Hierarchy
Who was at the top of the Aztec hierarchy?
Emperor
Who was the head priest?
Emperor
What social class did teachers come from?
Nobility
Who decided the fate of criminals?
Judges
Who was the leader of the Aztec army?
The Emperor
What was the main way to improve your standing in the hierarchy?
Military success
Did Aztec women go to school?
Yes
What was the main difference between the school for nobles and the school for commoners?
The school for commoners only had oral instruction
Were slaves allowed to own property?
Yes. They could even own other slaves.
Calpolli could be based on two main things. What are they?
Jobs and/or family
Who was at the bottom of the Aztec hierarchy?
Slaves
To the Aztec, what was more important than any individual?
The entire group
What is a calmecac?
school for nobles
What was a common punishment for lesser crimes? What was a common punishment for more severe crimes?
less severe: slavery
more severe: death
How did the emperor go through the streets?
Carried by servants, with other servants sweeping the road in front of him.
How was the emperor chosen?
Elected (voted in by a council)
What was the main goal of Aztec society?
To produce good Aztec citizens
The Aztec system for counting was based on what? Why?
20 (ten fingers and ten toes)
Aztec laws were _________.
written
What were some employment options for women?
Weavers, healer, doctor, matchmaker, priestess or midwives
What made up one of the richest calpolli?
The merchants
Who did the majority of the work for building dams and causeways?
Young peasant boys, some farmers and slaves
Higher education for nobles included what topics vs, education for commoners?
Nobles:
-astronomy, math
-Careers as judges, teachers, priests...
vs.
Commoners:
religion, citizenship duties, history, and sacred dances
How could a slave become free?
They could work their way out of it or, if they are being sold in the market and are able to run away to the Emperor’s palace.
Both the Aztec and medieval Europeans had sumptuary laws about clothes only nobles could wear. What were they?
Only medieval European nobility were allowed to wear purple or gold silk. Only Aztec nobles were allowed to wear clothes made out of feathers.