For the Good of the People

The Social Hierarchy (p.172)1. Emperor2. Nobility & Priests3. Merchants, Artists, Soldiers4. Farmers, Fishers, Women5. Slaves

1. EmperorCalled the “Great Speaker”Treated like a godThe Chief Priest, commander-in-chief, and

“head of state”A.Army Commander:Had to be a good warrior to be able to lead the

armyB.Head of State:Made the final decisions for the empire

Family ClansSociety 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

1. MerchantsThe richest calpolliTravelled to other parts of Mexico to trade

and spyKnew the geography wellHelped make the empire rich

2. FarmersGrew crops, hunted, and fishedPaying taxes was very importantFed the entire empire

3. ArtisansCreated clothes and works of artMask makers, goldsmiths, and feather

workers were very respectedUsed feathers from birds to make beautiful

clothes, such as headdresses (p.175)Only the rich were allowed to wear feathersFeathers from the quetzal bird were sacred

(like eagle feathers to our First Nations)Their god Quetzalcoatl was the “feathered

serpent”

Signs of StatusEvery culture has status symbols: ways to tell

the difference between peopleThe Aztecs based their status on clothing,

jewellery, and size/location of your house

WarriorsThe main way to move “up” was through

battleKilling wasn’t the goal; you were meant to

capture your enemy for sacrificesA warrior could instantly move from a

common person to the nobility by capturing prisoners

Do questions 1 (a), (c)

EducationHome schooled until about 10-15 years oldVery strict disciplineGoal was to turn people into citizens with “a

stone heart and a stone face”Education was very importantThere was 2 types of schools1.Calmecac – for nobles2.Telpochcalli – for common people

1. Calmecac – for noblesReligion was very importantOther subjects: page 180Only these students learned to read and writeThey “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

2. Telpochcalli – for commonersAll instruction was spokenStudents had to learn by memorizationHistory, religion, and “how to be a good

citizen” were taughtThey learned music tooBoys did lots of hard labour

Women’s educationWomen had very little power, but they were

still educatedAt about 16, girls would be married and start

a familyMany women served in the army as doctors

and healersOthers became priestessesOthers were midwives

Military TrainingAll boys were taught at school how to fight

and defendBoys would follow the soldiers to battles to

watch and see how things wentThey became official warriors when they

were 15Eagle and Jaguar were the most important

military positions

P. 181 – “conscription”