Around 1300 AD, a wandering tribe of Indians wandered into the Valley of Mexico. These people were called the Aztecs.
When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other tribes were already in residence. They had already taken the best land. The Aztecs had to make do with the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.
But this did not bother the Aztecs. Not only were they very clever people, but they had every faith that their main god had sent them to the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco, so obviously this place was perfect for them.
Your task is to imagine you have led a tribe to a new land to live. The land is completely empty and you have the choice where to live. The choices you have are:
High up in the mountains
Down in a valley
By a lake
In some caves
In a forest at the bottom of a mountain
Your task is to choose the place you think is suitable and persuade other members of the tribe that your choice is the best option. Use the different thinking hats to help you (advantages of where you have chosen/dangers of the other places). Be creative!
You should leave your work as a comment on the blog and please do look at other comments and reply!
We have travelled very far to find a place where we may settle and thrive. I think we should settle in this forest at the bottom of the mountain as it will provide us with wood for shelter and fuel. High up in the mountains it is cold and barren, there is very little shelter and no fertile soil. However, the forest will provide food for us to hunt and forage. We can also clear an area to create a space for the community so that we may farm crops and livestock.
The land around the lake is swampy and full of crocodiles, it is dangerous and will bring disease to our community. We will not locate our settlement within a cave system as bears are known to live in them.
We will locate our settlement by a fresh water stream in the forest, this stream will have it’s source from the mountain side and will therefore, provide us with regular water for drinking, cooking and irrigating our crops.
I do not think we should live in a valley because the sides are steep and there are no trees for wood.
We will give thanks to our Gods by worshipping them and offering gifts of food that we have grown and hunted. I look forward to watching our civilisation continuing successfully in this new location.
By Charlie
Very well written and persuasive, Charlie. I wonder what the other members of the tribe will think?
I am going to suggest to my tribe that we set up our camp near to the lake. I think this is the best place for many reasons. Firstly our camp will have a constant supply of drinking water and also water to wash in and use to cook our food. The lake will provide a huge supply of fish and also many of the forest animals will come to the lake to drink which will provide us with rich hunting choices. Being high in the mountains would make it difficult to find water although it would be easy to see approaching enemies but I think our tribe would have a better life by the lake. The caves would be dark and I think cold for the tribe and there is always a chance we could get trapped in them if there was an earthquake. I thought about the forest but overall the threat from wild animals would be bigger as we could be attacked at night from any side. Living in a valley would also put us at risk if there was a flood as I have seen flash floods where there is no warning and the whole valley fills with water and my tribe would drown.
I think we could build a good strong settlement by the lake and live happily there with everything we need.
You have made a persuasive argument, Archie, and considered the disadvantages of the other locations. I wonder if the other members of the tribe are persuaded too?
I would go in the mountains because you could see who was coming; if they were coming it would take a longer time to get there. They could also defend by throwing rocks down so it would take an even longer time to reach them.
Or I would go in the caves because you could get shelter, but if there were bears there, the aztecs new how to fight they were brilliant warriors so they could kill the bear to get food.
The other tribes probably thought they would settle somewhere obvious.
So which option do you want the tribe to go for?
In a forest at the bottom of a mountain
It is good because you can find these wonderful ores(coal gold…). You can get wood for building houses, grow apple trees, pear trees and you can hunt animals(wild boar,bear,fox and deer).If someone tries to attack you can climb up the trees and have an advantage because you can shoot arrows down.You can make tree houses, have some rivers to get your daily supply of clean crystal clear water. You can have feasts at night, climb mountains to gather ice to make the water cold.
Have a go
from your local king
king Alex,
What are the disadvantages of the other options?
I think we should live by the lake because we can use the water from it for washing ourselves and our clothes, for drinking and for swimming. We can fish in the lake for food. We can plant crops round the lake and they will grow. We should not live in the caves because there is no food there and you can’t plant your crops because there is no light. High up in the mountains we can’t plant our crops because there is no water and the ground is hard to plant on. We shouldn’t live in the valley because it is easier for our enemies to find us. We should not live in the forest because there could be dangerous animals eg: snakes. Another reason it is bad is because the enemies could hide and then pounce on us.
My conclusion is that we should live by the lake.
