Aztec World

Review of Lesson 1

• Left SW US
• Semi nomadic
• Settled around Lake Texcoco
• Mercenaries
• Triple Alliance dominated valley.

Religion

• Blend of animism, polytheism, shamanism, time veneration
• 200+ gods
• Human sacrifice needed to continue prosperity
• Gods were fed/nourished
• Payment or appeasement to gods sacrifice

Warfare

• Jaguars or eagles
• Maquahuitl 1 or 2 handed oak club with obsidian edges.
• cuauhololli - war club
• Tepoztopilli - stone edged spear
• Tiahuaituolli (bow + arrows)
• Atlatl - spear throwing device

Tenochtitlan

• Built from reclaimed marsh using chinampas
• Took 2 years to build
• Aqueducts to carry water to city
• Eventually a levee used to hold brackish water back and allow spring water to access chinampas
• 4 zones, campans, split into calpullis - each had market, school and temple
• 3 Causeways 10 m wide with drawbridges
• Police force and public works
• Zoo and aquariums

Explore the technological wonder of chinampas.

Commerce

• Main market 60 000
• Coco beans commerce
• Streets just for pottery, cloth, gold, jewelry
• See pochteca

Aztec Life

Slavery

• Bottom of society
• Captured, due to debt or crimes, sold children to support family.
• Used money have wives and children.
• Children born free
• Slaves could be purchased for sacrifice

Commoners

• Vast majority
• Males - on campaign, trades, farmers
• Females - weaving, cleaning, traded
• Couldn't become nobles, but could be priests or warriors.

Pochteca

• Traveling merchants
• Away for months
• Hereditary
• Controlled trade routes via 12 guilds
• Wealthier than nobles
• Spies too

Nobility

• Only 5% of population, but owned everything
• Special clothing
• Special schools (calmecac)
• Planned feasts, labor parties & led armies
• Held to higher standard & penalties more severe.

Royalty

• King - tlatoami (speaker)
• Statesman & commander
• Elected by group of nobles
• Absolutist in many ways
• Father & spiritual leader of society.

Children

• Named by priests
• School mandatory
• Marriages arranged by relatives/teachers!
• Most income was focused on children & elders

Calendar

• Good & bad days for everything
• 18, 20 day months & a 5 day month
• Each day 1 had a feast
• Honor people of the day

Compare Spanish Society at this time

• Education and health
• Equality and veil of ignorance
• Political organization
• Expansionism
• Treatment of children
• Justice system
• Treatment of slaves