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PriestsReligion had central importance in the Aztec Empire since it was not only closely linked with the expansion and power of the empire but also legitimized the rule of the kings. The priests performed various rituals and prayers during the religious festivals and ceremonies. These ceremonies were performed at the end of each Aztec month which consisted of twenty days. The most important aspect of these religious ceremonies performed by Aztec priests was the human sacrifices for which prisoners of war were used.

Aztec Priests Prayers and GodsThe Aztecs had a variety of different gods in their pantheon. These gods looked after a specific aspect of nature and creation. The Aztec priests were the guardians of the temples devoted to different gods and performed various rituals and prayers for the people. Sacred hymns were common feature of religious festivals. Important gods in the Aztec pantheon included Huitzilopochtli who was the patron god of the Mexica people and also the sun god, Tlaloc the god of rain and storm, Metztli the moon god, as well as various goddesses.

Aztec Priests Daily Lives and RitualsAztec priests enjoyed a very privileged status in Aztec society, but they also had to live quite difficult lives. Their daily lives included fasting and constant prayer in the ordinary days. In the days of war, which were frequent in Aztec society, the priests also accompanied warriors to the battleground to hear their confessions. Aztec society also had rich religious rituals and different feasts and ceremonies were held for different gods. Human sacrifices were important part of these religious rituals and ceremonies.

Aztec Priests Role in Aztec SocietyAztec priests had important roles in the Aztec society. In the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, the priests were called tlamacazui which means giver. Priests enjoyed respect and privilege in society on par with the nobility, considering the central importance of religion. The main role of the priests was to oversee the offerings for the gods including human sacrifices. They also performed various rituals and prayers in the Aztec temples. Additionally, priests heard confessions which included the confessions of warriors on the battleground.

Aztec Priests BeliefsAztec religion and thus priests had their own set of beliefs. According to these beliefs, the world consisted of three parts. One was the earth on which humans lived, the second the underworld where the dead went, and the third was called the upper plain in the sky which was not accessible to humans. Aztecs had many different gods who had powers over different aspects

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of nature. Aztecs also believed that the souls of fallen warriors and women who died during childbirth were transformed into hummingbirds that followed the sun through the sky.

Aztec Priests ClothingThe special kind of clothing reserved for the Aztec priests was called xicolli. It consisted of a sleeveless jacket or a waistcoat and there were various openings in the jacket for accessories. The Aztec priests who were overlooked for the sacrificial rituals usually had a very rough attire. During the rituals and ceremonies, the priests would sometimes dress up as a specific kind of god. Similarly, different dressing was used for other occasions.

Aztec Priests Living QuartersSpecial living quarters were reserved for Aztec priests just like separate quarters for warriors and other classes of society. These quarters had houses made of stone, just like the houses of the warriors and the nobility. This was because the status of the Aztec priests was similar to that of the warriors and the nobility, even though the priests had more responsibilities. Other than the specific living quarters, the priests also spent a lot of their time in the temples.

Aztec Priests Power and AuthoritySince religion was of central importance in the Aztec society, the priests enjoyed considerable amount of power and privilege. They provided the religious festivals and norms that legitimized the rule of the emperor. Thus, the king or emperor derived his power directly from the Aztec priests who were thought to be custodians of the religion that guaranteed the stability of the cosmic and political order. There were feasts like Huey Tocoztli where the emperor himself participated in the rituals, signifying the importance of the religious festivals.

Aztec Priests SummaryReligion was the binding glue of the Aztec empire and provided the ideological foundations of the rule of the emperor. Thus, with this foremost importance of religion, the status of the Aztec priests in society also increased. Aztec priests headed the religious ceremonies and festivals which were very common in Aztec society. Although priests enjoyed privileges on par with the nobility, their lives were rather hard.

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Kings & NobilityThe Aztec Empire was ruled by an absolute monarchy where the king was considered the supreme political and religious leader. The Aztec king, of course, ruled with the help of the nobility which consisted of the landed class, the priests, and the warriors. Like other kings, Aztec kings also had certain myths associated with them which traced their lineage to the Aztec gods. These myths provided legitimacy to the rule of the kings and consolidated their powers. They also claimed to be the descendants of the Toltec kings who were thought to have been semi-divine beings and pioneers of the Mesoamerican culture.

