1. The Great Aztec Leader (story pg. 171)
Moctezuma
The Great Aztec Leader
(story pg. 171)

2. The Aztec Social Hierarchy
Emperor
Nobility & Priests
(10-15% of pop.)
Merchants, Artisans, Soldiers
¸Farmers, Fishers & Women
(Commoners)
Slaves

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Commoners
Anyone who was not a noble belonged to the commoner class.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

20. 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”

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. Children who Misbehaved
Some Aztecs parents threw handfuls of hot chilli peppers into a fire and forced them to inhale the fiery smoke

26. 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)

27. 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

28. 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

29. Aztec Calendar

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

36. 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

38. 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

39. 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.

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