Social Hierarchy
The most important position on the social scale was the emperor. The emperor had allies who helped him to rule the Aztec's society. They lived through a lot of wonderful luxury, and had a status almost like a god. The next position were nobles. 10 to 20 percent of the Aztecs became nobles. There were kings of cites and states who owned all of the land, nobles who served the high-ranking nobles, and the high-ranking nobles who were given some land.
The next positions were priests and warriors. The emperor was also given the title of the head priest. If you became a senior priest, you would also become a noble. Boys were trained to be warriors in warfare at school. High-ranked warriors had the right to eat at the royal palace, wear excellent quality clothing, and drink alcohol. The jaguar warrior was also a noble who was part of the elite military orders. The officer led all warriors into battle, and the soldiers were ordinary Aztecs who were brought to battle when the Aztec empire was threatened.
The last positions on the social scale were merchants, peasant farmers, landless peasants, and slaves. The merchants ranked higher than other commoners. They carried around supplied imported goods, and were sometimes a lookout for the Aztec empire. The peasant farmers were farming families. Each family was given a little piece of land where they grew crops for food and goods. The land was passed down through generations when the parents died. The landless peasants were commoners without land. Some rented land from nobles, paying with a share of his or her crops. Slaves had very few rights. They could invest in money, purchase houses or land, and get married. Children slaves were born as free individuals.
Family Roles
The men were usually in charge of the family and the household. It was their job to keep everyone safe in the family. They also taught their sons how to hunt, fight, farm, fish and complete their job. The women had to cook, clean, spin, and weave. They also taught their daughters how to do these things as well. The older children learned these task from their parents.
Education
The boys had to attend school. The boys of commoners had to go to a school called a telpocticalli. The boys from noble families attended the calmecac, a temple school. There, they learned how to be a judge, general, priest, or a government official.
The girls did not have to go to school. Girls from noble families could go to a calmecac if they wanted to. There, they learned how to become priestesses and healers.
Sports
The Aztecs played a game called tlachtli. Nobles only played this game at special times. Two teams competed to score a small rubber ball through a ring at the top of the wall. They could only use their knees, elbows, or hips, but not their hands. Competitors will most likely get hurt and were sometimes killed. The court had a stone surface and was surrounded by stone walls with the rings attached to them.
The most important position on the social scale was the emperor. The emperor had allies who helped him to rule the Aztec's society. They lived through a lot of wonderful luxury, and had a status almost like a god. The next position were nobles. 10 to 20 percent of the Aztecs became nobles. There were kings of cites and states who owned all of the land, nobles who served the high-ranking nobles, and the high-ranking nobles who were given some land.
The next positions were priests and warriors. The emperor was also given the title of the head priest. If you became a senior priest, you would also become a noble. Boys were trained to be warriors in warfare at school. High-ranked warriors had the right to eat at the royal palace, wear excellent quality clothing, and drink alcohol. The jaguar warrior was also a noble who was part of the elite military orders. The officer led all warriors into battle, and the soldiers were ordinary Aztecs who were brought to battle when the Aztec empire was threatened.
The last positions on the social scale were merchants, peasant farmers, landless peasants, and slaves. The merchants ranked higher than other commoners. They carried around supplied imported goods, and were sometimes a lookout for the Aztec empire. The peasant farmers were farming families. Each family was given a little piece of land where they grew crops for food and goods. The land was passed down through generations when the parents died. The landless peasants were commoners without land. Some rented land from nobles, paying with a share of his or her crops. Slaves had very few rights. They could invest in money, purchase houses or land, and get married. Children slaves were born as free individuals.
Family Roles
The men were usually in charge of the family and the household. It was their job to keep everyone safe in the family. They also taught their sons how to hunt, fight, farm, fish and complete their job. The women had to cook, clean, spin, and weave. They also taught their daughters how to do these things as well. The older children learned these task from their parents.
Education
The boys had to attend school. The boys of commoners had to go to a school called a telpocticalli. The boys from noble families attended the calmecac, a temple school. There, they learned how to be a judge, general, priest, or a government official.
The girls did not have to go to school. Girls from noble families could go to a calmecac if they wanted to. There, they learned how to become priestesses and healers.
Sports
The Aztecs played a game called tlachtli. Nobles only played this game at special times. Two teams competed to score a small rubber ball through a ring at the top of the wall. They could only use their knees, elbows, or hips, but not their hands. Competitors will most likely get hurt and were sometimes killed. The court had a stone surface and was surrounded by stone walls with the rings attached to them.