What is a Calpulli Aztecs?

: a clan or ward constituting the fundamental unit of Aztec society.

What were the Aztecs calpulli?

In precolumbian Aztec society, a calpulli (from Classical Nahuatl calpōlli, Nahuatl pronunciation: [kaɬˈpoːlːi], meaning "large house") was the designation of an organizational unit below the level of the altepetl "city-state". In Spanish sources, they are termed parcialidades or barrios.

What was the main purpose of the calpulli?

The calpulli were clans that Aztec society had divided itself into. They provided residence and kinship to their people and welcomed allies, neighbors and dependants. They regulated local life, and distributed land, organized labor groups and military units and maintained a temple and a school.

What is a calpulli and how did it serve the Aztec nation?

Calpulli were the lowest social order in Aztec society, and the most populous. They were administered by locally-selected leaders, sometimes but not always kin-based, and paid taxes to the Aztec state as a collective.

Who is in charge of a calpulli?

each was subject to a single local tecuhtli (lord), in charge of providing and administering the distribution of land to the neighbourhood. within each calpulli, families were grouped into units of 20, combining to form major units of 100 households.

The Aztecs: All You Need to Know

What were the 5 social classes of the Aztecs?

The Aztecs followed a strict social hierarchy in which individuals were identified as nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), serfs, or slaves. The noble class consisted of government and military leaders, high level priests, and lords (tecuhtli).

What was an Aztec family group called?

Families belonged to a larger group called the calpulli. Families and individuals did not own land in Aztec society, the calpulli did. A calpulli was like a clan or small tribe. Many of the families in a calpulli were related to each other.

What is an altepetl and calpulli In the Mexica empire?

As stated above, altepetls were the larger city-states that existed throughout Mesoamerica during the time of the Aztec. However, altepetls were made up of several different calpulli. The word 'calpulli' translates to 'large house' and refers to a small group or clan of people who lived within the altepetl.

Who were the Mayeque?

function in Aztec society

…the social structure were the mayeques, or serfs, attached to private or state-owned rural estates. Within these three castes, a number of social classes could be differentiated, according to wealth, occupation, and political office.

What was the smallest class in Aztec society?

These serfs were the lowest class of all in Aztec society, known as mayeque; they owned no land and paid up to 30% of their produce to their overlords. In addition to farming, the macehualtin were also expected to perform military service in times of war and assist in state projects such as road and temple building.

Who was the greatest Aztec emperor?

Montezuma II, also spelled Moctezuma, (born 1466—died c. June 30, 1520, Tenochtitlán, within modern Mexico City), ninth Aztec emperor of Mexico, famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.

What is meant by the term Tlatoani?

Tlatoani (Classical Nahuatl: tlahtoāni pronounced [t͡ɬaʔtoˈaːni] ( listen), "one who speaks, ruler"; plural tlahtohqueh [t͡ɬaʔˈtoʔkeʔ] or tlatoque) is the Classical Nahuatl term for the ruler of an āltepētl, a pre-Hispanic state.

How were Aztec slaves treated?

Slaves were bound to their master's lands, until one's debt was paid to his master. Barring being a captive, being punished for committing a crime, or failing to pay an outstanding gambling debt, slavery was an institution one could enter into freely.

Why were Pochteca important to the Aztec Empire?

Pochteca occupied a high status in Aztec society, below the noble class. They were responsible for providing the materials that the Aztec nobility used to display their wealth, which were often obtained from foreign sources.

What were the two kinds of Aztec schools?

The telpochcalli and calmecac were the two kinds of Aztec schools. In Aztec society, children were expected to attend one school between the ages of...

What did Quetzalcoatl do?

He was known as the inventor of books and the calendar, the giver of maize (corn) to mankind, and sometimes as a symbol of death and resurrection. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the twin Aztec high priests.

What were the 6 Aztec social classes?

Aztec society was composed of eight different social classes which were made up of rulers, warriors, nobility, priests and priestesses, free poor, slaves, servants, and the middle class. The most important of these were the tlatoani (rulers), warriors, nobility, and the high priests and priestesses.

How many Aztec gods are there in total?

They had a polytheistic religion, and believed in over 200 different gods and goddesses! The Aztec gods oversaw all parts of daily life, and the Aztecs believed the gods controlled different aspects of the universe, such as the weather, agriculture, fertility, and war.

How did Aztecs get married?

Men got married between the ages of 20-22, and women generally got married at 15 to 18 years of age. Parents and relatives decided when and who their children would marry, and sometimes used marriage brokers. Nobles could only marry other nobles, and marriages were often used to form political alliances.

How is the altepetl important for the powerful Mexica?

Mesoamerican politics

Local rulers of altepeme generally retained their authority over taxation and land distribution while under the indirect rule of an empire in exchange for their submission, participation in military campaigns, and tribute payments.

What was the largest tribe of Aztecs called?

The Nahuas (/ˈnɑːwɑːz/) are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador.

What ended the Aztecs?

Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, bringing an end to Mesoamerica's last great native civilization.

What religion was the Aztec?

MATOS MOCTEZUMA: The Aztec religion was primarily polytheist. They had different gods, male and female. The sun god was Tonatiuh. There were many deities, and they were revered in monthly festivities with rich offerings.

What were common Aztec names?

Did Aztec kids go to school?

The Aztec Empire is one of the few older civilizations that featured mandatory education at home and in schools. Every child was educated, no matter his or her social status, whether noble, commoner or slave.