What was the Aztec SOCIAL PYRAMID like

From our western perspective we are used to talking about social classes of the European peoples, whether they are classical like the Greeks and Romans or medieval like the medieval estate system, But many times we forget to talk about the important social system that existed in the pre-colonial American world. To talk about the social classes of one of the most important American peoples in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we must talk about what was the Aztec social pyramid like.

Index

1. Who were the Aztecs?
2. The upper classes of the Aztecs
3. Plebeian classes in Aztec society

The aztecs, also known as Mexica, were a huge empire located in the pre-Columbian cultural region of Mesoamerica, located in the area of ​​Central America and Mexico and that together with the Incas are the areas of greatest cultural relevance of the entire American continent before the European arrival.

Although at first the Aztecs were just a small culture very similar to those around them, everything changed when their

As in any society, the different social classes were organized depending on the relevance they had in it, so that in a civilization in which religion and military life were so relevant, the people dedicated to these sectors had a major influence than those who dedicated their day to day to other activities that they considered less important.

Within the Aztec social pyramid there are the upper classes. As in all societies, throughout Mexican history we can talk about two large differentiated branches of social classes: the ups and downsThe former being the ones that possess the most benefits and privileges and the latter being those dominated by the former and which are even made up of slaves.

For all this, in this section we are going to talk about the upper classes made up of nobles, military and people related to the mythology of the region, even being the three things at the same time, and that they had great benefits such as being able to eat cocoa or pay much lower amounts of taxes.

Huey Tlatoani and Tlatoani

The Huey Tlatoani was the person with the greatest power in the entire Aztec society, possessing all the privileges and being considered by many as a kind of god on earth. Located just below were the Tlatoani being the same as the Huey Tlatoani but only from one region as a kind of ruler of each city, possessing almost the same attributes as the great command supreme.

Tetecuhtin

They were a kind of nobles of great power who were in the center of Mexica power, not possessing the great privileges and powers of the Huey Tlatoani, but if being above other nobles or privileged classes with less relevance. Their attributions could be very varied, ranging from managing a large land with serfs and slaves to being the judges.

Military chiefs and priests

In an intermediate situation between the Tetecuhtin and the Pipiltin were the military chiefs and priests, being the most important figures in military and religious life and may come from either one of the two noble groups Aztecs. His position in the middle meant that depending on his feats they could move from one level to another, his role being almost always ascending.

Pipiltin

The lower nobility, being above the rest of the commoner classes but not at the level of the rest of the Aztec nobility. Among its members could be found war heroes or members of the administration of justice, being people who through their exploits could reach even higher classes. The great warriors who rose to this rank were called Cuauh Pipiltin, being worshiped for their victories in war and being able to become military leaders over the years.

To continue this lesson on what the Aztec social pyramid was like, we must talk about the plebeian classes, all those with few privileges and that they occupied the most hard-working part of Aztec society.

Pochtecas

The merchants and merchants of the Aztecs, being a kind of people that traveled between the different regions of the Mexica to trade with products of all kinds. Their importance made them the most relevant class of commoners, there being cases of some merchants who became spies for the tlatoani. They were a very interesting class, living in their own neighborhoods and having a series of customs of their own that differentiated them from the rest of the Aztecs.

Macehualli

The middle class of the Aztecs, dedicating themselves to a large number of tasks such as agriculture, crafts or the army. It could be said that the vast majority of Mexica belonged to this social class. They were free people, but they had to pay a higher amount of taxes than the classes already mentioned.

Mayeque

They were servants of the Aztecs, being those who worked the lands of the upper classes and being sometimes linked to the land or the nobles with a kind of serfdom contract. They were not as free as the Macehualli, but neither were they in the position of slaves.

Slaves

The slaves were the people without rights In Aztec society, this social class belonged to prisoners of war, those convicted of serious crimes or people who, due to a special situation, had been forced to be slaves. For the slaves there were only two possibilities, to live as slaves all their lives or to be sacrificed in some offering to the gods.

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