What was the social organization of the Aztecs like?

Through this interesting article you will be able to know the culture of the Social Organization of the Aztecs. Do not stop reading it! You will also see the details of each of the parts that make up this indigenous society that marked a milestone in history.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS

Social organization of the Aztecs

The social organization of the Aztecs refers to the way in which the ancient Mexican civilization distributed and hierarchized its inhabitants. In general, the most important positions were held by priests and military leaders; Then came the ordinary settlers (artisans, merchants) and finally there were the slaves.

They were located mainly in Mesoamerica and their Empire was made up of three main areas: Tlacopan, Texcoco and Tenochtitlán (Mexico), although the center of power was consolidated in Tenochtitlán; that is to say, from this city other territories were directed.

Similarly, the Mexica state was ruled by the huey-tlatoani, considered the highest ruler and chosen by a group of nobles who formed the council. Also, the government is called a hereditary monarchy, since only those who were related to the previous monarch could ascend the throne.

It is important to note that this society was highly stratified, that is, its social classes were strictly demarcated and did not undergo considerable changes throughout its cultural and political development. Historians have divided the Mexica Empire into three main social groups: the nobles, the common people, and the slaves.

What was the social organization of the Aztecs like?

The nobles:  In Nahuatl, the nobles were known as pīpiltin and were a group of wealthy society that dominated the events of political and religious life. The pīpiltin owned farmland and placed peasants and slaves to work it. Similarly, these nobles formed the council and led the huey-tlatoani.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS

Within the nobles, the following positions can be found:

– The tecuhtli: They were in charge of supervising the payment of taxes.

– The tlatoani: they were the governors of the provinces and small towns.

– The Tizoc Ahuacatl: They were judges in charge of the administration of justice.

– The Tlacatecatl: They were the commanders of the armies. In other words, they commanded and organized the Mexican troops.

– The Cihuacoatl: they were the most authoritarian figure after the Huey-Tlatoani. They had the duty of administering tributes and supervising judicial and religious affairs.

The huey tlatoani

In Nahuatl, huey means "great," while tlatoani translates to "speaker." This indicated that the tlatoanis were nobles characterized by being great speakers with leadership and communication skills.

Furthermore, these leaders directed the social organization of the Mexican people and were considered a mystical presence on earth. In other words, the Aztecs believed that the Huey Tlatoani was chosen by command of the gods to represent the Empire in its political, military, and social activities.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS

Ordinary people (ordinary people)

In Nahuatl, this social layer was called Mācēhualtin. It was made up of farmers who worked the land of the nobles; Artisans and small merchants also fall into this category. The Mācēhualtin were very important in the Aztec civilization, since they were the basis of the economic development of the Empire.

Similarly, historians have found records indicating that the Mācēhualtin built terraces and small dams that improve agricultural yields.

Social ancestry of the Mācēhualtin:  evidence was also found indicating that some Mācēhualtin had achieved high-level positions within the political organization, but this was unusual in this society.

For example, it is known that there were successful craftsmen who managed to buy land, which allowed them to become nobles.

Mācēhualtin could also move up the social ladder if they excelled in war. This happened when an ordinary warrior managed to capture up to four enemies during a fight; Later, the captives were offered to the Mexican state so that the nobles could decide whether they would become slaves or be selected for sacrifices.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS

However, this event did not happen often, as the nobles were better trained in warfare than common soldiers and it was they who captured their enemies. That is, thanks to their skills, the nobles were more likely to take captures during combat.

The slaves

These people were called Tlātlācohtin and their social group consisted of political (i.e. war) prisoners, criminals, and people in debt who voluntarily submitted to slavery to pay what they owed.

As you can see, the inhabitants of the Aztec Empire were not born slaves; For Mexicans, slavery was a way of life that entered due to financial problems or as a punishment for breaking the laws. In the case of prisoners of war, they entered slavery as a form of captivity.

Relationship between slaves and their masters: For some historians, slavery became a very productive activity for the Aztecs in economic terms. This happened because the slave traders received special treatment and possessed a lot of wealth.

In addition, the masters had a great freedom of choice regarding their slaves. For example, it sometimes happened that a widowed woman married one of her slaves or made him her personal attendant. However, in the event that a slave did not obey his owners, he was put to death.

Although slavery was not hereditary in this society, people could be slaves indefinitely. In fact, the tlatoani Moctezuma II is known to have condemned traitors to be slaves for the rest of their lives; The same goes for shamans and astrologers who were unable to predict some important events.

Other Characteristics of Aztec Slavery

Sometimes some people in financial difficulties sold their children into slavery. In these cases, the slave remained tied to his owner's land until the debt was paid in full.

Similarly, it is known that if the master died, the slaves with the best behavior and exceptional abilities were freed. Instead, mediocre slaves were inherited from the descendants of masters.

Although slaves occupy the lower social strata of Aztec society, they can still marry and make certain decisions that favor their masters.

Furthermore, these people were expected to contribute to the development of the Mexican Empire, thus they often contributed to military clashes or the construction of large buildings.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS

Military forces

The army of the Mexica Empire was made up of the Yaoquizqueh, commoners with basic military knowledge, and the Pipiltzin nobles.

A little more about this Society

This society based on the characteristics of beliefs and military force, the social organization of the Aztecs was formed by similar groups or calpullis, whose members with apparent blood ties practiced the worship of a certain god, in the same territory.

Thus, in each of these groups there were hierarchically structured social classes, where there was a possibility of social mobility.

The upper class within the social organization of the Aztecs

For the social structure of the Aztecs, the nobles were the social class with the highest privileges, in this way they controlled the government.

They ruled the workforce in their lands, commanded warriors in battle, held various possessions such as land, slaves, or servants, and could opt for education to become future officials of the empire.

In addition to being respected by the people, they enjoyed many benefits, such as consuming xocoatl or chocolate. Being this caste hierarchized by the following three levels:

  • Ruler or Tlatoani, he was the highest authority of the calpullis, generally chosen for their proximity to the ancestors.
  • Tetecuhtin, being the middle class of the nobility, reserve administrative positions, among which the most important priests, military leaders or high officials.
  • Pipiltin, formed the lowest class of the nobility, made up of warriors in charge of protecting the empire and conquering other lands, also, some Toltec and Pochutec descendants or famous merchants were part of it.

The commoners within the social organization of the Aztecs

In this society, below the nobility were the common people or the macehualtina, according to this, the social stratification was as follows:

https://youtu.be/398BqFETlgE

  • Merchants, artisans and peasants, although they belonged to a lower class, the most important thing was that they enjoyed the freedom to work and found families, leading a simple life within the various calpullis, some could reach the nobility. through military service or marriage.
  • The prisoners of war or Tlacotin, in the social organization of the Aztecs, were a kind of slaves, but with the possibility of being free according to their behavior.
  • Slaves and Servants, who made up the workforce of the empire who generally worked for the nobility, while slaves were the sole property of their owners until death, serfs had some freedom to marry.

Finally, in this hierarchical scheme, the calpullis constituted the fundamental base of the Aztec social organization, whose apex was always occupied by those who were closely related to the founding ancestor.

We invite you to consult other articles on our blog, which may be very interesting: 


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Actualidad Blog
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.