Notes on Aztecs, Chapter 8

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