The Aztec Empire, its rulers, Tenochtitlan, society, and encounters with European powers.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Cacao beans reached the Aztec capital as tribute paid by whom?
Cacao trees need warm lowlands, so the highland capital relied on supplies from regions such as Soconusco.
How many day signs form a ring on the Aztec Calendar Stone?
The Aztec ritual calendar paired 20 day signs with 13 numbers to create a 260-day cycle.
Workers rediscovered the Aztec Calendar Stone in 1790 in which city?
The stone lay buried beneath the city's main square until workers uncovered it during paving work.
The four panels around the Aztec Calendar Stone's center depict what?
Aztec tradition said earlier worlds ended in disasters, including a flood and attacks by jaguars.
Aztec farmers renewed chinampa soil by adding mud gathered from where?
The mud supplied nutrients that helped keep the same plots productive through repeated planting.
Which seeds circulated as money in Aztec markets?
Cacao's value encouraged counterfeiters to make fake beans from dough, wax or avocado pits.
Which staple grain did Aztec farmers grow on chinampas?
Farmers also grew beans and squash on chinampas, supplying foods that complemented maize in the Aztec diet.
Aztec chinampas are called "floating gardens," but which description is accurate?
Willow trees planted along the edges helped hold the plots together with their roots.
How did Aztec cacao makers produce foam in their drinks?
The foam was a prized part of the drink, so makers poured cacao from a height to trap air.
Aztec cacao drinks could get a spicy kick from which ingredient?
Aztec drink makers could also flavor cacao with vanilla, which comes from an orchid native to Mesoamerica.