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The Aztec nobles had
slaves.
Slaves were not captured
people. They were Aztecs.
In the Aztec world, there
were two ways you could
become a slave. You could
become a slave as
punishment for a crime you
had committed. You could
be voluntarily sold into
slavery to pay family debts.
These were the only two
ways.
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The Aztec's main food source
was a type of corn called maize.
The also ate tomatoes, avocados,
tortillas made from maize and
atole which was a form of
porridge. Tamales that were
prepared from steamed maize
that was stuffed with vegetables
or meat was also eaten.
In the Aztec culture chocolate
was for warriors and the
nobility. When cacao was
combined with ground maize it
made a drink that was said to
help with strength and was
used in religious ceremonies.
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There were two meals a day with
the main meal during the middle of
the day when it was the hottest.
Food such as fruit, vegetables, spices
and edible flowers, dogs and birds
could be bought in the Aztec
markets.
Octli was an alcoholic drink that
was used only by nobility, royalty
and warriors. It was produced from
the sap of the maguey plant. The sap
was placed in a large jug and
allowed to rot. A good maker of
octli would boil it until it had the
consistency of honey, while bad
vendors would water the drink
down. If a nobleman consumed too
much of the drink and become
intoxicated, he was put to death
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Aztec schools offered a formal
system of education. Every child
had to attend, including girls
and slaves. School was
mandatory and free. Teachers
were highly respected.
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School was tough. There was no
recess or time to relax in school.
But 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.
There were three different
schools. One school was for
girls. Two schools were for boys.
Girls: Girls learned about religion.
They learned how to cook, sew,
weave, and how to care for their
children.
Sons of the Upper Class: 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. This was a tough school. The
boys were humiliated and despised
to toughen them up.
Sports
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Ballplayers: One of the most highly
respected professions in the Aztec
world was that of ballplayer. The
best players were treated like
super stars, similar to the way we
treat our best athletics today.
The Aztecs, like the Mayas, had
huge ball courts. The goal of the
game was to get a hard rubber ball
over the middle line into your
opponent’s court. You got points
for that. But the real goal was to
get your ball through one of the
two hoops that hung down over
the center of the court. The
opposite team, of course, did
everything they could to stop you.
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With the help of trained engineers, builders, and traders, the
Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan became a great city. It had
huge temples, beautiful open plazas, and a huge bustling
central marketplace. By the mid-1400’s, Tenochtitlan had a
population of about 300,000 people, which made it the
largest city in the world at that time!
When Spanish soldiers first arrived in the Valley of Mexico,
they were amazed at what they found in the capital city of
Tenochtitlan. Everything was clean. There were “eating
houses” and hairdressers. You could buy medicines and
herbs and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and game.
There were streets that sold only pottery and mats. Painters
could buy the paints they needed for their art.
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Types of sacrifices
Though the human sacrifice is the most talked about,
there were actually many types of sacrifices in the
empire. The people believed that they owed a blooddebt to the gods. They wanted to avert disaster by
paying the endless debt. Blood was a common theme the sacrifice that the gods required (see Aztec religion
for more on Aztec sacrifice).
So, animals would be sacrificed, as well as humans.
Also, there was ritual blood-letting, where people
would cut themselves to offer their blood to the gods.
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The Spanish had no idea how lucky they were that
the Aztecs misunderstood who they were and why
they were there. The Spanish conquistadors were
looking for lands to conquer, gold to capture, and
people to convert to the Catholic religion.
The Spanish were amazed at what they found in
the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Everything was
clean. There were “eating houses” and
hairdressers. You could buy medicines and herbs
and all kinds of food. You could buy meat and
game. There were streets that sold only pottery
and mats. Painters could buy the paints they
needed for their art.
By Aoife