Economy of the AZTECS: summary

The economy of the aztecs was based on the agriculture, especially in the cultivation of corn, in the collection of taxes and in the trade. At unProfesor we offer you a summary.

Of all the societies that inhabited the American zone before the arrival of the Europeans, the most important was the Aztec, being the one that was able to prosper the most both socially and economically. For this reason, it is interesting and important to talk about the main economic characteristics of the Aztecs, so in this lesson from a Teacher we will offer a summary of the economy of the aztecs.

The aztecs, also known as Mexican, they were a town of origin mesoamericanThey formed a powerful empire, which through war was able to expand its influence over all positions in the region. We must keep in mind that Mesoamerica was the most relevant cultural area of ​​the entire American continent before the arrival of the Europeans, so their dominance over the rest of the people shows how powerful the empire was.

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dominion of the aztecs It is considered the largest in the American area before the European arrival, above powerful cultures such as the Olmec or the Mayan. This influence also took place in the economic landscape, as it was able to create powerful trade routes to unite the market of the entire region, being the center of a great commercial route.

Mostly The economy of the Aztecs took place in the Valley of Mexico region, being the central point of the entire culture, and from where they expanded their influence to all points of the Mesoamerican region. Even so, we must keep in mind that the Aztecs were the Mesoamerican culture with the greatest expansion, so the characteristics of their economy reached very far.

We must take into account that the Aztec culture It was the successor of the Mayans and Olmecs, and therefore many of the economic characteristics of these cultures are maintained in the Aztec. We can consider the Aztecs as the end of the Mesoamerican people, and therefore a compendium of all the cultures that passed through the area before them.

A notable element of the Aztecs was their writing, based on the system of aztec glyphs.

To continue with this lesson from a Teacher on the economy of the Aztecs, we must talk about the main characteristics that define the economic activities of the Aztecs, in order to understand their particularities.

The main characteristics of the economy of the Aztecs They were the following:

1. It is based especially on three economic activities main ones, these being agriculture, taxes and trade, all having the same weight in Aztec culture.
2. In the economy of the Aztecs, goods were exchanged through barter system, not using anything like money. The closest thing to money that we can find in the Aztec economy were cocoa seeds, which were sometimes used with the same utility.
3. The Aztecs had a large tax network, since all the conquered peoples paid a large amount of taxes. These taxes could be of various types, but the most recognized were the tributes, which were paid by the towns to avoid being attacked and at the same time to be defended by the Aztecs.
4. Aztec agriculture was very peculiar, since rafts on water were used to work the fields, therefore being a strange agriculture based on crops on water. The inventions of the Aztecs to work the fields in high water levels considered very advanced for the time. Of the crops, the most important was corn, although some crops such as beans, tomatoes or pumpkins were also relevant. In general we can say that in Aztec agriculture we find the defining elements of the Mesoamericans, being the crops that can be found again and again in all the cultures of the area, and where the corn.
5. In the economic activities of the Aztecs, the figure of the pochteca. These people were long-distance merchants, who traveled between very distant towns to be able to trade with other towns, therefore being the basis of the commercial system.
6. In the economy of the Aztecs, The markets were very important in Aztec society, not only to trade, but also as the central headquarters of society, where they met to talk and socialize among all social classes.
7. The markets were monitored by government officials, both so that there were no strong price increases, and above all so that all taxes on the products would be collected. The officers had a great reputation in Aztec culture, being one of the most relevant positions due to the enormous amount of money they were able to raise.
8. Hunting was not an important activity in Aztec society, since there were no interesting animals to hunt, the most common being quite dangerous or of little productive interest. Furthermore, Aztec beliefs related certain gods to animals, which is why many species were considered sacred.
9. They were great fishermen, and especially in cities through which rivers or lakes passed, such as the capital of the empire. The Aztecs were considered good sailors, which they took advantage of for fishing, and it was common for them to trade with other peoples as they had fish that could not be found in other regions.
10. The craft It was an important element in the Aztec economy, being a source of trade and one of the most valued products. Each town had its own style, so exchange between regions was common to be able to have works of all kinds.