Class Structure
How many classes are there within the Aztec hierarchy, and what was unique about it? What was the largest class?
There are five classes, and people were able to move up or down within the social classes. The third, and the largest class, was the commoners.
What did marriage mark in the Aztec culture? What would it signify when someone got married?
Marriage marked an Aztec child's entry into adulthood. It meant that a child became an adult in society.
Who had the higher status in Aztec society? Within the family, who was the master of the house?
Men had the higher status in Aztec society, and they were also the master of the house.
How many meals did commoner families typically eat throughout the day?
Most common families usually had two meals per day, consisting of maize-related foods.
What type of system did the market use to receive goods? Did they use a form of currency or something else?
They used a bartering system, trading one kind of good for another.
When the ruler dies, how would the position be chosen? Was the position hereditary?
The position of ruler was decided by a group of advisers who chose the ruler from the ruler's family. The ruler's position was not hereditary.
What was the age at which men would marry? What was the age at which women would marry?
Most men married around the age of 20, while young women tended to marry at 16.
What did the Aztecs believe was marriage's purpose? What did they do for this purpose?
Aztecs believed that the purpose of marriage was to bring children into the world, so they would honor a woman's role in giving birth as much as they did for a man's role in fighting wars.
What was the main food part of the Aztecs' diet? For what reason did the Aztecs find it useful?
The main food for the Aztecs was maize, also known as corn. Aztecs found it useful because it could be dried and stored for a long time.
What other purpose did the market have for certain people who went there?
The market also served a social purpose, allowing people to meet friends, gossip, and catch up on the day's news.
What rights did the lowest-ranked class have? Name all three rights.
The enslaved people, the lowest class, were allowed to own property, goods, and enslaved people.
What was something that the man could do within a marriage that the woman couldn't?
A man could marry multiple women as he could afford, which was known as polygamy.
Among commoners, what skills were necessary for women to have to care for the household?
Many women fixed meals, tended the garden, and looked after the livestock. These were all skills necessary for women to have.
Women would boil and skin maize kernels, ground them into flour, and then bake tortillas on clay griddles.
How many markets would one city have? Where would markets typically be located in a city?
Each city in the empire would have its own market, so each city would have its own market. Markets would usually be located in the plaza in front of the town's temple.
What was the highest-ranking commoner class, and what was their job within the hierarchy?
The highest-ranking commoner class was professional traders called 'pochteca'. They led caravans to distant lands to acquire exotic goods. Some would also serve as spies for the emperor, reporting what type of tribute a city could provide.
Where would the wedding festivities be held? What would they do at the set location for the festivities?
The wedding festivities would be held at the bride's house, and friends, relatives, the groom's teacher, and important people of the capulli would enjoy a banquet with the bride. They would also provide the bride with presents.
What did the girl's tasks center around, and what did it include? When they're about 7 years old, what did girls begin learning from their mothers?
Girls' tasks were center around running a home, and it included cleaning houses and grinding maize. When they were around 7 years old, their mothers would teach them how to weave.
What foods did wealthy Aztec people eat daily? What did they enjoy along with their meals?
Aztec people would eat winged ants, axolotls, pineapples, oysters, and crabs. They would drink cocoa with it.
How often would large towns hold their markets? How often would smaller towns hold their markets?
Large towns would hold their markets every day, while smaller towns would hold them every 5 days.
What were the jobs of government officials? What was their responsibility within the empire, and how were they chosen?
Government officials worked as judges, governed the city's four districts, and counseled the emperor. They were appointed by the emperor.
After the wedding festivities, during the evening of that same day, where was the wedding ceremony held? What was something that the bride would do?
The wedding ceremony was held at the groom's home. The bride would be carried by an old woman, usually the matchmaker.
Aztec parents would begin training their children at a young age, what would the son's tasks include? Name three tasks.
Young boys would fetch water and wood, while older boys learned how to fish and handle a canoe. Eventually, boys would accompany their fathers to the market or work.
What crops, apart from maize, did Aztec farmers grow? Name a minimum of five crops.
Aztec farmers also grew crops such as red peppers, tomatoes, sage, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, and avocados.
What class had a special place in the market, and for what reason did they have that place?
The pochteca had a special place in the market because they imported goods from faraway places and provided raw materials that weren't available around Tenochitlán.