I am going to suggest to my tribe to live high up in the mountains because you can see tribes coming to attack you easier.And you can get ready in time.
Or I will settle in the forest because we will have loads of shelter.You can also make shelters out of leaves and tree wood.You also have lots of food.
You need to choose one option – which will it be and why?
I think that the caves would be a good place to live because bears live in and around caves and wouldn’t the Aztecs have spears and weapons? So then the Aztecs could kill them and then they could eat the bears so they would have food and use their skins for warmth and clothing. Also the Aztecs would have a longer and higher range of shooting a bow and arrow if an enemy attacked.and they could also dig backwards to make the cave bigger and dig for minerals to go and sell at markets far away. They could set up their own colonies and become bigger and stronger. A force to be reckoned with!
Great reasons for choosing the caves! What are the disadvantages of the other places?
I think you should live in the mountains because you wil be able to get yourself ready incase of an attack. if you were by a lake or in a forest then your enemies have as much shelter as you do and they could just ambush you.
What about food supplies and shelter?
you could never live in a cave because there could be a bear and he might just have every sing le one of his relatives with him/her at that same cave
I would choose to live in some caves in the mountain because:
. you have a height advantage on enemies using range weapons.
. you can hunt bears in the caves and birds in the skies
. the streams running down the mountains will provide water for washing and cooking.
. there is great fish supply in the stream running down the mountain, past the cave which we can feast on.
. you can easily get up and down the mountains
. the caves shelter you from the blazing hot sun and protects you from the thrashing rain pouring down.
I hope everyone in my tribe agrees that this is the best location.
Your King
Cameron
Some great reasons for choosing the caves. What are the disadvantages of the other locations?
In some caves.
As they are near the volcano so you could get obsidian and the mountains are near by.
Caves provide lots of shelter, from rain and a good hiding place for hunting. Its a good place to hide from your enemies and surprise them if you need to.
There is not much building involved, maybe just a small wall at the entrance. You will not have to walk very far to get food or water, as the cave is near the forest so a good location for water and hunting food.
If you need to get fish as you are fed up of meat you could go fishing in lake Texcoco.
As the mountain caves are too close to the volcano and the volcano is still active. Some tribes are scared to live there so it will give our people more food to hunt for and the rumbling volcano keeps some tribes away.
A persuasive argument for the caves. Well done. What are the disadvantages of the other places?
I would live in the caves because it is a very good place to get water really easy because caves in the mountains are usually very damp.
It is also a good place to settle because you could see your enemies approach in the horizon and get prepared for the war .
You could also make a little hole in the big Boulder and sniper with either their speared or either their wooden bow and arrowsand take over your enemies base.
Another reason that it is very good to settle in is because you can block out the entrance of the cave with a really huge boulder so your enemies can not get in the cave.
The enemies usally should not be able to get to your cave if you high up because your enemies have to climb up so high because they might fall.
If you block the entrance with a really big Boulder You could build a little tunnel at the back of the cave and when the enemies approach because they would be looking for any sign of movement you could just come out from the rocks si the enemies can not see your cave at kill you.
A good case for the caves, Krish. What are the disadvantages of the other locations?
I would lead my strong and brave tribe into a deep forest because there would be lots of food, in the form of animals who lived in the forest and there would be a good supply of water from the lakes or rivers.
There would obviously be lots of trees around which would provide the wood for my tribe to build shelters and houses with, it would also be very handy to use for fire, keeping my tribe warm and fed!
I think various different animals that lived in the wood could also be killed and their skins used for clothing and bedding.
Very convincing, Sam. Well done!
I would choose to live by a lake as the lake would provide a sufficient supply of fish. Animals would come to drink from the lake, which would also provide a good source of food. The animal skins will also provide clothes for us to wear. The lake will provide a good source of fresh water close by. It is easy to grow crops as the land is flat, has lots of light and water. Wood from trees around the lake will provide fire for warmth and a building material for shelter.
Living high up on a mountain will not provide us with food or protection and is not good for growing crops as it is cold and not flat. Water is limited and it could be snowy. Food sources would be limited down in a valley, which would also be subject to flooding. In caves we cannot grow crops, there is little water and food and it will be dark. In a forest at the bottom of a mountain animals might attack us, it will be subject to flooding and it will not be good for growing crops as there is no light.
