Although Tenochtitlán was a peaceful place, the Aztecs themselves were a warlike people. In the 1400s, Aztec warriors began conquering the other people in the region. Soon, the Aztecs controlled a huge empire. One ruler, the emperor, ruled over all the Aztec lands.

The Aztecs forced the people they conquered to pay tributes, or taxes, in the form of food, gold, or slaves. They also took thousands of prisoners of war to serve as human sacrifices. The Aztecs believed that they had to sacrifice humans to the gods so that the sun would have enough strength to rise every day. Human blood was what gave the sun strength. If the sun did not rise, crops could not grow, and the people would starve. Priests made the offerings to the gods daily. In very bad times, members of noble Aztec families were sometimes sacrificed to please the sun god.

1.Find one event or condition to use as a starting point. List it below and label it a cause or effect.

2. List the clue words in the paragraph that signal cause and effect.
Something happened (may have occurred in one day or over a period of time) that caused something else to happen.

Name one main thing that happened in that passage?
The one thing that happened it the passage was that the Aztec warriors began conquering the other people in the region by the 1400s.
Good --- that's a major cause.

Now list some of the effects (results) of this.
Also list the words that let you know that was a major cause.
The effects of this are that they forced people to pay tributes, taxes, in the form of food, gold, and or slaves. They took thousands of prisoners of war to serve as there human sacrifices.
Good.

So do you know now how you'll answer questions 1 and 2?
The words that let me know that it was a major cause was soon, began, and over all.
Good.

Cause and effect (action and result) = major concept needed in order to understand what you're reading. There's usually not just one cause, nor just one effect, but be sure to get used to identifying them.

Often effects can become causes for other effects -- as time goes on, these become a chain of events in whatever you're reading or studying.

Question One : One event or condition to use as a starting point is Aztec warriors began conquering the other people in the region by the 1400s. This event or condition is a cause.

Question two: The clue word in the paragraph that signal cause and effect are soon, began, and over all. The effects of this are that they forced people to pay tributes, taxes, in the form of food, gold, and or slaves. They took thousands of prisoners of war to serve as there human sacrifices.