Daily life in tenochtitlanChapter 25, pgs. 279-287

tenochtitlanCapital of the Aztec Empire

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

Men married at around 20; women around 16.

Arranged marriages (no “love at first sight”).

Polygamy: more than one husband or wife (if you could afford it).

Divorce was allowed.

food

Maize (corn)

Beans

Turkeys

Squash

Red peppers

Sweet potatoes

religious practices

Aztecs worshiped the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, as well as many other gods.

Most Aztec rituals included blood sacrifice, since the Aztecs believed that blood helped nourish the sun god for his nightly battle against the forces of darkness.

Priests often pierced their skin with cactus spikes to offer their own blood.

family life

Men had higher status than women in Aztec society, and were the masters of the house.

Men’s roles included building the house, working as farmers, or as crafstmen.

Women’s roles included fixing meals, tending the gardens, and raising children.

marketsAt the market, people bartered for all kinds of goods.

The pochteca had a special place in the market where they sold such goods as jade, quetzal feathers, and tortoise shells.

People came to the market to meet friends, gossip, and hear the day’s news.

recreation

Patolli, a board game, was a favorite form of entertainment for the Aztecs.

Tlachtli, played only by Aztec nobles, was a game in which players tried to hit a rubber ball through a small ring.

Hundreds of spectators from all levels of Aztec society watched tlachtli games.