Aztec Kings HistoryThe Aztec Empire was formally established in 1428 but the city-state existed much before that. The history of Aztec kings is thought to have started with the first ruler, Acamapichtli, who was the founder of the Aztec imperial dynasty. He became the king of the Aztecs in 1375 and ruled until 1394. The last Aztec king, before the Spanish conquistadors took control of the empire, was Cuauhtemoc who became king in 1521.

Aztec Kings Costumes & RegaliaAztec society was a class society and class distinctions were seriously maintained. Thus there was considerable difference between the dress of the common people and that of the ruling class. The common costume of the Aztec king consisted of a long rob, usually of while color, which could either be worn on one shoulder or used as a cape. The cape, used along with a loincloth of the same color, was called “xiuhtilmatli” and could be in any color. Kings also used various headdresses with feathers of quetzal which was a bird with blue-green feathers about three feet in length.

Aztec Kings Wealth and PalacesAztec kings ruled an empire and thus enjoyed considerable wealth and privilege. The residence of the king was nothing short of a palace as it consisted of high walls, patios and courtyards, innumerable rooms, and several baths. The residence was built on a raised platform and covered as much area as 50,000 square meters. Beautiful stones and adobe would be used in the construction of the palace. Sometimes, the Aztec rulers even had more than once palace. The Aztec kings were also quite wealthy as they regularly received tribute from the subjugated city-states.

Aztec Kings Powers and DutiesAztec kings enjoyed virtually unlimited powers over their subjects. They were not only politically supreme but were also religious figureheads and were considered descendants of the gods. The Aztec kings received tribute from the subjugated city-states and within the capital

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city of Aztec they had a grand palace where they lived. The king was known as Huey Tlatoani which means “Great Speaker”. The king decided when to go on wars and what amount of tribute the subjugated city-states were to pay.

Aztec Kings Daily LivesThe exact routine of the daily lives of Aztecs kings is unclear because of the paucity of written accounts. But most part of their daily life was taken by running the affairs of the state and worshipping the gods. When the Aztec king first assumed the throne, he would spend a few days fasting and worshipping gods. His daily responsibilities included deciding important matters related to defense, trade, and law. Worshipping gods was also a daily ritual of Aztec kings.

Aztec Kings & ReligionReligion was very important to Aztec kings since it provided legitimacy to their rule. Aztec kings were considered descendants of gods and thus their rule was thought to possess divine sanction. The kings, thus, invested heavily in the construction of religious monuments and the religious festivals. Through warfare, the Aztec kings also made sure that war captives for human sacrifices were always available. Religion was, thus, central to the rule of Aztec emperors and they considered it very important.

There was a close relationship between Aztec kings and their gods as it was considered that the Aztec kings were direct descendants of the gods. It was believed that the divine sanction had given Aztec kings supernatural powers. Due to this reason, various legends and myths were associated with the Aztec kings. For instance, it was said about Xihuitlpopoca that he was conceived without human intervention just like the gods Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli. Similarly, it was said that Nezahualpilli as a child could change himself into an eagle. This variety of legends was associated with the kings because of their close association with the Aztec gods.

Last Aztec KingThe last king of the independent Aztec Empire was Cuauhtémoc who ascended to the throne on the eve of Spanish invasion in 1421. His initial contact with the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cotes was not very hostile but later on differences arose between them and he was captured by the Spaniards. Eventually, the king was executed in 1425 and this brought about an end of independent Aztec Empire.

Aztec Kings SummaryAztec society was a class society where social distinctions were strictly maintained. At the top of this hierarchy was the Aztec king or emperor who was the person of supreme importance in the Aztec society. The Aztecs king was thought to have been descended from gods and thus he enjoyed ultimate political and religious authority. The Aztec king decided when it was time to go to war and organized other affairs of the state from his magnificent palace.

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Common PeopleThere were two main social classes in Aztec culture. First the nobility or pilli, then the common people or macehualli. Each of these was further broken up into groups of people that had quite different lives.

The common people or macehualli was the largest class in Aztec society. Members lived in modest houses made of adobe bricks. Farmers, artisans, merchants, and metal workers made up the middle class. They all contributed to society, but merchants were

especially important. Through merchants, Aztecs were able to trade goods such as rubber, cotton, feathers, and cocoa.

