The Aztecs: An overview
The Aztecs gained their notoriety and power through massive, sweeping conquests. The Aztecs, at their peak, had conquered and then controlled most of modern Mexico. The first conquest of the Aztecs was against the dominant tribe on the mainland across from the Aztec domain in Lake Texcoco, the Tepanecs. This conquest, gained after the war over water access against the Tepanecs, led to the creation of the Aztec Empire. After their first victory, the Aztecs went on to conquer tribes further inland, gaining wealth and power with each consolidation. The Aztecs benefited not only from the additional land, but also from the tributes the conquered people wet forced to pay to the Aztecs. The Aztecs further gained, from their prisoners of war, dispensable bodies that could be given as human sacrifices to the gods (the Aztecs, like the Mayans, believed in the need for human sacrifice to please the gods).
The Aztecs were not irresponsible with their new empire. The Aztecs set many systems in place to ensure the political stability of their grand empire. The Aztecs territory not made up of city-states like the Mayans--instead, a single, sovereign ruler had complete authority over all of the tribes within the empire and all of the land the empire encompassed. Also, to centralize the authority of the Aztec government, the Aztecs only used their own, original people as governors. The Aztecs further did not trust the governing of the conquered provinces in the hands of the restless, conquered officials. Instead, the Aztecs sent in their own nobles to govern the provinces to prevent revolts in the new land. Back in the center of the Aztec community, at the capital of Tenochtitlán, the Aztecs put sets of checks and balances in place to rid their government of possible corruption. The sole ruler of the Aztec Empire could potentially abuse the high power he held, potentially wreaking havoc on the Empire as a whole. To prevent such calamity, a council of nobles, priests, and warriors was formed to elect the emperor. Theoretically, the council of influential, educated, responsible upper-class citizens would result in the designation of a capable emperor.
Considering the geographic proximity between the Mayan civilization and the Aztec civilization, it is not surprising that the Aztec Empire shared the same agricultural basis for their society as the Mayans had. The Aztecs also used the same barter system for trade as the Mayans had. Long-distance traders in the empire bartered goods between the distinct geographic regions of the empire, creating a diverse economy. For instance, the merchants traded goods found predominantly in the highlands for goods in the tropical regions of the empire to sustain the supply and demand from the dramatically different regions. Aside from the wealth coming in from the constant trade, the Aztecs used the tributes of their conquered provinces to glorify their cities with grand flourishes of power. The Aztecs constructed magnificent temples, luxurious palaces, exotic zoos, and detailed floating gardens. The Aztecs also used their extraordinary wealth to create the best technologies of the time in science and architecture, resulting in beautifully designed and efficient structures such as aqueducts, pyramids, and temples.
The social hierarchy of the Aztecs was as greatly defied as that of Mayan society. The society was divided into four distinct social groups. These groups were: royalty and nobles; priests and warriors; merchants and artisans; and farmers and slaves. Each group had specific functions in society, so the hierarchy helped maintain social order by giving everyone a proper "place" and "duty" to fulfill. The Emperor's office was to lead a highly codified government, exact taxes from the conquered provinces, and distribute land to his people, especially to the warriors whose service was greatly valued. The nobles held their place as the tax collectors and judges in the Emperor's court, focused on exacting his orders. The priests had great influence in society, and their duties included tracking and documenting the devised calendars to decide when to plant the crops (by the solar calendar) and when to hold religious ceremonies (by the ritual calendar). The warriors' charge was to defend the empire, and more specifically to capture victims for religious sacrifices--the warriors role in maintaining the safety and spiritual well-being of the empire granted them great respect in the society. Meanwhile, the merchants kept the economy functioning by gathered goods from around empire and then selling those goods at the big markets in the capital of Tenochtitlán and other important cities around the empire, daily increasing the wealth of the empire. The artisans worked as partners to the merchants, for they made the precious goods sold at the market, and those goods (like gold jewelry) sold directly to the upper class. At the bottom of the society were the farmers and the slaves. The farmers were most often very poor, as they did not own the land they farmed for crops like maize and beans. The slaves, however, were even below the major population of farmers--the slaves were those who had been captured in battle or who could not pay their debts, thus being the unaccepted ones of the society who were often given up for religious sacrifice, both as punishment and as a service to the divine protection of the empire. While the hierarchy was rigid in its definition and boxing of people, it did have a certain fluidity to it. For instance, warriors were incentivized to perform well in battle, as such valor could merit movement into a higher class. Slaves, if they worked hard, were also given the opportunity to move up in the hierarchy by buying their freedom.
