Aztec Society


Learning about the Aztecs society was really interesting experience. They believed in being independent and had a really well-ordered out existence. In fact the most impressive attribute I found was the idea of free education for all irrespective of the class the children belonged to. Even in the most advanced of modern well developed countries, free education for everyone is still a pipe dream, so in a few ways the Aztecs were really forward thinking. Here are a few points I found interesting about Aztec society and how it impacted on the average Aztec Joe.


Education Was An Important Part Of The Aztec Society


Education - As I said education was free for everyone but society and class was very important to the Aztecs and they had a segregation system for boys and girls and two separate schools (check the description of the city of Tenochtitlan) for children from the upper class as well as a separate school for the commoners. Boys were taught how to fight as well as military history, myths, religions, war songs etc. The girls had a separate curriculum of learning the trades required for having a family as well as cooking and other crafts. It was an orderly existence with a separate school for children who wanted to learn to be priests and priestesses. Children studied under the parents till the age of fifteen and then were obligated to enter school everyday.


Tre Role Of Law In The Aztec Society


The Aztec society was pretty orderly with strict laws to enforce the discipline. If the law was broken punishments were meted out in the form of fines and fees and heavier crimes were punished with rigorous works of a certain kind.


Aztec Society Classes


Society was carefully divided in to three classes with the top most being nobility, followed by the commoners and then the slaves.


Nobility


The nobility enjoyed certain privileges as they were nobles by birth. Priests, warriors and artisans who earned their rank were also considered to be a part of this class. The very highest social strata were made up of a special family called as the pipiltin. These were the hereditary nobility and often had special posts in the government, the army as well as the priesthood. A leader called as the tlatoani from was often selected from this family by the nobles together and he ruled till his death.

In Aztec society, warriors, priests, as well as nobility were highest of the noble class and were often revered for their powers.


Commoners


The second class was of the commoners who carried out the daily work of the society and it was made up the farmers and traders of the state. They were eligible to own land collectively as a family or as a clan but could not own the land individually.

Commoners could collectively own an area of land for their lifetime. The poorest of commoners was considered as the tenant farmers, where they just cultivated the land in return for a part of the harvest.


Slaves


Slaves were on the lowest step of the Aztec society. They had no rights. But slaves did have an opportunity to buy back their freedom with the required money.