Aztec Social Hierarchy: Roles and Status Symbols

1. Chapter 8 For the Good of the People

2. The Social Hierarchy (p.172) • Emperor • Nobility & Priests • Merchants, Artists, Soldiers • Farmers, Fishers, Women • Slaves

3. 1. Emperor • Called the “Great Speaker” • Treated like a god • The Chief Priest, commander-in-chief, and “head of state” • Army Commander: Had to be a good warrior to be able to lead the army • Head of State: Made the final decisions for the empire

4. Family Clans • Society was divided into units called calpolli: either groups of people who did the same job, or groups of families • Each calpolli had it’s own small government to take care of its part of the empire

5. 1. Merchants • The richest calpolli • Travelled to other parts of Mexico to trade and spy • Knew the geography well • Helped make the empire rich

6. 2. Farmers • Grew crops, hunted, and fished • Paying taxes was very important • Fed the entire empire

7. 3. Artisans • Created clothes and works of art • Mask makers, goldsmiths, and feather workers were very respected • Used feathers from birds to make beautiful clothes, such as headdresses (p.175) • Only the rich were allowed to wear feathers • Feathers from the quetzal bird were sacred (like eagle feathers to our First Nations) • Their god Quetzalcoatl was the “feathered serpent”

8. Signs of Status • Every culture has status symbols: ways to tell the difference between people • The Aztecs based their status on clothing, jewellery, and size/location of your house

9. Warriors • The main way to move “up” was through battle • Killing wasn’t the goal; you were meant to capture your enemy for sacrifices • A warrior could instantly move from a common person to the nobility by capturing prisoners • Do questions 1 (a), (c)

10. Education • Home schooled until about 10-15 years old • Very strict discipline • Goal was to turn people into citizens with “a stone heart and a stone face” • Education was very important • There was 2 types of schools • Calmecac – for nobles • Telpochcalli – for common people

11. 1. Calmecac – for nobles • Religion was very important • Other subjects: page 180 • Only these students learned to read and write • They “read” using a system of pictures called “glyphs” • Math: our way of counting is based on “10s” because we have 10 fingers Aztec counting was based on “20s” because they used fingers and toes

12. 2. Telpochcalli – for commoners • All instruction was spoken • Students had to learn by memorization • History, religion, and “how to be a good citizen” were taught • They learned music too • Boys did lots of hard labour

13. Women’s education • Women had very little power, but they were still educated • At about 16, girls would be married and start a family • Many women served in the army as doctors and healers • Others became priestesses • Others were midwives

14. Military Training • All boys were taught at school how to fight and defend • Boys would follow the soldiers to battles to watch and see how things went • They became official warriors when they were 15 • Eagle and Jaguar were the most important military positions • P. 181 – “conscription”