The Great Aztec Leader (story pg. 171) 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 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 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 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 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 He had to be a skilled warrior He had to know military strategy He had to know how to lead others

Head of State 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 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 Anyone who was not a noble belonged to the commoner class.

Family Clans 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Some Aztecs parents threw handfuls of hot chilli peppers into a fire and forced them to inhale the fiery smoke

Education 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Content (2 postcards), 5 sentences each Drawing on the front x2 Stamp & Address & Name` (5 sentences) on the back x2 Neatness/ Effort