The Political and social organization of the Aztecs Existed even before the empire was formed as such and was the basis of its society.
The definition of"Aztec"was built by Michael. And Smith. In this classification he included all the population who spoke the nahualt language in Central Mexico, not only in Tenochtitlán and other territories of the triple Aztec alliance.
Political structures of the Aztec government
The first nuclear structure within Aztec society was the family where the government emerged from it.
The structure of local government existed even earlier than the Aztec empire itself, and the leader was the Calpulli, responsible for the basic needs of his entire group.
The leaders Telpochcalli , A school for ordinary citizens, who were also responsible for collecting the taxes .
In the cities the calpullis were less related to the families and had a more regional origin. As it is in the case of our days, where the life of the city attracts many different people, different races and cultures, and unites them in the same common space.
In this way, the calpullis were the smallest nucleus of Aztec society and the basis on which all the complex society of the Aztec empire was organized.
Some came from towns known as altepetl (from the nahualt"mountain of water").
Each of these cities was ruled by a supreme leader (tlatoani) and a supreme judge who also acted as administrator (cihuacoatl).
The atepelt not only encompassed the territory of the city, but also its population. Normally they tried to dominate other neighboring territories or other altepelt through the war.
In this way, the weaker altepelt were subjugated by a more powerful city, to which they would later pay tribute.
An example of this was the alliance between the altepelt of Ocotelolco, Tizatlan, Tlaxcallan, Tepeticpac and Quiyahuiztlan, which is considered a single state although they had independent rulers and a certain level of internal competence.
Social organization of the Aztec empire
Retrieved image from socialhizo.com.
The most basic division of Aztec society was between nobles, known as pipiltin, and common-called macehualtin.
The difference is that the nobles held a large number of privileges that were not shared by the commons.
One of the most important privileges was the right to receive tribute from the commons of their land.
The noble class consisted of government officials, military leaders, lords and priests. All had a certain wealth and could enjoy, for example, works of art, a privilege not possessed by other social classes.
The nobles were in leadership positions and could influence other people. In addition, they received a complete education, they used expensive clothes and decorated their houses to demonstrate their social status.
The commons were farmers and merchants who traveled to trade. By their activities also they reached a great amount of wealth and they could acquire elegant clothes, besides prestige within its same class.
For their part, the commons had certain freedoms and independence, such as the right to own and cultivate the land of the nobles, administering their own possessions.
This as long as they could continue to complete the services required by the nobles and their calpulli, as payment of taxes and military service.
Social mobility was difficult between the two strata. But practically both the common and noble groups were structured in subtle hierarchies, where social mobility within the same layer was possible and frequent.
An example of this was the Pochteca - merchants of long distances - who were considered common, but at the same time had a great number of privileges comparable to those of the small nobility.
The social structure of the Aztecs was also divided by gender. The children received a higher education than the girls, and they were taught in techniques of war and battle and leadership.
The girls, on the other hand, learned how to cook, take care of their family, take a house and crafts.
However, women had great power in Aztec society, although it was not an apparent form. They could work as midwives and priestesses, but not positions of political or military leadership.
For example, a woman who died in labor was honorable as was a man who died in battle. They were also recognized for their talents as a weaver and had the right to inherit property and give inheritance to their children and / or family members.
In addition to these classes, there were also slaves and servants. The serfs worked on the lands owned by the nobles and did not live in the calpulli. They had to pay taxes and if they did not, they were punished and they became slaves.
Many prisoners of war had become slaves, but they were used as human sacrifices.
Despite this, the slaves had many rights in the Aztec empire, considering that they were treated fairly.
Slaves had the right to marry, have children, replace another in their place and buy their freedom. The owner of the slaves had the obligation to feed them and provide them with lodging.
Figure of the Aztec emperor or Huey Tlatoani
Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca
The emperor of the capital city of Tenochtitlan was called Huey Tlatoani or Great Speaker, who besides being the ruler was the leader of the city council, comparable to the old Roman senate.
Huey Tlatoani was worshiped as a God, his leadership not only supported the council in the city, but also the priests, judges, governors and a number of other officers. One of the most famous Huey Tlatoani was Moctezuma II, who ruled at the time Hernán Cortés arrived in the New World.
Huey Tlatoani had absolute power in one sense - since he was considered a representative of the gods - but governed together with the assistance of four counselors and a superior adviser who was chosen by the nobility.
The emperor also came to power through a semi-democratic system and could even be removed from office if the situation warranted.
Although his position of Huey Tlatoani was not hereditary, certainly the family lineage was important part of his election.
In fact, the Huey Tlatoani were chosen within the children or brothers of the deceased emperor. It was a requirement that they be of noble birth, of more than 30 years, they had to be educated in some elite school, to have experience like warriors and military leaders and to be fair.
