CHAPTER 8 For the Good of the People

Chapter 8…

Last chapter we looked at how geography,

religion, and contact with neighbouring

peoples shaped the Aztec worldview…

Chapter 8 we will look at how Aztec ideas

about the structure of society, education, &

citizenship reflected this worldview.

Moctezuma

• Moctezuma – leader of the Aztec people, known

as The Great Speaker

• Responsibility was to watch the night sky for signs

that might tell of future events & interpret these for

his people

• Decisions were influenced by the movements of

heavenly bodies

• Lately, there had been some bad OMENS or signs

for Aztec society. . .

Superstitions…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vbUR1eHMmk

Horoscopes? Chinese Zodiacs? • Who in the class looks at their horoscope every morning? • Do many of you look at the Chinese Zodiac when you go out for Chinese? • ARE THESE COMMON SUPERSTITIONS? • How might these influence a person’s actions?• Why might some cultures or communities have a stronger belief in omens

and superstitions than others?

The Bad Omen

• On one particular night, Montezuma sees a terrible OMEN, ‘the star serpent’ (a comet with a fiery tail)

• This predicts death & destruction for the Aztecs. Montezuma must decide how he will protect his people

Worldview Inquiry

How does a society’s way of looking at the

world influence its customs, choices, and

decisions?

The Aztecs had a strong belief in fate – that

life was destined to follow a certain path.

How might a belief in fate affect the action

an emperor might take?

VOCABULARY!

Omens Quetzal

Nobles Calmecac

Emperor Conscription

Commoners Glyphs

Ocelot Retributive Justice

Calpolli Restorative Justice

Artisans Upward Mobility

Telpochcalli Fact

Hierarchy Belief

Vocabulary Check!• Omen a sign of something to happen

• Quetzal a brilliantly colored bird that lived in the tropical rainforest of central & South America

• Nobles 10-15 % of the population belonged to the nobility, they had most of the political power & wealth

• Calmecac Aztec schools for Nobles

• Emperor the leader who came from the Nobles. He was in a class by himself once he assumed office. His position was not hereditary

• Conscription means that people in a country are required by law to serve in the military

• Commoners anyone who was not a noble belonged to the commoner class

• Glyphs pictures or symbols used in writing

• Ocelot a nocturnal wildcat that has a greyish or yellow coat

with black spots

• Retributive Justice means that people who break the law are

punished

• Calpolli units of organization in Aztec society

• Restorative Justice means that someone who commits a

crime must repair the harm that is done

• Artisans skilled craftsman

• Hierarchy a social system where status is ranked & power is concentrated in the higher ranks

• Telpochcalli Aztec schools for the commoners

• Upward Mobility the ability to move from one social class to a higher one

• Fact something that can be proven or backed up with evidence

• Opinion someone’s belief, view or feelings about something

Is there a huge gap between the rich and the poor?

Canada?

Occupy Wall Street! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRtc-k6dhgs

Canadian Inequality……

The Aztec Social Hierarchy

There were 2 main classes:

NOBLES & COMMONERS

• A person’s position in society was generally

determined by which class he/she was born into

• People were able to work there way to a higher level

through their own efforts

• There were subdivisions in each class – some people

were more wealthy than others in the same level

The Aztec Social Hierarchy

Inquiry Focus Questions...

• How did the structure of the Aztec society tell us what was important to the Aztec people?

• What are some hierarchical structures in Canadian society?

• Could you use a similar diagram to show the divisions in Canadian society?

• How do you think the Aztec worldview influenced their social order?

CANADIAN HIERARCHY

ACTIVITY! Pg. 173

The Role of the Emperor:

Moctezuma’s Privileges & Responsibilities

Privileges Responsibilities

Role of the Emperor….

Privileges Responsibilities

Complete Obedience Commander and ChiefSkilled Warrior + Military

Strategists

Had Every Luxury (Clothes, Jewellery)

Head Of State Made all important decisions

Enormous Palace + Spectacular Garden + Private Zoos

Chief Priest

Was carried everywhere by servants on screened platform draped with OCELOT skins

Servants would sweep the street ahead of him.

Your HOMEWORK!

Read textbook pg. 170-175

The Role of the Emperor • Emperor ‘Huey Tlatoani’

means ‘Great Speaker’

he was at the top of the

Aztec Hierarchy

• Aztecs treated him as a

God, they showed

respect by obeying him

without question

• He was given every

possible privilege &

luxury

Emperor’s

Responsibilities Commander of the Army

- he had to be a skilled warrior

- he had to know military strategies

- he had to be able to lead others

Head of State

- he would call on his council of priests & nobles & ask their advice before making a decision

- ultimate choice was his alone

- the good of the empire lay in his hands

Family Clans • Aztec society was organized into units called CALPOLLI

• Members of a CALPOLLI lived in the same neighbourhood

& worshipped at the same temple

• Some CALPOLLI were based on the work that people did

& others were based on close family ties

• Each CALPOLLI elected a captain & a council:

• the council assigned land to its residents & collected

taxes....also had to keep the neighbourhood clean

• Electing the local leaders gave commoners some

measure of political power

Merchants • Merchants made up the

richest CALPOLLI in Tenochtitlan

• Went on trading expeditions & brought back prized goods to sell in markets – the taxes they paid on their profits enriched the Aztec state

• Acted as spies for the Aztecs –valuable advisors to generals planning attacks during wartime

Farmers Did more than just grow crops...they were skilled hunters & fishers

Sold much of what they caught in the market to add to family income

***paying taxes was one of the most important responsibilities of citizenship***

Farmers paid taxes by giving up a share of their produce

Artisans • They were SKILLED CRAFTWORKERS, there was a

constant demand for the finer things in life; fashionable clothes & works of art

• Beautiful creations of the feather workers were the most valued items in Aztec society

• The feathers of tropical birds were worked into fans, headdresses, tunics & decorated shields

• Only members of the nobility were allowed to wear garments of feathers – most prized feather was the QUETZAL bird

• QUETZAL feathers were sacred because they were associated to the god ‘Quetzalcoatl’

Status Symbols

What is a ‘status symbol’?

