Before Reading:

Review the five Aztec customs that have stood the test of time on page 1

As a class, practice the Aztec pronunciations on page 2.

"Who Were the Aztecs?" (page 4)

Before reading this article, ask students what words come to mind when they hear "Aztecs." After reading, discuss the differences in their perceptions. Ask them to name three specific achievements of the Aztecs. (an accurate calendar system, volcanic glass knives that are sharper than that of a surgeon's, effective farming techniques of maize and other crops)

"Tenochtitlan" (page 8)

1. What made Tenochitilan attractive as a capital city? ( it's location that made transportation easy and a lake filled with fish, waterfolw, reeds and other plants )
2. What event marked the beginning of the Aztec empire? ( the conquest of Azcapotzalco in 1428 by the Mexica and their allies )
3. Where did the Mexica conduct important ceremonies? (Tenochtitlan had a central ceremonial precinct, a walled 32-acre space that held the city's most important religious buildings)

"Chinampas" (page 12)

The Aztecs perfected a farming system known as chinampas, a form of wetland cultivation.

1. How did they regulate the water level? (by constructing canals)
2. AZTEC CUSTOM 1 (from page 1): What role did manure play in the chinampas? (the Aztecs took compost that consisted of vegetation floating in the canals or human waste to keep the soil fertile; farmers also covered their plantings of seeds with the manure)
3. What crops did the Aztecs cultivate in the chinampas? (maize, beans, squash)
4. Why have few chinampas remained? (centuries of draining the lakes, pollution, and the growth of Mexico City)

"Growing Up Aztec" (page 14)

AZTEC CUSTOM 2 (from page 1): What happened to those not born on a good-luck day? (their parents chose to hold the child's naming ceremony on a "good luck" day in the hope that he or she would absorb some of that better fortune)

Have students draw scenes of their own life: birth; learning to speak; doing chores. How different are they from the Aztecs shown on pages 14-15?

"Legend of the Suns" page 18

Have students act out the Legend of the Suns: one student to play the proud, rich god Piltzintecuhtli; one student to play the humble god Nanahuatzin; three students to play the other gods; one to play an eagle and one to play the ocelot. A plush animal can be used for the rabbit.

Afterward, show a photo or slide of the moon. Ask students if they can see the outline of a rabbit on its face.

"Celebrating Tezcatlipoca" ( page 21 )

1. What characterized the ancient god Tezcatlipoca? (smoking mirror)
2. What was the language spoken by the Aztecs? (Nahuatl)
3. AZTEC CUSTOM 3 (from page 1): Why did the ixiptla make the supreme sacrifice? (the ixiptla, a youth taken from among the captives from battle, served as a model of perfection and gave the god Tezcatlipoca a human form)
4. Name two words of Aztec origin. (coyote, ocelot, chocolate, tomato)
5. Aztec sayings appear on page 23 as well as throughout the issue on pages 2, 5, and 38. Have students choose their favorite Aztec saying and explain their choice.
6. Have individual student ask the riddles on page 23 and 40. Engage the class in coming up with at least one answer for each before revealing the answers on page 47.

"Art of the Aztecs" (page 24)

Have students describe the materials Aztecs used in their artwork. (stone, jade, colored feathers, gold, silver, clay, wood, plant fibers, and shell)

What images inspired Aztec artists? (Aztec gods, humans, animals)

With "Pen and Paper" (page 30)

Have the class decide on a well-known story and then create their own Aztec book using hieroglyphs.

Complete the maze on page 33. Who can decipher the hieroglyphs at the bottom of page 33 the fastest?

"We Have Only Come to Dream" (page 34)

Read the poem by Nezahualcoyotl aloud on page 35. Then read a poem by Octavio Paz. Discuss the similarities and differences.

"The Aztec Calendar Stone" (page 36)

AZTEC CUSTOM 4 (from page 1): Wonder what the Aztecs used for numbers? Count the flags and dots on page 37.

"A Clash of Cultures" (page 39)

AZTEC CUSTOM 5 (from page 1): How did the Spanish conquer the Aztecs so easily? (the Aztecs did not believe in killing their enemy; they wounded them only so the enemy could be offered as sacrifice to the gods. The Spaniards killed the Aztecs)

"Let's Play Ball" (page 42)

1. What did ball courts represent? (the universe, located at the entrance to the underworld)
2. How did an Aztec ball differ from a European one? (it was made of rubber, extracted from tree sap)

"The Game Today" (page 44)

1. What obstacles face the ball game of ulama today? (latex for the balls, governmental economic support, playing fields, and kids' preference today to play baseball, basketball, and soccer)

"Legacy of the Aztecs" (page 48)

1. How does Mexico keep its Aztec heritage alive? (through the national flag's central emblem representing the mythical founding of Tenochtitlan and through sponsorship of archaeological fieldwork)