A good, coherent argument, Arthur. I wonder what the other tribe members think?
We have come far, I think we should settle down at the bottom of the mountain in the forest . It holds many materials such as wood, leaves, plants and dirt, we could use these materials to build our houses. The trees will provide us with shelter and shade.
Your families will never go hungry again because animals are plentiful. Hunting is easy in the forest. The forest is also a great place to forage for food and vegetation. We can find all the ingredients to make our medicines. We can cure our sick with herbs and snakes we find in the wood. Freshwater runs down from the mountain so your family will never be thirsty.
Using the wood from nearby trees you can light fires to keep your families warm and cook your food.
It would be easy to ambush any intruders, if our enemies were coming we could hide in the shadows and amongst the the trees. You will feel safe and protected in the forest. There are plenty of materials to craft weapons and tools.
The reason we should not settle by the lake is because there is a chance of flooding and there are many predators which come to drink there. We will be exposed to predators and enemies as there is no cover. We will have no protection from the sun and our skin will start to burn.
I have doubts as to why we should settle in a cave because it is wet, damp, dark and cold. The bears that inhabit the caves are a danger and could hurt and kill us. The Stalactites are very restrictive.
You’ve got my vote!
I think that my tribe should live in the forest.
In the forest there is it plenty of wood for making houses, furniture and weapons. Also, it will be easy to gather wood for lighting fires to keep warm and to cook.
Forests are also good for hunting. Animals are good for providing food and for using their skin and fur for clothes and shoes.
Some good reasons for choosing the forest. What are the disadvantages of the other places?
I think the tribe should settle in the forest because they have good camouflage, they can climb in the trees and jump down and attack their enemies.There are lots of animals to kill, eat and make clothes from in the forest. There is also lots of wood to make houses, stoves, weapons and other useful objects.
The bad thing is the forest could catch on fire but the tribe could be careful and there might be streams to get water and put it on the fire. I think the forest is the best place to settle!
A good argument in favour of the forest. Will the rest of the tribe agree?
I think it would be best for our tribe to settle beside the lake because we can access water easily and water is essential for drinking and washing.
We can also get food from the lake by fishing in the lake or hunting the animals that come to the lake to drink. We can use the skins from the animals that we hunt to make clothing.
We can see the enemies coming in the distance across the lake which makes it easier to react and defend yourself or escape because we can swim away or even better, we can build rafts and sail with our weapons then shoot them from a distance.
If we settle in the mountains we are too close to the lava and won’t be able to outrun it if the volcano erupts. If we settle in the caves we can get trapped in and starve. In the forest we won’t be able to see our enemies coming so easily and we could die if there is a forest fire.
Andrew
A convincing and coherent argument. Well done!
The Aztecs had to make a decision about where to settle, mountains, a valley, a lake, in a cave or in a forest.
Mountains
On the mountains it would be hard as everything would be sloped. It will be a lot more difficult for raiders to get to us, as it is hard to climb. It is quite cold and there are no resources, and also no shelter. You might also get water from the mountain.
Valley
A valley would be good as raiders could only get in from two sides. There are few resources, and maybe you could shelter under the cliff. It might be a bit dark as there will be shadows from the cliffs.
Lake
A lake would be hard, as you would have to build supports to keep everything on the water (not under it). You would have an (almost) infinite water source but really nothing else. There would also be no shelter.
Cave
A cave would be a very good starter as it has shelter and three walls (you could make a door in the fourth). There would be no resources (except loose stones which could come in handy) but you could store resources inside. There is one problem… there might be bears.
Forest
You could have plenty of wood, which will come in handy when building houses. You might be able to stay dry by staying under the leaves of the trees. The problem with the forest is that it is hard to see the raiders coming.
I think the mountains would be a great place to live for the Aztecs because there are lots of wildlife such as bears, wolves and foxes to eat. The bad thing would be that its a bit hard to get up and down the mountain all the time. There would be lots of great shelters to live in such as caves and rocky hills. It It would be easy to make fires and manage to cook food. It would also be hard for enemies to climb up and attack the aztecs. It would give the Aztecs more time to prepare for battles.