What did nobles do in Aztec?
The nobles were firmly in control of society. They ran the government, owned the land, slaves, and servants. They also commanded the army. Power and wealth of Aztec nobility rested on control of land, labor, and tribute.
What did Aztec nobles eat?
Staples of their diet were maize, beans and squash. To these, they added chilies and tomatoes. They also harvested Acocils, an abundant crayfish-like creature found in Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae which they made into cakes.
What was life like for Aztec nobles?
Wealthy people lived in homes made of stone or sun-dried brick. The king of the Aztecs lived in a large palace with many rooms and gardens. All of the wealthy had a separate bathing room that was similar to a sauna or steam room. Bathing was an important part of the Aztec daily life.
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 did Aztec nobles wear?
Men of both the noble and common class wore a loincloth and a cape called a tilma. Variations in fabric, trim and how the tilma was worn revealed the status of the wearer. Women of all classes wore a blouse and a long skirt with a sash at the waist.
What was the importance of Teotihuacan?
Artifacts found in the city and sites across Mexico suggest Teotihuacan was a wealthy trade metropolis in its prime. In particular, the city exported fine obsidian tools, including spear and dart heads. Teotihuacan had a monopoly on obsidian trade—the most important deposit in Mesoamerica was located near the city.
Did Aztecs eat humans?
The Aztecs sacrificed human beings atop their sacred pyramids not simply for religious reasons but because they had to eat people to obtain protein needed in their diet, a New York anthropologist has suggested.
How did Aztecs drink chocolate?
The Aztecs took chocolate admiration to another level. They believed cacao was given to them by their gods. Like the Mayans, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spiced chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods.
What happened to the Aztecs after they were conquered?
The Aztec empire collapsed, its temples were defaced or destroyed, and its fine art melted down into coins. Ordinary people suffered from the European-introduced diseases which wiped out up to 50% of the population, and their new overlords did not turn out to be any better than the Aztecs.
What was the largest Aztec class?
The middle class in Aztec society were referred to as macehualtin and they made up the largest group of people in Aztec society.
What was the smallest class in Aztec?
Aztec farmers may be further divided into those who worked their own land and those who worked the land of large estates and paid their rent with whatever they farmed. 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.
What did the Aztec warriors wear?
Elite warriors could wear leather helmets, elaborately carved with symbols of their rank and unit. There was no uniform as such, but ordinary warriors wore a simple tunic over a loincloth and wore war-paints. Elite warriors were much more impressively decked out with exotic feathers and animal skins.