What were status symbols in Aztec society?

What are modern status symbols?

Signs of Status

In Aztec society, the 3 most common indicators of your position in society were:

clothing (quality & patterns)

Jewellery

size & location of your home

Status Symbols 2013?In Canadian society today,

does jewellery show a

person’s social status or do

people wear it for other

reasons?

What are some indicators

of your status in Canadian

society?

Status Symbols…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_iYY5-kFiE

Moving up in Society The main way of moving up in society was achieving success on the battlefield

Going to war for the Aztecs was a way to honour the gods, to get prisoners for human sacrifice

A warrior who took 4 enemies immediately became eligible for membership in a higher social status

Commoners could rise to the nobility.

Your HOMEWORK!

Read textbook pages 176-179

Status Symbol ReflectionAssignment is: Write a paragraph explaining social hierarchy in Canada and the status symbols that we use to associate with the rich in 21st century Canada.

E.G. of status symbols = Clothes, Watches, etc…

E.G. what they symbolize = Do they symbolize prestige? Wealth? Power? Etc..

Education Paradigmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Aztec Education

How are a society’s social structure & its educational system related?

Think about Canadian society...

Aztec Education Children were educated at home until they started school –

school did not begin until they were 10-15 years of age...

Imagine you did not attend school until you were 15, how

might this affect your life?

Aztec Education Codices tell us that students were expected to be hard working & obedient – they were harshly punished if these rules were not followed

Aztec idea of citizenship was to turn their people into citizens with a ‘stone heart & a stone face’

Aztec society valued education – schooling was free & every child went to school

calmecac for nobles

telpochcalli for commoners

COMPARE & CONTRAST

Work with a partner to COMPARE &

CONTRAST the education of the nobles with

the education of the commoners

Use a Chart or Venn diagram

Schools for Nobles

CALMECAC was located in neighbourhoods

where nobles lived – often attached to a temple

Students studied codices to learn about their

society

Religious training was an important part of their education

Reading, Writing &

CountingHigher education was based on the ability to

read & write using the GLYPH system

Only nobles learned how to read & write,

commoners received instruction through the

spoken word only

How would this enforce the Aztec social

order?

Military Training

At school, ALL boys trained as warriors to defend the Aztec state

A boy would serve as a soldier’s servant

once he learned how to fight

At age 15, boys became warriors & took

an active role in battle

The eagle & jaguar were the most

prestigious military orders

Education for

CommonersAll instruction at the TELPOCHCALLI was spoken –students learned through ROTE MEMORIZATION

Teachers gave them oral lessons in Aztec history, religion, & citizenship duties – music was important in their religion so they learned to play instruments

Boys spent much of their time in school doing hard physical labour

Educating Aztec Women

Aztec women had little political power – like many cultures at this time

Unlike many other societies, the Aztecs thought it was important for girls to get a good education

Every young girl regardless of social rank attended school

At age 16 most Aztec girls got married & moved in with their husband – they would educate their own children until they were old enough to attend school

Educating Aztec Women

Even though women could not hold public office, they were NOT undervalued...

Some women would go with the army as doctors & healers

some would be priestesses

older women acted as matchmakers, bringing together young people for marriage

also served as mid-wives

Think it THROUGH!

The Aztecs used education to create more

‘ideal’ Aztec citizens & powerful warriors.

What is the purpose of education today?

Your Homework

Read textbook pages 180-184

Reading Guide Questions

Good Citizens…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfbMCcDFzLY

Contributing to Society

“Peace, order & good government” are principles on which the Canadian Confederation was founded in 1867

Compare with France “Liberty, equality & brotherhood”

Compare with the U.S. “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness”

What different worldviews are suggested by these national mottos?

How can a

society

promote

good

citizenship?

Aztec Citizenship Aztec society was focused on producing citizens who would contribute to the community - Lessons in good citizenship were part of Aztec education

The Ideal Aztec Citizen:

Courage Self-Sacrifice Modesty Clean Living Obedience

Expected to show courage & deal with hardships without complaining

Group moreimportant than the individual. Every Aztec expected to sacrifice possessions, comfort & life

No one, not even the greatest warrior was to boast about personal achievements

People had to stay healthy & avoid over-indulgences. ‘Evil’ behaviour was harshly punished

Everyone had to obey superiorswithout question, helped preserve social oder

Laws & Lawmaking

Aztec people had their rights protected by a system of written laws – legal system was a powerful tool for maintaining order

Reminded people of their responsibilities as citizens – every citizen had to obey the laws

The law often judged the nobles more harshly than commoners because they were expected to set a good example for everyone else

Laws & Lawmaking

Aztec judges based their decisions on the evidence that was presented to them

Once a decision was made, the judges handed down their sentence

For lesser crimes, they were fined or sentenced to slavery

For more serious crimes, death was often the punishment for the Aztecs did not have prisons

Slave Laws Slaves performed necessary work in Aztec society, so they also had laws that protected their rights:

a noble could be executed if he beat a slave so severely that the slave died

slaves won their freedom if they escaped from the marketplace where they were sold & ran to the emperors palace

Aztecs did not think it was shameful to be a slave – it was merely bad luck

They did not consider slavery a permanent position –slaves could move up in the social hierarchy once their debts were paid

Your Homework!

Read textbook pages 185-190