Download Unit 8 – Aztecs

Moctezuma
The Great Aztec Leader
(story pg. 171)
The Aztec Social Hierarchy
Emperor
Nobility & Priests
(10-15% of pop.)
Merchants, Artisans, Soldiers
¸Farmers, Fishers & Women
(Commoners)
Slaves
Class Division
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The two main classes
were nobles and
commoners.
A person's position in
society was generally
determined by which class
he or she was born into.
People were able to work
their way to a higher level
through their own efforts.
Emperor
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The leader came from
the nobles, but once
he assumed office, he
was in a class by
himself.
His position was not
hereditary, a council of
nobles decided who
would be the next
leader by vote.
Emperor
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Held the title “Great Speaker”
Even though he was a human being, he
was treated like a god.
They showed him respect by obeying him
without question and giving him every
possible privilege and luxury.
He lived in an enormous palace with
spectacular gardens and a private zoo.
Emperor
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Servants carried him
through the streets on
a screened platform
Other servants ran
ahead sweeping the
streets.
He was also the
Commander of the
Army and the Head of
State.
Commander of the Army
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He had to be a skilled
warrior
He had to know
military strategy
He had to know how
to lead others
Head of State
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Before the Emperor would make an
important decision he would call together
his council of priests and nobles and ask
their advice
The ultimate decision was his
The good of the entire empire rested on his
shoulders
Nobles
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Only about 10-15% of the
population belonged to the
nobility, but they held most
of the political power and
wealth.
Priests came from the
ranks of the nobles.
Nobleman worked as
scribes, government
officials and teachers.
Commoners
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Anyone who was not a noble belonged to
the commoner class.
Family Clans
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Aztec society was
organized into units called
Calpolli (call-POLE-lee)
Members of the same
calpolli lived in the same
neighbourhood and
worshiped at the same
temple.
Some capolli were based
on the work they did, i.e.
all the goldsmiths might
form a capolli
Calpolli
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The calpolli owned the land
where its members lived and
farmed
Each calpolli elected a
captain and a council
The council of calpolli
assigned land and houses to
its residents and collected
taxes
It kept the neighbourhood
clean, washed the streets
and painted and scrubbed
the buildings
Merchants
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The merchants made up
the richest calpolli in
Tenochtitlan
Aztec merchants often set
off with hundreds of slaves
to carry the goods they
purchased on trading
expeditions
They might be gone for
months as they travelled
to remote areas of the
empire
Merchants and Spies
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Merchants also acted
as spies for the Aztec
army, drawing maps to
show which cities
were well fortified and
which could be easily
conquered.
This information
helped to plan attacks
during wartime
Farmers
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Farmers were also skilled
hunters and fishers
They sold much of what
they caught in the market
to add to the family
income
Paying taxes was one of
the most important
responsibilities of
citizenship.
Farmers gave up a share
of their produce in taxes
Artisans
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In a large and wealthy
city like Tenochtitlan,
there was a large
demand for the finer
things in life, such as
fashionable clothes
and works of art
Artisans
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Mask makers, goldsmiths and feather workers
were among the most respected
Creations of the feather workers were the most
valued items in Aztec society.
Tropical birds with brightly coloured feathers were
hunted and raised in captivity by the Aztecs
The feathers were worked into fans, headdresses,
tunics and used to decorate shields
Only members of nobility were allowed to wear
garments of feathers
Artisans
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The most prized
feathers were the
iridescent turquoise
feathers of the quetzal
bird which lived in
tropical rainforests.
Quetzal feathers were
sacred because they
were associated with
the god, Quetzalcoatl“The Feathered
Serpent”
Signs of Status
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Can you tell in Canada who the rich people
are? How?
In Aztec society the 3 most common ways
of indicating your position in society was by
your clothing, jewellery and size and
location of your house
For clothing, the patterns and quality of the
cloth determined your status
Moving up in Society
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The main way to move up in
Aztec society was by
achieving success on the
battlefield
Killing the enemy was not the
point of war, what they
wanted were prisoners to
sacrifice to honour their
gods.
A warrior who took 4
enemies prisoner
immediately became eligible
for membership in a higher
status
If the warrior was a
commoner, he could also
rise to nobility
Aztec Education
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Aztec children were
educated at home until
they started school (ages
10-15)
All children were
pampered until the age of
3 and then they were
expected to work hard
If they didn't they were
severely punished
Children who Misbehaved
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Some Aztecs parents
threw handfuls of hot
chilli peppers into a
fire and forced them to
inhale the fiery smoke
Education
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Education was valued
in Aztec society
Every child went to
school and all school
was free.
There were two types
of schools, calmecac
(nobles) and
telpochalli
(commoners)
Schools for Nobles
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The calmecac was located
in neighbourhoods were
nobles lived; it was often
attached to a temple
Students studies codices
(books about Aztec
history, looks like an
accordion)
Religious training was an
important part of their
education
Reading, Writing & Counting
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The Aztecs based all of their higher education on
the ability to read and write using a system of
pictures called glyphs, instead of letters
Only nobles learned to read and write
Commoners received all of their instruction by
spoken word
Aztecs used their fingers and toes to count so
their number system was based on 20, (ours is
based on 10)
This number is so important that every month in
the Aztec calendar has 20 days
Aztec Calendar
Military Training
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At school, all boys trained
as warriors to defend the
Aztec state.
Once he knew how to
fight, a boy would serve as
a soldiers servant and
follow the army to learn
how warriors conducted
themselves and took an
active role in battle
Education for Commoners
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Teachers gave oral
lessons in Aztec history,
religion and citizenship
duties
Students learned to play
flutes, drums and dance
the sacred dances
Boys spent much of their
time doing hard physical
labour, digging ditches
and carrying firewood
Educating Aztec Women
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Aztec women had little political power
The Emperor and his council were all men
The Aztecs did think girls should get a good
education
Every girl attended school
At age 16, most girls got married and moved in
with their husband
Many women had a lot of power as
matchmakers and priestesses
The Ideal Aztec Citizen
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Courage: not complain
Self-sacrifice: help
others
Modesty: boast about
personal
achievements
Clean Living: healthy
and avoid
overindulging
Obedience: obey
superiors without
question
Law and Lawmaking
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The Aztec people had their rights protected by a
system of written laws
The legal system was a powerful tool for
maintaining order in their society
Every citizen, even nobles, had to obey the laws
Since nobles were expected to set a good
example, the law often judged them more harshly
Aztecs based their decisions on evidence
Slave Laws
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The Aztecs realized that slaves performed much
necessary work
For this reason, they had laws to protect slave’s
rights
If a noble beat a slave to death, the noble could
be executed
If slaves sold in the marketplace could escape
and run to the Emperor’s palace (1 ½ km) they
would immediately win their freedom
Slaves
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Aztecs did not think it was shameful to be a
slave, it was more a matter of bad luck
They did not consider it a permanent
condition
Slaves could keep their property, including
their own slaves, until they paid their debts
and took their place in society again
Children born to slaves were free
Assignment
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Choose the type of Aztec person you most
associate yourself with and write a postcard/ letter
from their perspective that would be sent to the
future.
Tell your future readers what life is like for you,
think about all aspects of your life, school,
religion, work, friends, hobbies etc.
Write a postcard/ letter back to that person,
answering the same questions, but telling them
what your life is like now (pen pals).
Make sure to have writing on one side and a
picture/ photograph on the other.
Evaluation
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Content (2 postcards), 5 sentences each
Drawing on the front x2
Stamp & Address & Name` (5 sentences)
on the back x2
Neatness/ Effort