Were there rich and poor in Aztec times?

Lets find out……… JP2012

Definitely! Aztec society was broadly divided into nobles-by-birth and commoners (everyone else).

We can safely say that nobles were generally richer than commoners.

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The Ruler

 The ruler was the richest of all, commanding vast tributes from his imperial conquests: shimmering tropical feathers, precious stones, gold, chocolate and all kinds of food and clothing – all of which he kept in his palace storerooms.

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Moctezuma outside his summer house...

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 Power and wealth went hand in hand, and nobles had special rights that allowed them to amass and display great wealth.  They controlled lands and the commoners who worked those lands, they received tributes in goods and services from their subjects, and they enjoyed the best jobs in the realm (like ruler, general, ambassador and tax collector). JP2012

 Aztec Nobles JP2012

 Like nearly all of the ancient civilizations, the rich lived in luxury and the poor worked.  In the Aztec civilization, class structure was very important.  An aztec farmer.

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Homes

 Homes of the nobles and wealthy were made of sun-dried brick.  If you were very wealthy, your home could be made of stone.  All homes were whitewashed to make them look clean and shiny. JP2012

 Each noble home had a separate room for steam bathing.  Water was poured over heated stones.  Bathing was an important part of daily life and of religion.  Bathing was believed to clean both the body and soul. JP2012

A picture of a steam room taken from an aztec codex.

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Homes of the farmers and other commoners were huts with thatched roofs.

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 Furniture was limited.  They might have mats on the floor and woven trunks to hold belongings.  They had blankets and pottery for cooking. JP2012

Clothing

  Ancient Aztec clothing was generally loose fitting and did not completely cover the body. Aztec clothes were usually made of cotton (which was imported) or ayate fibre, made from the Maguey Cactus (also called the Century Plant or American Aloe). Women would weave the fibres into clothing, a task girls were taught as young teenagers . JP2012

    Slaves would only wear a simple loincloth. The loincloth, also worn by common people, was made from a long strip of cloth tied in front. If the man had a little higher social standing, it might be embroidered or have fringes on the two ends. The men would also wear a cloak made from a triangular cloth known as a worn as a cloak.

tilmatli or tilma . It could be used like an apron to carry things, or JP2012

 The women would wear skirts, and a sleeveless blouse or short sleeved shirt.  Again, this would be very simple.

 Richer women wore similar clothes but they were decorated and embroidered.

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On the left, a woman wears the triangular-shaped man is a peasant dressed only in a simple maxtlatl sandals.

quechquémitl (loincloth). The nobleman to the right wears a headband, a mantle knotted over his left shoulder, over her maxtlatl cueitl . The first and high-backed JP2012

 Of course the noble class and religious leaders would wear clothing that was much more adorned, though still tilmas and loincloths and skirts would be worn.   Aztec Warriors JP2012

  The rich would wear headdresses made of exquisite gold-green quetzal feathers, feather mantles done in intricate patterns, sandals of jaguar skin adorned with jewels and gold pieces, and a thousand other luxuries. Pearls, jadeite, rock crystal, gold, silver, copper, the finest embroidered cotton textiles - all indicated love of display the more they wore , the higher their position in society.

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School

 All Aztec children had to attend school, even girls and slaves. The Aztecs were the only people in the world at this time in history to have free schools that every child had to attend by law.  There were three different schools. One school was for girls. Two schools were for boys.

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 Girls learned about religion. They learned how to cook, sew, weave, and how to care for their children.  All schools included instruction in song and in dance, not because it was a beautiful art, but because songs and dances were important to religious festivals. JP2012

One school was for the nobles, and sons of wealthy traders and merchants.

 This school taught law, writing (hieroglyphics), medicine, engineering and building, interpretations of dreams and omens, and self-expression.  Students were taught how to speak well.  They also learned details of their history and of their religious beliefs. JP2012

 One school was for the commoners. Its main goal was to train warriors and farmers.

 Like the school for nobles' sons, this school taught history, religion, manners, correct behaviour, and important rituals, along with singing and dancing. JP2012

 Now use the information from this presentation and the other resources in the classroom to create an information sheet about either rich or poor aztecs to share with the rest of the class.

 Think carefully about the features of an information text !

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