The forward-thinking nature of the Aztecs explains their emphasis on education. The Aztecs saw that as their empire advanced, they would need more of the population to be specially trained in subjects such as engineering, building, and trading for increasing success and wealth. The Aztecs thus created the first ever public school system, a system of free schooling that was mandatory for all Aztec children, even the girls and slaves. There were two schools for the boys and one for the girls. At the school for girls, young Aztec girls learned about religion, as many women were involved in spiritual ceremonies, and trained to follow in their mother's footsteps--the girls were trained to be good wives and mothers, meaning that they learned to cook, sew, and care for children. The two schools for boys differed based on the class the boys attending. One school was for the sons of nobles. These noble sons were expected to hold important offices when they grew up, so they studied law, writing, medicine, engineering and building, interpretation of dreams and omens, and self-expression. They also learned about their history and religious beliefs, providing well-rounded boys by the end of their schooling. On a practical level, the schooling of these noble boys also taught them to be tough--the schools were very strict, and boys were humiliated on a regular basis to build a "thick skin." The second school for boys was a school for the sons of commoners. In their school, the sons of commoners trained to be farmers like their fathers. They were given bad food and harsh conditions to accustom them to the terrible conditions of poverty that farmers in the Aztec Empire faced. However, the sons of commoners were also expected to be full-participants of Aztec society, including Aztec oral tradition and religious rituals, so they were schooled in history, religion, manners, correct behavior, and important rituals, along with singing and dancing. It is noted that religion is always a subject matter the Aztec children are schooled in, regardless of their society status. The Aztecs had a polytheistic religion that, like the religion of the Maya, was based on the gods of nature. Also like the Maya, the Aztecs held frequent sacrifices to give back to their "creator gods," gods the Aztecs believed gave up much to benefit the Aztecs. The Aztec religion worshiped over 1,000 gods. However, the main gods worshipped were the creator gods: Huitzilopochtli, the main god of the Aztecs; god of War and Sun, to whom warriors were sacrificed yearly; Tezcatlipoca, the god of Night and all material things; Quetzalcoatl, the god of civilization, priesthood, and learning; and Tlaloc, the god of Rain and the main agricultural god, to whom children were sacrificed through drownings.
The Aztecs were not irresponsible with their new empire. The Aztecs set many systems in place to ensure the political stability of their grand empire. The Aztecs territory not made up of city-states like the Mayans--instead, a single, sovereign ruler had complete authority over all of the tribes within the empire and all of the land the empire encompassed. Also, to centralize the authority of the Aztec government, the Aztecs only used their own, original people as governors. The Aztecs further did not trust the governing of the conquered provinces in the hands of the restless, conquered officials. Instead, the Aztecs sent in their own nobles to govern the provinces to prevent revolts in the new land. Back in the center of the Aztec community, at the capital of Tenochtitlán, the Aztecs put sets of checks and balances in place to rid their government of possible corruption. The sole ruler of the Aztec Empire could potentially abuse the high power he held, potentially wreaking havoc on the Empire as a whole. To prevent such calamity, a council of nobles, priests, and warriors was formed to elect the emperor. Theoretically, the council of influential, educated, responsible upper-class citizens would result in the designation of a capable emperor.
Considering the geographic proximity between the Mayan civilization and the Aztec civilization, it is not surprising that the Aztec Empire shared the same agricultural basis for their society as the Mayans had. The Aztecs also used the same barter system for trade as the Mayans had. Long-distance traders in the empire bartered goods between the distinct geographic regions of the empire, creating a diverse economy. For instance, the merchants traded goods found predominantly in the highlands for goods in the tropical regions of the empire to sustain the supply and demand from the dramatically different regions. Aside from the wealth coming in from the constant trade, the Aztecs used the tributes of their conquered provinces to glorify their cities with grand flourishes of power. The Aztecs constructed magnificent temples, luxurious palaces, exotic zoos, and detailed floating gardens. The Aztecs also used their extraordinary wealth to create the best technologies of the time in science and architecture, resulting in beautifully designed and efficient structures such as aqueducts, pyramids, and temples.
