Download Act 8.3 Key Aztec Political And Economic Systems pages 273

Title: How Did the Political and Economic Systems Reflect Aztec Worldview?
Source: Our Worldviews: Explore, Understand, Connect
Author: Levin, Moline and Redhead
Pages: 273-278
Activity 8.3 Key
I can statement: I can show how the Aztec social system reflects their worldview.
Instructions:
Pre-Reading – Identify and define the key terms in your reading in the section provided.
During Reading – Using a highlighter and a transparency identify the key information
from each of your reading selections.
After Reading – Summarize your key facts into the provided sections and answer the
Reflect and Respond questions from page 278.
Altepetl
Key Terms
Aztec Political System
Council of Wise Men
– Chosen by
members of their
calpullis, they were
the greatest warriors
and wisest priests.
The Huey Tlatoani was elected by and
could be dismissed by the Council of Wise
Men. Being the representative of
Huitzilopochtli, the Huey Tlatoani was the
head of the government, the highest priest
and the ultimate authority in matters of
law. The title of Huey Tlatoani was often
passed down to sons or nephews but only
if they deserved it as ascension through
heredity was not part of the Aztec way of
life.
Altepeme – Plural
form of Altepetl.
Tribute – based
primarily on
agriculture but could
include: military
service, cacao beans,
natural resources like
lumber and cotton,
as well as, luxury
items like feather
work and precious
metals.
Cacao beans – used
to make chocolate
but also as a currency
in the Aztec
economy.
Chinampas – floating
Aztec gardens.
Cottage industry –
individuals work out
of their homes with
their own equipment
to make goods and
products.
Altepeme, similar to Italian city-states, were
distinct cultural groups with their own customs
and beliefs including origin stories and histories.
They were made up of related capulli and elected
their civic leader a tlatoani that ensured his
citizens’ needs were met by it surrounding
countryside.
Role of Priests in the Government
High priests would assist the emperor in the
interpretation of omens and dreams and also
assist in the setting of significant dates to hold
ceremonies or go to war. Lowly priests in the
royal court would look after music and direct
religious ceremonies.
Aztec Economy
Tribute
Paid to the emperor by
conquered societies to
ensure a steady source
of goods, tribute would
often be redistributed
throughout the empire
to ensure allegiance.
Cacao beans were a type
of currency Aztec’s used
to barter in the market
places to meet their
needs.
Farming
As the backbone to the Aztec
economy, farming required
technological innovations
like irrigation, terraced
hillsides and chinampas or
floating gardens to meet the
demands for tribute, taxes
and trade for goods and
services within the empire.
Produce grown on
chinampas would provide
almost half of the empires
need.
Other Goods and Services
Those farmers not working on Chinampas often
would have time to make goods out of raw
materials or mined products in a cottage
industry setting. Goods developed could include
ceramic pottery, tools made from obsidian,
paper, jewelry and feather work clothing.
Services would include barbers, herbalists and
individuals that would prepare and serve food
and drink.
Chinampas
Chinampas sat
surrounded by canals on
layers of mud dredged
from lakebeds and
rotting aquatic plants
that were placed on
interwoven vines and
branches and anchored
by planted willow trees’
roots to anchor these
floating gardens.
Market Place
After tribute and taxes, goods made their way to
the market place where the exchanges of goods
and services were based on barter and trade.
Merchandise was relegated to a particular street
and selling outside the market place was
forbidden. The largest market place was found in
an area of Tenochtitlan known as Tlateloco.
Pochteca
Pochteca, known as spying merchants for their trips into enemy territories, would trade finished
goods for raw materials used to make clothing and jewelry for the Aztec nobility. They would
transport their wares by using porters and canoes on the Valley of Mexico waterways.