ARTISANSThe Aztec created objects intended to serve a well-defied function (to teach critically standard religious, political, and military action). The only group of artisans that were well-considered were those associated with the decorative arts: the goldsmiths, the jewelers, and

the feather workers. The artisans used various tools of stone, copper, wood, and wet sand. Gold, silver, amber, crystal, pearl, and amethyst were popular materials used for creating rich jewels, and vibrantly dyed feathers decorated fine clothing. These crafts people were named tolteca after the Toltec civilization to which the origins of their artwork were traditionally ascribed. Aztec craftsmen were inspired by their Toltec ancestors who created magnificent feather mosaics, worked gold, other precious metals, and craved stone to create monumental sculptures for their kings and goal. Most artisans did not rise from their own stations to any positions of considerable power, and so they maintained peaceful relationships with the ruling class. Artists, given their unique talents, preferred to stay in their positions where they were respected and admired for their abilities. Artisans who worked directly for an Aztec ruler performed their jobs either inside the palace or their own homes, where raw materials: such as stones, feathers, or precious metals could be sent. One account reveals that artisans were well paid for their work, but they were also taxed. Aztec sculptures were a monumental synthesis of religious and cultural concepts. Sculptures represented their myths, dreams, and illusions of their life and death.

MERCHANTSSome of the most important professions were the merchants, traders, and professional hunters. The most prestigious traders were those who conducted their business over extensive territories and were known as pochteca, a hereditary position. They often

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traded for the state and specialized in such precious goods as tropical bird feathers, gold, turquoise, shells, greenstone, cacao beans, and exotic animal skins. The pochteca were supervised by the pochtecatlatoque (the most experienced traders) who administered trade and justice amongst the trading class in special courts. One specialized group of traders was the tlaltlani, who traded in slaves. As they had the important role of providing the state with sacrificial victims, they were given special privileges and gained great wealth.

Two other groups of traders were the tencunenenque, who acted as tribute collectors, and the naualoztomeca, who disguised themselves and traded in hostile territory, acting as spies for the state as they picked up loose gossip in foreign markets. Traders were also involved in the state religion, especially the festival of tonalpohualli dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, where they funded celebratory banquets and provided slaves for sacrifice.

FarmersThere were different types of farmers in central Mexico during this time. You could describe some of them as laborers, and others as specialists. Laborers were of various types, some who basically worked as farm hands or even slaves, others who were responsible for the community farms. They would be responsible to know what seeds were the best, how the crop rotation should work, and what would grow best on what land. Fertilization and irrigation was also important, and the land would often be fertilized with human "manure".

Aztec farming has become most famous because of the brilliant chinampas system that Aztec farmers used. Certainly, there were several techniques used in the Aztec empire. But with the great city of Tenochtitlan built on swampy but rich ground, the chinampas became key to the food production of the people. To build the chinampas, plots about 30m by 2.5m were staked out on the lake bed. A fence was woven between the stakes, and the area would be filled in with mud and vegetation. The next rectangle would be parallel to this one, with room for a canal in between, where canoes could pass through. These canals of course offered irrigation and provided food of their own such as fish and water fowl.

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WarriorsThe Aztec empire was an empire that expanded rapidly. It's not a surprise that Aztec warriors held a very important place in the culture of central Mexico. But where did the Aztec warrior come from, and what was his life like?

Training The warrior was a glorified position in the society. It wouldn't be surprising to find out that your son wanted to go into the army when he grew up. As we'll see, there were also significant rewards in store for the successful soldier.

Boys in the empire would receive a good education, no matter what their prospects for a career were. Astronomy, rhetoric, poetry, history, and of course religion would all be important subjects at school. Then there would be actual training on the battlefield.

A boy became a man in society at the age of 17. For a commoner wanting to go to war, this meant starting out in the lower ranks in the army. There were servants, who basically just carried weapons and supplies. Then there was the youth in training, who had not yet captured his first prisoner. That first capture was an initiation into the world of the real Aztec warrior.

Rising in the ranks

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Capturing prisoners was key for a warrior to rise in the ranks of the army. Capturing a few prisoners was a status symbol for a young man, and rewards would follow. There is some disagreement about exactly how high a warrior could rise in society. Would a successful Aztec warrior become a part of the "warrior nobility"? Or was that class only accessible by being born in the right family?

