The Aztec: Tenochtitlan, floating gardens and tribute

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Tenochtitlan, an island city

   Topic	What we know
   Founding	?
   The island	little more than a swamp, without drinkable water or stone and wood for building
   Chinampas	farm plots built up in the shallow lake: fenced squares filled with mud until they rose above the water; farmers tended them by canoe
   Fresh water	long stone channels, called aqueducts, brought fresh water into the city
   Size	one of the largest cities in the world at the time; estimates of its people differ (one source gives nearly 300,000)

   The cell marked ? is blank. Below the chart: the people called themselves the Mexica; later historians called them the Aztec. Chinampas only seem to float.

2. 1.

   Luz's chart has a blank: when and where was Tenochtitlan founded?

   • 1325, beside the sea
   • 1521, on the ruins left by the Spanish
   • 1428, high in the Andes
   • 1325, on an island in Lake Texcoco
3. 2.

   Milo's chart has a blank: what were chinampas?

   • Rafts that floated freely around the lake
   • Stone channels for water
   • Farm plots built up from mud in the lake
   • Terraces cut into mountains
4. 3.

   Noah's chart has a blank: how did fresh water reach the city?

   • By chinampa canoes alone
   • From the salty lake water, just as it was
   • Through knotted cords
   • Through long stone channels, aqueducts

5. Tenochtitlan, an island city

   Topic	What we know
   Founding	in 1325 the Mexica settled an island in Lake Texcoco and founded Tenochtitlan
   The island	little more than a swamp, without drinkable water or stone and wood for building
   Chinampas	farm plots built up in the shallow lake: fenced squares filled with mud until they rose above the water; farmers tended them by canoe
   Fresh water	long stone channels, called aqueducts, brought fresh water into the city
   Size	one of the largest cities in the world at the time; estimates of its people differ (one source gives nearly 300,000)

   Below the chart: the people called themselves the Mexica; later historians called them the Aztec. Chinampas only seem to float.

6. 4.

   Pia reads that the people called themselves the Mexica. Who were the Mexica?

   • A kind of farm plot
   • A lake in Mexico
   • The people later called the Aztec
   • The Spanish soldiers who came in 1519
7. 5.

   Ren reads the word aqueduct. What is an aqueduct?

   • A channel that carries fresh water
   • A market for trading
   • A farm plot built up from mud in a lake
   • A canoe for farmers
8. 6.

   Tala reads that chinampas only seem to float. Why do they seem to float?

   • They sink each night
   • They rise just above the water
   • They are made of wood rafts
   • They drift around the lake
9. 7.

   In what year was Tenochtitlan founded, Zee asks?

   • 1235
   • 1521
   • 1325
   • 1428
10. 8.

    What did the island lack, by the chart, Ari asks?

    • Drinkable water, stone and wood
    • Mud and water plants
    • A lake around it
    • People willing to farm
11. 9.

    Why did the city need aqueducts, Jun asks?

    • Aqueducts carried tribute
    • Farmers needed canoes
    • The lake water was too clean to need channels
    • The island had no drinkable water
12. 10.

    Why does the chart give an estimate, not one exact number, for the city's people, Kira asks?

    • No one lived there
    • The city was very small
    • The number is exactly known
    • Estimates of the size differ