Pre Columbian Aztecs
The rise of the Aztec Empire was very rapid. (The word Aztec can refer to the civilisation itself, the people, or just the ruling class. The term that the Aztec people called themselves was the Mexica.) The Aztecs expanded their control of territories now in present-day Mexico from around 1428, by conquering other tribes. They also formed an alliance between its major city, Tenochtitlan and the cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan. Of these three cities, Tenochtitlan was by far the largest and most dominant. Tenochtitlan was the centre of Aztec civilisation.
Social groups in Aztec society
Aztec society was organised according to a strict hierarchy. There were five major social classes: the emperor, nobles, warriors, commoners and slaves, and there was little chance of movement out of the class into which one was born.
Emperor
At the top of the hierarchy was the emperor. When the Spanish arrived in 1519, the empire was led by Montezuma II (also known as Moctezuma), who had been in power since 1502. The emperor was an absolute ruler, selected as leader by a council of nobles. He was regarded by the people as a god and the ‘Great Speaker’. He lived in a highly decorated palace and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle.
Nobles
The nobility included high-level priests, military leaders, landowners, judges and heads of government. Noble status was passed down from parents to children. Nobles could receive tribute (something given as a mark of respect) from commoners and were the only class other than the emperor allowed to wear decorated capes and jewellery. Wealthy people
and heroes of war dressed elaborately, with intricate headdresses (often made of feathers), necklaces, earrings and bangles made of gold, silver, copper and precious stones. Their body art included holes in the ears and split bottom lips. The nobility would also show their wealth and dominance through extravagant feasts and expensive gifts to each other.
Warriors
Warriors were highly respected in Aztec society. Most males in Tenochtitlan were trained to be warriors. Women could not
be warriors. At puberty, most young men left their families and went to live in the local warrior house. There was a formal hierarchy within the warrior group based
on how many live captives (who were later sacrificed to the gods) a warrior had taken in battle. Successful warriors could expect to receive gifts and riches, but for most it was
a part-time profession. Most warriors had to practice another trade for their livelihood.
Commoners
Commoners included farmers, craftspeople, merchants and low-level priests. They were expected to pay tributes to the nobles who owned the calpulli (neighbourhoods) that they lived in. Commoners usually ate basic foods and lived in simple homes. They were not allowed to wear cotton, wear cloaks longer than the knee, or wear sandals in the presence of people with higher rank. Commoners could sometimes become nobles through marriage or bravery in war.
Slaves
Slaves were owned by nobles or wealthy merchants and had few rights. Typically, people became slaves if they were criminals, could not pay their debts or had been captured in war. Slaves could marry with their master’s permission and could also buy their freedom. Slave status was not passed down to children; the children of slaves were born free.
The role of men and women in Aztec society
An Aztec family was made up of a man, his chief wife, his other wives, his children, and other relatives such as his parents. Older people were highly respected in Aztec society. Marriages were arranged with help from priests, who would consult the stars to check for suitable matches. Girls married at around 16 years of age and men at around 20 years of age. Both boys and girls went to school, although they were destined for very different lives. Women were expected to care for children, cook, ground maize used for making tortillas and weave cloth.
They helped to tend home gardens and any other plots the family was given to work. They had almost no public role although when they did they were allowed to have certain administrative positions but no military involvement. Women were also expected to follow a strict code of behaviour which involved dressing in simple modest clothing with no makeup. For pregnant women there was additional restrictions placed on them including not being able to see an eclipse as they would result in her child being a monster. However if you were a man you were expected to become warriors and seek glory by capturing enemy warriors. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers commissioned illustrated histories (called codices, which is the plural of codex) to provide information to people back in Spain. Each codex was a collection of animal skin pages, bound together to form a book. These codices (such as the Florentine Codex and the Codex Mendoza) have provided valuable information to historians.
Aztec discipline
For Aztec children, discipline was very strict, both at home and at school. Punishments included being speared with the sharp spines of a cactus, being left bound and naked in the dark in a cold puddle, or being bound and held over a fire to inhale smoke from burning chillies. Girls were awakened in the middle of the night to sweep the house, and had their fingers cut if they made a mistake in tasks such as weaving. These stories may have been exaggerated by the Spanish, but certainly discipline was physical. Children were being prepared for an unforgiving world dominated by demanding gods.
Source 1: Part of the addresses given by midwives to newborn boys and girls as described in the Florentine Codex
Midwife’s address to newborn boys:
My precious son, my youngest one ... heed, harken: thy home is not here, for thou art an eagle, thou art an ocelotl [a jaguar] ... Thou belongest out there... Thou hast been sent into warfare. War is thy desert, thy task. Thou shalt give drink, nourishment, food to the sun, the lord of the earth. Perhaps thou wilt receive the gift, perhaps thou wilt merit death by the obsidian knife [be killed as a sacrifice to the gods].
Midwife’s address to newborn girls:
Thou wilt be in the heart of the home, thou wilt go nowhere, thou wilt nowhere become a wanderer, thou becomest the banked fire, the hearth stones ... And thou wilt become fatigued, thou wilt become tired; thou art to provide water, to grind maize, to drudge; thou art to sweat by the ashes, by the hearth [the floor of a fireplace].
Source 2: Illustrations from the 16th-century Codex Mendoza provide an account of Aztec life. These illustrations show the meal ration (two tortillas) and typical tasks for children. On the left hand side, a 13-year-old boy carries a load of rushes on his back and transports them in his canoe, and a 14-year-old boy goes fishing in his canoe. On the right hand side, a 13-year-old girl grinds maize (corn) for tortillas, and a 14-year-old girl is weaving.
QUESTIONS:
Based off the notes above draw out the social hierarchy pyramid for the Pre Columbian Aztecs.
Annotate your social hierarachy with notes for each level. Use the information provided on this canvas page to help you.
Using the two source below outline the differences between how boys and girls were treated?
Describe how Aztec children were disciplined and why may the accounts of how Aztec children not be accurate?
Outline the role of women in Aztec society
What is a codex, list the two main codices relating to Mesoamerica?