The highest class was the nobility. Originally this status was not hereditary. Later the class system took on hereditary aspects. The second class were the peasants. An anthropologist estimates that in later stages only 20% of the population was dedicated to agriculture and food production. The other 80% of society were warriors, artisans and traders. Eventually, most of the peasants were dedicated to arts and crafts. Their works were an important source of income for the city. Slaves also constituted an important class. Aztecs could become slaves because of debts, as a criminal punishment or as war captives. A slave could have possessions and even own other slaves. However, upon becoming a slave, all of the slave's animals and excess money would go to his purchaser. Slaves could buy their liberty, and slaves could be set free if they had children or were married to their masters. Typically, upon the death of the master, slaves who had performed outstanding services were freed. The rest of the slaves were passed on as part of an inheritance. Traveling merchants were a small, but important class as they not only facilitated commerce, but also communicated vital information across the empire and beyond its borders. They were often employed as spies.
Arts.
Song and poetry were highly regarded. There were presentations and poetry contests at most of the Aztec festivals. There were also dramatic presentations that included players, musicians and acrobats. A remarkable amount of this poetry survives, having been collected during the era of the conquest. In some cases poetry is atributed to individual authors, such as Nezahualcoyotl, Tlatoani of Texcoco, and Cuacuauhtzin, but whether these attributions reflect actual authorship is a matter of opinion. Milguel Leon-Portilla, a well-respected Aztec scholar of Mexico, has stated that it is in this poetry where we can find the real thought of the Aztecs, independent of "official" Aztec ideology. The most important collection of these poems is Romances de los señores de la Nueva España, collected (Texcoco 1582), probably by Juan Bautista de Pomar. As all other Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs played a variant of the Mesoamerican ballgame. The game was played with a ball of solid rubber, called an olli, whence derives the Spanish word for rubber,hule. The players hit the ball with their hips, knees, and elbows and had to pass the ball through a stone ring to automatically win. The practice of the ballgame carried religious and mythological meanings and also served as sport.
City-building and Architecture.
The capital city of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, now the site of modern-day Mexico city. Built on a series of islets in Lake Texcoco, the
external image aztec-pyramid-1.jpg
city plan was based on a symmetrical layout that was divided into four city sections. The city was interlaced with canals which were useful for transportation. Tenochtitlan was built according to a fixed plan and centered on the ritual precinct, where the Great Pyramid in Tenochtitlan rose 50 m (164.04 feet) above the city. Houses were made of wood and loam, roofs were made of reed, although pyramids, temples and palaces were generally made of stone. Around the island, Chinampa beds were used to grow foods as well as, over time, to increase the size of the island.
Agriculture.
The pre-conquest Aztecs were a society that had four main methods of agriculture. The earliest, most basic form of agriculture implemented by the Aztecs is known as “rainfall cultivation.” The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas, or areas that could not be used for level ground farming. In the valleys, irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. This allowed for harvests on a regular basis. The Aztecs built canal systems that were longer and much more elaborate than previous irrigation systems. They managed to divert a large portion of the Cuauhtitlan River to provide irrigation to large areas of fields. The network of canals was a very complex and intricate system. In the swampy regions along Lake Xochimilco, the Aztecs implemented yet another method of crop cultivation. They built chinampas. The Aztecs are credited with domestication of the subspecies of wild turkey, Meleagris Gallopavo, which is native to this region. While most of the farming occurred outside the densely populated areas, within the cities there was another method of (small scale) farming. Each family had their own garden plot where they grew maize, fruits, herbs, medicines and other important plants. Of the various crops grown by the Aztecs, maize was the most important. Aztec diets centered on it. Maize was grown across the entire empire, in the highland terraces, valley farms and also on the chinampas. Women ground maize into a coarse meal by rubbing it with a grinding stone called a mano against a flat stone called a metate. The Aztecs made tortillas from the corn meal. Other crops that the Aztecs relied upon were avocados, beans, squashes,sweet potatoes, tomatoes,chia, amaranth and chilies. These crops were also grown everywhere. Crops that were specific to the lowland regions were cotton, fruits, cocoa beans and rubber trees.