The social hierarchy of the Aztecs was as greatly defied as that of Mayan society. The society was divided into four distinct social groups. These groups were: royalty and nobles; priests and warriors; merchants and artisans; and farmers and slaves. Each group had specific functions in society, so the hierarchy helped maintain social order by giving everyone a proper "place" and "duty" to fulfill. The Emperor's office was to lead a highly codified government, exact taxes from the conquered provinces, and distribute land to his people, especially to the warriors whose service was greatly valued. The nobles held their place as the tax collectors and judges in the Emperor's court, focused on exacting his orders. The priests had great influence in society, and their duties included tracking and documenting the devised calendars to decide when to plant the crops (by the solar calendar) and when to hold religious ceremonies (by the ritual calendar). The warriors' charge was to defend the empire, and more specifically to capture victims for religious sacrifices--the warriors role in maintaining the safety and spiritual well-being of the empire granted them great respect in the society. Meanwhile, the merchants kept the economy functioning by gathered goods from around empire and then selling those goods at the big markets in the capital of Tenochtitlán and other important cities around the empire, daily increasing the wealth of the empire. The artisans worked as partners to the merchants, for they made the precious goods sold at the market, and those goods (like gold jewelry) sold directly to the upper class. At the bottom of the society were the farmers and the slaves. The farmers were most often very poor, as they did not own the land they farmed for crops like maize and beans. The slaves, however, were even below the major population of farmers--the slaves were those who had been captured in battle or who could not pay their debts, thus being the unaccepted ones of the society who were often given up for religious sacrifice, both as punishment and as a service to the divine protection of the empire. While the hierarchy was rigid in its definition and boxing of people, it did have a certain fluidity to it. For instance, warriors were incentivized to perform well in battle, as such valor could merit movement into a higher class. Slaves, if they worked hard, were also given the opportunity to move up in the hierarchy by buying their freedom.
The forward-thinking nature of the Aztecs explains their emphasis on education. The Aztecs saw that as their empire advanced, they would need more of the population to be specially trained in subjects such as engineering, building, and trading for increasing success and wealth. The Aztecs thus created the first ever public school system, a system of free schooling that was mandatory for all Aztec children, even the girls and slaves. There were two schools for the boys and one for the girls. At the school for girls, young Aztec girls learned about religion, as many women were involved in spiritual ceremonies, and trained to follow in their mother's footsteps--the girls were trained to be good wives and mothers, meaning that they learned to cook, sew, and care for children. The two schools for boys differed based on the class the boys attending. One school was for the sons of nobles. These noble sons were expected to hold important offices when they grew up, so they studied law, writing, medicine, engineering and building, interpretation of dreams and omens, and self-expression. They also learned about their history and religious beliefs, providing well-rounded boys by the end of their schooling. On a practical level, the schooling of these noble boys also taught them to be tough--the schools were very strict, and boys were humiliated on a regular basis to build a "thick skin." The second school for boys was a school for the sons of commoners. In their school, the sons of commoners trained to be farmers like their fathers. They were given bad food and harsh conditions to accustom them to the terrible conditions of poverty that farmers in the Aztec Empire faced. However, the sons of commoners were also expected to be full-participants of Aztec society, including Aztec oral tradition and religious rituals, so they were schooled in history, religion, manners, correct behavior, and important rituals, along with singing and dancing. It is noted that religion is always a subject matter the Aztec children are schooled in, regardless of their society status. The Aztecs had a polytheistic religion that, like the religion of the Maya, was based on the gods of nature. Also like the Maya, the Aztecs held frequent sacrifices to give back to their "creator gods," gods the Aztecs believed gave up much to benefit the Aztecs. The Aztec religion worshiped over 1,000 gods. However, the main gods worshipped were the creator gods: Huitzilopochtli, the main god of the Aztecs; god of War and Sun, to whom warriors were sacrificed yearly; Tezcatlipoca, the god of Night and all material things; Quetzalcoatl, the god of civilization, priesthood, and learning; and Tlaloc, the god of Rain and the main agricultural god, to whom children were sacrificed through drownings.