The Aztec emperor Moctezuma was the highest authority in the complex Aztec social hierarchy. As the head of state and commander of the army, he made decisions based on interpreting omens in the sky. Aztec society was organized into calpolli family clans, and social status was determined by occupation, with merchants and artisans holding high positions. While one's social class was usually inherited, exceptional warriors could rise in status by capturing prisoners in battle. The Aztec placed great value on education and civic duty.

1. Aztecs – Chapter 8
For the Good of the People

2. The Story
• Moctezuma was known as “The Great
Speaker” to the Aztec people
• He was to interpret signs from the sky about
what may happen in the future
• He made all of his decisions as the emperor
based on the movements in the heavens
• Moctezuma noticed some bad omens
– The water turned blood red, and there was
something flaming shooting across the night sky

3. The Aztec Social Hierarchy

4. • A person’s position in society was determined
by what class you were born into
• Unlike in the Renaissance feudalism hierarchy,
people here could work their way into a
higher level of the social hierarchy

5. Role of the Emperor
• The emperor was at the top of the Aztec
hierarchy
• His title was Huey Tlatoani which means
“Great Speaker”
• The emperor was treated as a god, even
though the people knew he was human
• The Aztecs obeyed everything he said and
showered him with gifts and priveleges

6. Commander of the Army
• The emperor had to be a skilled warrior to lead
the Aztec army
• He had to know how to be strategic and how to
be an effective leader

7. Head of State
• The emperor would always asks the priest and
nobles for their opinions before making a
decision
• Even though he asked for their opinions, the
decision was his to make

8. Family Clans
• The Aztec society was organized into units called calpolli
• Members of the calpolli lived in the same neighborhood
and worshipped at the same temple
• The type of work they did could play a roll in forming their
calpolli
– i.e. a group of goldsmiths may form their own calpolli
• The calpolli owned the land where the people lived and
farmed
• Each calpolli elected their own council and captain
• The council was in charge of assigning houses and
collecting taxes
• They also had to make sure that the calpolli was clean

9. Merchants
• The merchants were the richest calpolli
• They went on trading expeditions all over the
Aztec empire
• They brought back goods, and also acted as
spies for the Aztecs
• Because they knew the layout and geography,
they were valuable assets to the empire
• The taxes they paid after selling their goods
helped to enrich the Aztec state

10. Farmers
• Farmers grew crops, hunted and fished
• They would sell most of what they caught in the
market to help the family income grow
• They gave up a share of their crops to pay their
taxes
• They didn’t just grow crops for themselves, they
grew them for the state to help everyone survive
• They were also expected to donate some labour
hours to work on state projects

11. Artisans
• They were responsible for making the finer things
in the Aztec empire
– I.e. fashionable clothes, art…
• They were skilled craft workers
• Mask makers, goldsmiths, and feather workers
were among the most respected artisans
• Feathers were worked into various things
– Fans, headdresses, tunics, and decorated shields
• Only the nobles were allowed to wear anything
with feathers on it

12. Signs of Status
• There were three ways to indicate you status
in society for the Aztecs
– 1. Clothing
– 2. Jewlery
– 3. Location and size of house

13. Moving up in Society
• The best way to move up in the Aztec society
was through success in battle
• The Aztecs did not want to kill their enemies,
rather, they wanted to capture them to
sacrifice them to the gods.
• If a warrior took four prisoners, he would be
eligible to move up in society
– i.e. If the warrior was a commoner, he would be
able to become nobility

14. Aztec Education
• Aztecs educated their children at home until they started
school
• They started school when they were between the ages of
10 – 15
• Children were pampered until the age of three, then they
were expected to be hard working and obedient
• They wanted the children to become citizens with a stone
heart and a stone face
• The Aztecs valued education
• Schooling was free, and all children attended
• The nobles went to a school called calmecac and the
commoners went to telpochcalli

15. Aztec Citizenship
• The society was focused on producing citizens
who would contribute to the community
• The children were taught how to be good
citizens in school
• Go to page 187 and copy the “Virtues of the
Ideal Aztec Citizen” chart

16. Laws and Lawmaking
• They had a system of written laws
• Their legal system was a powerful tool used to
maintain order in the society
• It reminded people of their responsibilities as
citizens
• The law judged nobles harder if they broke a
law because they are supposed to be good
examples for everyone in society

17. Slave Laws
• Slaves performed necessary work
• They also had laws that protected
• If a noble beat a slave to death, he could be executed for his
crime
• If a slave sold in the market place was able to escape and run to
the palace (about 1.5km) they would immediately win their
freedom
• The Aztecs worldview on slavery was different than what was
held in Europe, they didn’t think it was shameful to be a slave
• They also didn’t think that being a slave was a permanent
position
• Slaves were even allowed to own land and have their own slaves
• If a slave had a child, that child would be born FREE