Social Structures:
The highest class was the nobility. Originally this status was not hereditary. Later the class system took on hereditary aspects.
The second class were the peasants. An anthropologist estimates that in later stages only 20% of the population was dedicated to agriculture and food production. The other 80% of society were warriors, artisans and traders. Eventually, most of the peasants were dedicated to arts and crafts. Their works were an important source of income for the city.
Slaves also constituted an important class. Aztecs could become slaves because of debts, as a criminal punishment or as war captives. A slave could have possessions and even own other slaves. However, upon becoming a slave, all of the slave's animals and excess money would go to his purchaser. Slaves could buy their liberty, and slaves could be set free if they had children or were married to their masters. Typically, upon the death of the master, slaves who had performed outstanding services were freed. The rest of the slaves were passed on as part of an inheritance.
Traveling merchants were a small, but important class as they not only facilitated commerce, but also communicated vital information across the empire and beyond its borders. They were often employed as spies.
Song and poetry were highly regarded. There were presentations and poetry contests at most of the Aztec festivals. There were also dramatic presentations that included players, musicians and acrobats.
A remarkable amount of this poetry survives, having been collected during the era of the conquest. In some cases poetry is atributed to individual
authors, such as Nezahualcoyotl, Tlatoani of Texcoco, and Cuacuauhtzin, but whether these attributions reflect actual authorship is a matter of opinion.
Milguel Leon-Portilla, a well-respected Aztec scholar of Mexico, has stated that it is in this poetry where we can find the real thought of the Aztecs, independent of "official" Aztec ideology.
The most important collection of these poems is Romances de los señores de la Nueva España, collected (Texcoco 1582), probably by Juan Bautista de Pomar.
As all other Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs played a variant of the Mesoamerican ballgame. The game was played with a ball of solid rubber, called an olli, whence derives the Spanish word for rubber,hule. The players hit the ball with their hips, knees, and elbows and had to pass the ball through a stone ring to automatically win. The practice of the ballgame carried religious and mythological meanings and also served as sport.
The capital city of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, now the site of modern-day Mexico city. Built on a series of islets in Lake Texcoco, the
Tenochtitlan was built according to a fixed plan and centered on the ritual precinct, where the Great Pyramid in Tenochtitlan rose 50 m (164.04 feet) above the city. Houses were made of wood and loam, roofs were made of reed, although pyramids, temples and palaces were generally made of stone.
Around the island, Chinampa beds were used to grow foods as well as, over time, to increase the size of the island.
The pre-conquest Aztecs were a society that had four main methods of agriculture. The earliest, most basic form of agriculture implemented by the Aztecs is known as “rainfall cultivation.” The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas, or areas that could not be used for level ground farming. In the valleys, irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. This allowed for harvests on a regular basis. The Aztecs built canal systems that were longer and much more elaborate than previous irrigation systems. They managed to divert a large portion of the Cuauhtitlan River to provide irrigation to large areas of fields. The network of canals was a very complex and intricate system.
In the swampy regions along Lake Xochimilco, the Aztecs implemented yet another method of crop cultivation. They built chinampas.
The Aztecs are credited with domestication of the subspecies of wild turkey, Meleagris Gallopavo, which is native to this region.
While most of the farming occurred outside the densely populated areas, within the cities there was another method of (small scale) farming. Each family had their own garden plot where they grew maize, fruits, herbs, medicines and other important plants.
Of the various crops grown by the Aztecs, maize was the most important. Aztec diets centered on it. Maize was grown across the entire empire, in the highland terraces, valley farms and also on the chinampas. Women ground maize into a coarse meal by rubbing it with a grinding stone called a mano against a flat stone called a metate. The Aztecs made tortillas from the corn meal. Other crops that the Aztecs relied upon were avocados, beans, squashes,sweet potatoes, tomatoes,chia, amaranth and chilies. These crops were also grown everywhere. Crops that were specific to the lowland regions were cotton, fruits, cocoa beans and rubber trees.