Structure of the old Aztec government
The old government of the Aztecs did not rule the empire in the way we know empires.
Their control did not cover all areas of the life of their subjects, but the conquered lands were obliged to pay taxes. In this way, they had a certain share of freedom.
The political organization of the Aztecs stands out because its tendency was to create large all composed of aggregates that were relatively separated, and to achieve to unite them through functions and similarities that were shared.
In this way, social stratification was built from the bottom and rising upwards.
The hierarchy of the Aztecs is understood as an empire constructed by different constituent parts, rather than one unit (eg capital) subordinate under itself other units.
The Aztec warriors made small attacks on nearby villages to take prisoners who would be used for sacrifices. In this way, the conquered peoples obeyed them out of fear.
Thus, basically the Aztec empire was formed of many Cities State, that when the expansion of the Empire began (at the beginning of 1428), began to be annexed.
Some resisted, while others were conquered and began to pay tribute.
The city of Tenochtitlán - that corresponds to Mexico City at the moment - was the military power of the Empire, leading the conquest of new territories. But the Aztec emperor, Huey Tlatoani, did not directly govern every city state.
Local governments remained in place, but were forced to pay different types of tribute, the largest taxes being allocated to Tenochtitlan.
Another interesting feature is that the Aztecs did not rule in connected territories. As it conquered different cities, its power was divided into portions of territories over a geographical area.
However, this did not turn the Aztec empire into a weak empire. While ruling through local government, it allowed people to continue to live happily, providing stability and continuity, functioning in an orderly fashion for the empire.
For this reason, the Aztec Empire used to have a fair deal with the conquered peoples, giving them better opportunities of commerce and infrastructure. In spite of this, many of these towns did not have fidelity to the empire and they turned towards the Spaniards when they arrived in mission of conquest.
It was this conquest that stopped the expansion and growth of the Aztec empire, which by 1519 stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and from Central Mexico to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Education within the Aztec empire
The Aztecs were the first people in the world to provide compulsory education for almost all children, regardless of gender, rank or position.
Until the age of 14, the children depended on their parents, but were supervised by the authorities of the calpulli, which is why they periodically attended the temples, where their progress was measured.
Education was provided in every home between 10 and 20 years of age, and children were beginning to attend school at the age of 15.
Within education was learning a collection of sayings or phrases, known as huehuetlatolli which translates as"the sayings of the ancients", which collected the ideals of the Aztecs.
Words were included here to say on every occasion, such as speeches, greetings at the birth of a child and words of farewell in death.
The parents taught their daughters to be very clean and did not wear makeup, while the mothers advised them to support their husbands, even if they were humble peasants.
There were two types of school: the telpochcalli or"House of Youth"for practical and military studies, such as history, fighting and fighting techniques and some type of crafts, which could be agriculture or crafts. Some of the students chose to stay in the military, but most returned home.
The second school was the Calmecac for advanced studies in astronomy, theology, writing, State subjects and others.
The attendants were mainly sons of nobles, who received a training focused on the formation of leaders, teachers, priests, healers and painters. They studied ancient and contemporary history, literature, calendars, rituals, some elements of geometry, poetry and also military arts.
The healers (tizitl) had various specialties. Some were trained in medicinal plants, others in the preparation of medicines that were sold in special places like pharmacies. Among them we find deodorants, toothpaste, among others. There were healers specialized in surgery, skin diseases, digestive diseases, etc.
Women could receive education as healers and learn the trade of midwives, who could care for other women throughout their reproductive years. They advised young wives and cared for the development and evolution of pregnancies.
For their part, the warriors were a select group of exceptionally brave young men, who were trained in the use of weapons for combat, battle, and war.
Few Aztecs had the honor of being military and even the youngest cadets were respected by the nobility and priestly class. They were rewarded with ranks, land, and good wages.
The warriors of the eagle and the jaguar were the elite warriors, performing secret dances and receiving additional lands.
It is interesting to note that the Aztec teachers (tlamatimine) provided a spartan style, very severe, with cold baths in the morning, hard work, physical punishment, bleeding with maguey bones and tests of strength. All this for the purpose of forming stoic people.
References
- Aztec Political Structure. Retrieved from tarlton.law.utexas.edu.
- AncientAztecGovernment. Retrieved from aztec-history.com.
- AztecSociety. Retrieved from Wikipedia.org.
- Social structure. Retrieved from the-aztec-empire.weebly.com.
- Social, cultural, economic, and politicalpatterns in the Amerindianworld. Retrieved from course-notes.org.
- WhatwastheAztec social structure? Retrieved from reference.com.
- Aztec social classes. Retrieved from mexicolore.co.uk.