We do know that there were "societies" in the army - groups of knights that held a high rank and a high place in society. The largest (and today most well known) of these were the Jaguars and Eagles. Men in these societies would wear uniforms representative of these animals.

Sometimes they would wear wood helmets with the insignia of their order. Higher classes wore bright feather work, quilted cotton armor, and suits or mantles of blue - the higher the rank, the more elaborate the costume. Aztec warriors could also carry flowers, a privilege normally reserved for the nobles.

Sometimes a warrior would be given lip plug made of polished stone. The appearance of the stone would change as the soldier rose in the ranks, showing the world that he was "mighty in battle".

Rewards in SocietySomeone high in the ranks had more rewards in the society at large. He could be involved in politics, for example. He had access to food normally reserved for the higher classes.

But one of the most important rewards was land. The land was tax-free, and any profit made was his to keep. The land was awarded for life. The warrior was encouraged to have a family, and the estate could be passed down as an inheritance. Once a son had inherited the land, he could keep it or sell it. Obviously, these estates had an impact on Aztec society. Warriors and their families soon rose to a very important place in society and became a kind of elite.

The life of Aztec warriorsThe life of a warrior was often short! We don't know how short, though we know that life expectancy in the empire was around 37 years. Different periods in the life of the Aztec civilization saw different amounts of war, of course.

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When word went out that a war was coming, the man had to prepare to leave his family and join the ranks. He may join a small group, or an army of several thousand. Provisions and weapons had to be carried. Common Aztec weapons included the maquahuitl, clubs, the atlatl, and bows and arrows. They would march between 19-32km/day (12-20mi). Of course, the Aztecs didn't ride, and sometimes the area of conflict would be quite some distance. Then the battle would begin.

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WomenOriginally, women wove and worked only for their families, but as chiefdoms and small kingdoms developed, the local rulers began to demand tribute (taxes), largely demanded in the form of cloth, which was manufactured almost exclusively by women. Then, as the Aztec culture and empire spread, people were forced to pay more and more in tribute to the Aztec leaders, which could be paid in labor or military service by men and in cloth and other goods by women. The women's cloth was made from agave fibers and was in high demand as commoners were allowed nothing else to wear. As the politics of Aztec culture became more complex, the demand for tribute increased, and men began taking additional wives so that more cloth could be produced by more hands. Documentation suggests that this led to strained and poor relationships within the family compound. Female slavery also increases as the Aztec culture grows.

The Aztecs were always waging war, as they needed sacrificial victims, tribute, and slaves. Women slaves performed household tasks, especially weaving, freeing the Aztec women for other tasks. Female slaves were also used as concubines and mothered children who became slaves, too. Eventually the demand for cloth tribute became so high that men began to spin--the most female-identified task in ancient Mexico--as well. Women and men continued to make cloth until the colonial period when the Spanish built textile mills, forcing the men and not the women, because of their gender expectations, to work in cloth production.

Women in the WorkforceApart from religious jobs, women in the Aztec empire could be merchants, who might organize and administer expeditions for trade--profiting from them--although it is not known if the women themselves could go on the trips. Women might also be venders in the market, as many artifacts show them selling food, cloth, and other items in the market. Women even held positions as official referees to resolve and trade disputes that arose in the marketplace.

Aztec women might also be curers or midwives. Although the Spanish tried to quell the religious parts of the midwives' practices, believing it at best distracted from the one true Christian God and at worst that it was witchcraft, they were still impressed by the midwives' skill. Documents from the Spanish accounts indicate that the women healers were more

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highly skilled than European doctors; however, as most accounts are written by elite Spanish men, they gloss over or do not describe at all the techniques that the women used. Thus, much of the cultural knowledge of these women was lost, especially as the Spanish began to repress the religion of the Aztecs and prosecute and persecute women healers as witches. Aztec medicines, made from native plants, are documented to have been able to bring on menstruation or to hasten labor. Aztec women may also have pioneered in prenatal care, as records indicate they began ministering to pregnant women in their seven months.

There is even evidence that at least one Aztec woman, likely a daughter of a noble family, was a scribe for an emperor. It is likely, too, that the noble Aztec women would have needed scribes and would have thus used females to act as their secretaries and bookkeepers.