Transcript Chapter 8 - Miss Rotella`s Class

What we will learn:
 How does a society’s way of looking at the world
influence its customs, choices, and decisions?
 How did the structure of the Aztec society tell us
what was important to the Aztec people?
 How are a society’s social structure and its
educational system related?
 How can a society promote good citizenship?
The Aztec Social Hierarchy
 Two main classes: nobles and commoners
 Position based on the class you were born into
 But you could work your way to a higher level
through their own efforts
What do we value?
 If we look at the Aztec hierarchy, what does this tell
us about what is important to them?
 Now, what is important to Canadians?
The Role of the Emperor
 Top of the hierarchy, called Huey
Tlatoani (“Great Speaker”)
 Aztec people treated him like a
god
 They obeyed him without question
and gave him every privilege and
luxury Showed respect
 Had the responsibilities of: chief
priest, commander-in-chief, and
head of state
Commander-in-chief
 Commander of the army
 Had to be a skilled warrior
 Needed to know military strategy and how to lead
others
Modern-day
Commander-in-chief
• President Obama
• Controls America’s military forces
• Makes decisions about war, materials (ships, planes,
etc.)
Head of State
 Emperor had to consult with his council of priests
and nobles for advice before making important
decisions
 Ultimate decision was his
Family Clans
 Society organized into calpolli
 Members of a calpolli lived in same neighborhood
and worshiped at the same temple
 Feather workers from same calpolli, people who had
close family ties from another one
Family Clans: Calpolli
 Calpolli owned land where members worked and
farmed
 Each unit elected a captain and council
 Council assigned land and houses, collected taxes
 Kept neighborhood clean
 Elections gave commoners some political power
Merchants
 The richest calpolli in Tenochtitlan
 Acted as spies and brought back goods from all over
the empire
 Knowledge of geography and layout and foreign
cities
 Valuable advisors during planning for attacks
 Taxes they paid on profits enriched Aztec state
Farmers
 Grew crops, skilled hunters and fishers
 Sold what they caught to add to family income
Farmers: Paying Taxes
 Paying taxes: very important responsibility
 Farmers grew crops for the state
 Gave up share of produce in taxes
 Donate hours of labor to working on projects for the
state
Artisans
 Skilled craftsworkers
 Mask makers, goldsmiths, feather workers (most
respected)
Feather Workers
 Creations were the most valued items in society
 Made from bright feathers of tropical birds who
were hunted and raised in captivity
 Made into fans, headdresses, tunics, decorative
shields
 Only members of nobility allowed to wear garments
of feathers
Quetzal Bird
 Most prized feathers
 Sacred because they were associated with the god
Quetzalcoatl
Signs of Status
 Can you tell if someone is wealthy just by looking at
them?
 Could you judge what career a person has by looking
at them?
Signs of Status
 In Aztec society, three ways of indicating your
position in society were:
clothing
jewelry
size and location of your house (only nobles could
wear cotton and live in second story homes)
Clothing
 Quality of cloth
 Patterns printed on it
 These things determined the wearers position in
society
 The Aztecs wanted to show off their wealth
Moving Up in Society
 Achieving success on battlefield was main way to
move up in society
 Didn’t want to kill in battle
 Aztecs wanted prisoners to sacrifice to honor the
gods
Moving Up in Society
 Warrior who took 4 or more enemies was
automatically eligible to move up a social status
Aztec Education
 Children educated at home until they started school
 Started around ages 10-15
Aztec Education
 Society pampered children up to age 3
 After age 3, expected to be hardworking, obedient
 Harshly punished if not
 Discipline aimed to turn them into citizens with “a
stone heart and a stone face”
 Education highly valued; schooling was free and all
children went
Aztec Education
Two types of schools:
 Calmecac (nobles)
 Telpochalli (commoners)
Calmecac vs. Telpochalli
Calmecac
Telpochalli
Calmecac
What They Studied
What They Trained to
Be
Astronomy/Astrology
Generals in Army
 Studied codices to
learn about society
Math
Judges
Reading
Priests
 Religious training very
important
Writing
Scribes
Music
High Officials
Law
Diplomats
Calendar
Teachers
 In neighborhoods
where nobles lived
 Attached to a temple
Reading, Writing, Counting
 Reading and writing using pictures (glyphs)
 Only nobles learned to read and write
 Commoners > spoken instruction
 Counting based on 20 (10 fingers and 10 toes)
 20 was sacred number
Military Training
 Boys trained as warriors to defend state
 After learning to fight, boys served as soldiers
servant
 Followed the army to learn how warriors conducted
themselves in battle
Military Training
 Age 15: boys became warriors in battle
 Eagle and jaguar most prestigious military orders
Education for Commoners:
Telpochalli
 All instructions were verbal (since commoners didn’t
learn how to read or write)
 Needed to learn through memorization
 Oral lessons on Aztec history, religion, citizenship
duties
 Learned to play flutes, drums and dance sacred
dances
Telpochalli
 Boys did hard physical labor
digging ditches, carrying firewood
 Boys and girls received training from parents at
home to prepare them for the family trade
Educating Aztec Women
 Women had little political power
 Unlike many other societies, Aztecs valued girls
getting a good education
 Every young girl attended school
 Age 16: got married and moved in with husbands
 Then, educated their own children until they were
old enough to go to school
Educating Aztec Women
 Aztec society did not undervalue
women
 Women went with army as doctors
and healers (had knowledge of
medicinal herbs)
 Some girls chose to be priestesses
 People consulted them to choose
lucky day to set out on a journey,
get married
 Older women: matchmakers,
midwives
Contributing to Society
 Society was focused on producing citizens who
would contribute to community
 Taught lessons in good citizenship in school
Ideal Aztec Citizen
5 Virtues of the Ideal Aztec Citizen
 Courage
 Self-sacrifice
 Modesty
 Clean Living
 Obedience
 Create a chart like the one on page 187 listing the
five virtues and descriptions
Laws and Lawmaking
 Rights were protected by a
system of written laws
 Powerful took for keeping
order in society
 Reminded people of their
responsibilities to be
honest and obedient
Laws and Lawmaking
 Everyone was expected to obey the law, even
nobles
 Nobles were supposed to set a good example for
society, so they were judged more harshly
 In court, there was high court (judges), lower court,
Moctezuma (head of legal system)
 Lesser crimes: slavery sentence
 Serious crimes: death
Slave Laws
 Slaves performed most of the necessary work in
society
 Needed laws to protect their rights
 Nobles could be severely punished if they abuse a
slave
 Slaves could escape and run to palace without
getting caught, they were free
Review
 How does a society’s way of looking at the world
influence its customs, choices, and decisions?
 How did the structure of the Aztec society tell us
what was important to the Aztec people?
 How are a society’s social structure and its
educational system related?
 How can a society promote good citizenship?