HOW DID THE AZTEC AND SPANISH
WAY OF LIFE REFLECT THEIR
WORLDVIEWS?
A look at how their societies are set up!
FOCUSING ON….

Social Systems

Economic Systems

Political Systems

Culture
AZTECS SOCIAL SYSTEM
A look at how their society is set up!
NOTES ON AZTEC SOCIETY
Who does
this sort of
sound like…?

Highly structured

Based on agriculture and trade but guided by religion

Religion was part of everyday life

Aztec cities dominated by pyramids topped with
temples where human sacrifices were done

Had three social classes (upper, middle, lower)

A person was born into their class and usually stayed
there
LET’S PLAY A GAME!!!!
Pick the rich person out of the pictures!!!! See who has
the highest status!
WHO DO YOU THINK HAS THE HIGHEST STATUS?
AZTEC SIGNS OF STATUS

Clothing
Higher the class, better quality of cloth and patterns
 Common people weren’t allowed to wear cotton under
pain of death
 Warriors uniform changed as rank changed (loin cloth up
to jaguar uniform)


Jewelry



Facial piercings showed rank (nose/lip mostly)
Headdresses, jewelry, and shields were elaborate
Size/location of your house


Only nobleman and chieftains could build a house with a
second story (killed if went against)
Higher rank had best location
LOOK FOR SIGNS OF STATUS IN THIS
CLIP….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56HvpPmg8o
THREE CLASSES NAMES (YOU MIGHT WANT TO
REMEMBER THESE…)

Upper class – Pipiltin **hint to remember**
Upper class has two “P’s”, pipiltin starts with P and has two Ps!!!
 Made up of nobles, high-ranking warriors, high-ranking priests

THE OTHER TWO CLASSES ARE BOTH CONSIDERED
COMMONERS…
 Middle Class – Macehualtin **hint to remember**


Middle class people can afford mace (macehualtin)
Peasants – Mayeques **hint to remember**

Peasants would like a cheque (mayeques)

Commoners provided labour and made up most of
the military

There are subgroups in each class as well
THE NOBILITY - PIPILTIN – THE UPPER CLASS

Were the ruling class

Held the top positions in government, army, and priesthood


Emperor was the top nobelman


Were punished more harshly if committed a crime
The more powerful, the more land you owned


Given the name of huey tlatoani which means great speaker
Followed a strict code of behaviour and were expected to be role
models for the commoners


Administrators, judges, clerks,warriors (Eagle and Jaguar Knights)
They lived separated in large elaborate homes with servants
Similar to those of the samurai in Japan
COMMONERS (IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE)

Macehualtin were the middle class



Warriors next in social status to the nobility


Able to improve their status by gaining military recognition,
becoming priests, merchants, artisans, or pochteca (long-distance
traders)
Could eventually purchase their own land
Shows how much they are valued in society
Artisans were important in the macehualtin class
Would often live in their own calpulli (community)
 Similar to a core family unit


Slaves Tlacotin were the lowest class of people





No one was born into it
Would be sent there if they couldn’t pay debts/committed crime
Could buy back freedom
Were not owned, just worked for people
If they had children, they were free
PRIESTS

Top-ranking positions were reserved for the pipiltin

The priests would advise the emperor and oversee
religious functions

Most important job was to offer sacrifices
This video has graphic content… Shows
a Mayan sacrifice (very similar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_99mcINufQ&fea
ture=related

ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN

Women were expected to care for the
household/children

Some became fine artisans
Men did physical and military work
 Education was free for boys and girls

Were taught religious rituals, singing, dancing, and music
 Separate schools for nobles (school called calmecac) and
macehualtin (school called telpochalli)
 Boys were taught mostly military skills, girls taught
managing households
 Were no books (oral history and codices)

SPANISH SOCIAL SYSTEM
How did the Spanish social system reflect their
worldview?
SOCIAL SYSTEM

Feudal system remained in place longer than most
European countries

1486, replaced with a seigneurial system

Nobles given land by monarch and became self
sufficient estates

Nobles owned most amount of land but made up of
the smallest portion of population
SPANISH NOBILITY

Ruled their estates like monarchs

If land not taken back by monarchy, it was passed to
eldest son

Many studied to be in the clergy or gain honour as a
conquistador

Spanish Grande was given to highest nobility class

Lesser nobles were known as don

Minor nobles were known as hidalgo (not the horse)
COMMONERS

Make up 90% of the population

Farmers had the lowest status

Middle class grew out of the commoners

Share same lifestyle as nobility (strove to be
them)

Priests were more educated and came from
wealthier families of nobility or commoners

Commoners just had to work and try and earn
money
MEN AND WOMEN IN SPAIN

Women were similar to Renaissance Europe

Women take care of household

Men expected to do the hard labour

Only men could hold government positions and run
businesses
EDUCATION

Jews and Muslims served Spain well by providing an
active commercial and education elite

