water regions of Lake Texcoco and the extensive surrounding lakes and wetlands. The islands were created by weaving reeds around stakes driven into the mud. More mud (lake sediment) was added to the buoyant reed mat to build up the level of soil. As the sediment was rich in nutrients and minerals from decayed vegetation over previous years, this floating island, in combination with warm temperatures and copious sunlight, provided a fantastic environment to grow plants. A range of crops were typically grown, mostly for food but some for decorative and other purposes. These plants included maize (corn), tomatoes, squash, peppers, beans and a variety of flowers.

From Quiz Life of the Ancient Aztecs

Answer: A bow, arrows and a miniature chest shield

After they got dressed up (I think they would have looked gorgeous, the little warriors!), the priest chanted to them, 'You have come into this world in order to give the sun the blood of his enemies to drink and to feed the soil with their bodies'.

From Quiz Beliefs of the Ancient Aztecs

Answer: Their gods

The short, ugly god, covered with sores called, Nanahuatzin, threw himself into the fire, and rose up as the sun. But then he stopped moving. The Gods had to do something.

From Quiz Fall of the Aztec Empire

Answer: Malinche

From Yucatan Cortes sailed to Tabasco where he was attacked by a hostile Mayan tribe. The conquistadors easily defeated the Mayans in a short battle. Now the conquistadors knew the locals weren't a match for them. After the battle the Mayan chieftain gave Cortes twenty female slaves, of which one was Malinche. With Malinche Cortes could now communicate with the Aztecs. She translated from Nahuatl (the Aztec language) to Mayan, and de Aguilar then translated from Mayan to Spanish. This elaborate way of communicating must have been difficult and may have contributed to some misunderstandings between the Spaniards and the Aztecs. Later Malinche learned Spanish, which made things easier. She became Cortes' mistress and gave birth to his son Martin. Over the years Malinche has become somewhat of a legend in Mexico. Depending on what one's point of view she is sometimes seen as 'the mother of Mexico' or as a traitor. Malinchista is a derogatory term in Mexico for a disloyal person.

From Quiz Aztec Daily Life

Answer: The Great Temple of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc

The stairs leading up this temple were so steep it was like "walking up to the Heavens". The stairs were often stained red due to the many sacrifices made in the temple.

From Quiz Aztec Economy, Cuisine, and Religion

Answer: Mictlantecuhtli

According to Aztec religion Mictlantecuhtli dweled in Mictlan. There he would rule over the dead. The god is shown as having a body covered in human bones and wears a skull like mask over his face. Among the animals associated with him were the spider, bat, and owl.

From Quiz The Aztec Empire

Answer: his own people

The people of Tenochtitlan rebelled against the Spanish. Cortes ordered Montezuma to speak to his people from a palace balcony and persuade them to let the Spanish return to the coast in peace. Montezuma was jeered and stones were thrown at him, injuring him badly. Montezuma died a few days later.

From Quiz The Mighty Aztec Empire

Answer: The local water supply was largely brackish (salty)

The series of lakes that make up the Texcoco system are endorheic, meaning inward draining; there is no outlet e.g. a river, to take lake water away. Hence over time the water becomes brackish through evaporation. All water bodies contain dissolved salts (in largely differing amounts), so when the water evaporates, the salts are left behind. This brackish water was too salty to drink but 'fresh' enough to grow crops. As Tenochtitlan grew, the demand for potable water also rose. The 'problem' was solved during the first half of the 15th century when a 12-16 km (7.5 to 10 mile) levee was constructed across a western section of the lake. On the east side of the levee was the brackish water but on the west side was the incoming fresh water, fed from springs. Furthermore, spring water was conveyed to the city via two terra cotta aqueducts from what is now known as Chapultepec Hill. Spring water was preferred for drinking while the 'fresh' water west of the levee was used for washing.

From Quiz Life of the Ancient Aztecs

Answer: A spindle, a washing stone, and a pot

The priest chanted to her, 'Your role will to be the wife and mother of future warriors'. After this ritual, for both boys and girls, and the midwife that delivered them, would place droplets of water on their mouth, chest and head. Then the following would occur: If a boy: She would raise him to the sun four times. If a girl: She summoned the goddess Yoalticitl, the nocturnal healer, to bless the child.

From Quiz Beliefs of the Ancient Aztecs

Answer: blood

The gods (from the above question), killed themselves, washing their blood all over the earth, and offered their hearts to the sun. This was the sun's fuel and it rose into the sky. This is why Aztecs sacrificed often, so the sun would come up the next day.

From Quiz Brief History of the Aztecs

Answer: Lake Texcoco

Tenochtitlan was one of two cities on the island, the other being Tlatelolco. Tenochtitlan was founded about 1325, and served as the capital of the Aztec Empire until it was captured by the Spanish in 1521.

From Quiz Fall of the Aztec Empire

Answer: Veracruz

Since Cortes had sailed to the mainland without the approval of the Cuban governor his expedition was considered illegal. He founded a settlement which he called La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (Rich Village of the True Cross). A hastily created council pronounced him 'adelantado', which gave him the right to act as governor for the region. This was a legal trick to free himself from the authority of the Cuban governor. Montezuma had spies all over the country and was already aware of the Spanish presence. Shortly after Cortes had landed he was met by an Aztec delegate. He gave Cortes gold and many presents, hoping he would accept this and go away. It had the opposite effect. Now they had seen gold they were even more determined to push on. When Cortes asked if the Aztecs had more gold the delegate answered: "Yes, we have". It was the worst possible answer he could have given. Today Veracruz is Mexico's oldest and most important port. The city has about 550,000 inhabitants (2010 census). The three wrong answers are Mexican cities on the Pacific coast.

From Quiz Aztec Daily Life

Answer: Once a day

The Aztecs were very clean people. Bath houses were like saunas. It was an enclosed room connected to the house. A fire would have to be set up from the outside near the wall, then the one bathing would enter the room. They would sit on the ground and use the roots of a plant that gave off a soapy lather, they would wash their arms, legs, bodies, etc., to loosen off any dirt. If Aztecs didn't have these bath houses they would simply bathe in lakes.

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Last Updated Oct 25 2025 5:50 AM

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