Were there rich and poor in
Aztec times?
Lets find out………
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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).
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Aztec Nobles
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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.

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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.
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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.

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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.
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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 tilmatli or tilma. It
could be used like an apron to carry things, or
worn as a cloak.

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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 quechquémitl over her cueitl. The first
man is a peasant dressed only in a simple maxtlatl (loincloth). The nobleman to the right
wears a headband, a mantle knotted over his left shoulder, maxtlatl and high-backed
sandals.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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