If… they hid themselves well

Respected highly educated sons of nobility

Roman Catholic Church is now tightly linked with
education in Spain
POLITICAL/ECONOMIC SITUATION OF
THE AZTECS
How did the political and economic systems reflect the
Aztec worldview?
MOCTEZUMA II (1480-1520)

Became emperor in 1502

Best known of the Aztec rulers

We will go over him in great detail… messed up very bad…

Strengthened power of nobility by choosing advisors from
aristocracy

Couldn’t look at him during religious festivals or you
would be put to death

Believed that the physical earth was completely dependant
on the gods

Ruled with absolute power (didn’t establish relationships
with leaders of other city-states)
I am going
to decimate
your
people…
I am all
powerful…
The Gods will
make me win!
Winning!!!
ECONOMICS

System based on agriculture




Had great technology including irrigation and dike
systems
Did not have large domestic animals like horses to help
Used a system called Chinampas
Made money from tribute as well
Created steady flow of goods
 Could be luxury or food
 Continued under Spanish rule


Moved products to allies and around the town

Developed a strong cottage industry
CHINAMPAS
POCHTECA

Held high positions in society

Were spying merchants

Since there were no animals, they would transport goods
for trade

Used porters to carry things

Would report back to the emperor about the other
territories

Prized goods included rare feathers, pelts of jungle
animals, gemstones, precious metals, and cloth
TLATELOLCO MARKET

Developed in Tenochtitlan

Became one of the largest markets in the world
Could hold 60000 people
 25000 people would visit per day


Fabric, clothing, weapons, pottery, jewelry, and food
was found here

Ran by the barter system

Was also a social place, catch up on news of town

Cacao beans were used as currency
MARKET POLICE FORCE

The market had its own police force and judges

Thieves and unfair vendors would be taken to the
judges

Would be sold into slavery if they committed crimes
What could you buy at the Tlatelolco market?
Item
Price
Cotton cloak
100 cacao beans
Dugout canoe
1 cotton cloak or 100 cacao
beans
A load of red dye
Two cotton cloaks
A slave
30 cotton cloaks
A slave who could sing and
dance
40 cotton cloaks
SPAIN
Political and Economic Systems
POLITICS

King and Queen were highest political power

Spanish parliament was the cortes

Power of cortes was reduced so that the King and
Queen could pass any legislation

Power of Church/Pope was reduced so that the
Church couldn’t interfere with decisions
ECONOMICS

Barcelona and Valencia were major sea ports for importing/exporting
goods

Many industries remained as cottage industries

Imported more than exported

Manual labour looked down upon so nobility would never do it

Left farmland uncultivated

Nobility eventually became involved with overseas trading

Brought in lots of gold/silver which made Spain very rich

Created massive inflation in Spain
AZTEC CULTURE
How did the culture of the Aztecs affect their
worldview?
AZTEC CULTURE

Evolved without prior knowledge of other societies
living in the world

Humans played a small role in the world

Served their gods

Would represent their gods in festivals, art, music…
basically everywhere/thing

Human sacrifice was practiced and this is what
collided the most with the Spanish
CULTURE CONTINUED

Medicine consisted of religion, magic, and actual
medicine

They made codices (records) but had no written
language… everything was drawn

Only elite were taught how to read codices

Temples were largest buildings

Feathers more important than gold because they
were more rare and colourful
AZTEC TIME

Had two calendars

Had a 365 solar year calendar called xiuhtlapohualli
18 monts of 20 days with 5 useless days at the end of the year
 Each month named for a god and had a religious festival for that god


Had a ritual calendar called tonalpohualli based on a 260 day cycle





Had 13 numbers and 20 signs that represented an anmial,element, or
abstract idea
Made 260 named days which would name a person/give them their fate
The day you were born affected your destiny
Ex. 3 rabbit
Determined when religious rituals/sacrifices would take place
CALENDAR CONTINUED

Xiuhtlapohualli and the tonalpohualli combined to
form the xiuhnolpilli, the third calendar
Had a 52 year cycle (that’s how long it took both calendars
to go through their complete cycles and for them to reset)
 Was considered and end of an era
 The gods could destroy their world at this time
 Had to perform certain sacrifices/rituals to make sure this
did not happen

Fires put out, statues made of stone/wood thrown in water,
houses cleaned, people would then stand on their rooftops
 Priests would light a new flame on a freshly sacrificed heart,
would take this flame and light fires in everyone's’ house

SPANISH CULTURE
A look at how Spanish culture affected their worldview
SPANISH CULTURE

Influenced by the Moors

Became one of the most cultures/educated cultures
in Europe

Many were Roman Catholic

Latin was used by scholars and the clergy

Each kingdom had its own vernacular

Troubadours (travelling singer/musician) became
important

Also had influence of the Renaissance