Aztec Social Classes

29th Aug 2009

Zoe Steenberge

This concise summary of Aztec social classes was kindly sent to us by Zoe Ann Steenberge, who has been researching Aztec culture for more than 20 years and has an extensive library on the culture. Zoe lives in Malone, New York, USA, holds an associates degree in Applied Science from North Country Community College, has travelled to Mexico and visited many Aztec sites. She enjoys writing short stories and is primarily concerned with reviving interest in ancient Aztec culture.

Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. Normally, individuals are grouped into classes based on their economic positions and similar political and economic interests within their culture. The factors that determine class vary from one society to another. Aztec society was rigidly structured within social, political, and religious hierarchies.

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. The lesser classes were composed of the free poor, slaves, servants, and the middle class.

A succession of less than a dozen rulers carried the Aztec people through from obscurity to empire-builders. The later rulers from 1440-1520 included Montezuma I, Axayacatl, Tizoc, Ahuitzotl, and Montezuma II. These men were all powerful leaders with multitudes of conquests. Each ruler contributed toward cultural works, such as the famous Aztec calendar, an aqueduct, and a ten-mile dike to control the waters of Lake Texcoco. It was the power of the Aztec rulers that contributed, ironically, to the rise and fall of the great Aztec Empire.

WARRIORS
Aztec warriors were a select group of exceptionally brave young men, who were well trained in the use of weapons for use in combat, battle, and war. They were the military. Few Aztecs were as privileged as the military men and even young cadets had the respect of royalty and the priesthood. This career was made rewarding by rank, land, and good wages given by the emperor. Warriors of particular valor could enter fraternal orders which practiced various rituals and bestowed privileges. Eagle and Jaguar warriors were the elite and performed secret dances and received additional grants of land.

AZTEC NOBILITY
Rich and wealthy families of noble blood, well bred and respected by the rest of society composed the nobility class. 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. There were three ranks of nobles. The tlatoani, or ruler; Tetecuhtin, the high lords and the Pipiltin who were the regular lords. Each had a different position in society. The nobles enjoyed great wealth and privileges which were rigidly specified by law. The net that held the Aztec empire together was its noble class - individuals of high birth who governed, administered, and reaped the greatest rewards from imperial expansion.

PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES
The life of an Aztec priest was very hard and uncomfortable even though they were treated as nobles and were very important to Aztec society. Aztec priests had many responsibilities including: watching the planets and stars to prophesize and sound the time, keeping track of eclipses and other planetary events, naming certain constellations, computing the movement of stars and planets for predictions of their future positions in the sky, reading the calendar, divining the incantations to the gods and horoscopes, divining horoscopes for newborns to see if their sign was lucky or not, and checking the horoscopes of engaged couples to see if they were compatible, making offerings and sacrifices to the gods, sacrificing victims on the sacrificial stone, and drawing blood.

The priests of Tlazolteotl heard confessions, went to war with the warriors to hear their confessions, and took the boys in training out into the dark on nightly walks to gather dangerous creatures. The life of an Aztec priestess was equally very hard and uncomfortable. Priestesses also performed many ceremonies, prayers, songs, incantations, and divinations in honor of the gods as well. Their responsibilities included reading the calendar and interpreting the Sacred Calendar, divining the incantations to the gods, reading horoscopes, and making sacrifices and offerings to the gods.

POOR/FREE
Although these people were poor and of a lower class than those who belonged to what we would call the aristocracy, there was one thing, however, that they did have, and that was their freedom. They did have their families and each other. It was not unheard of, though, for someone of the lower class to become a noble through bravery in the military service or even marriage. Their homes and their diets were simple. Two groups within this particular class were the fowlers who hunted waterfowl and the farmers who tilled the land.

SLAVES
Slaves were a class of people who were owned by the nobility and those of the merchant class who had amassed some wealth. Unlike the servants, they were considered property and could be sold over and over again. A slave was considered to be the legal property of their master who could do whatever he wanted with them within certain limits because even slaves had certain rights. If slaves chose to marry, they could with their master’s permission, and any children they had were born free unless their spouse was also a slave. A slave could buy his or her freedom, or his master could write a letter releasing the slave from bondage.

SERVANTS
Servants were people who, although the nobility owned them, were not considered to be property the way a slave was, for they were free to marry and their children were born free. They could also own property, slaves, and even their own servants. However, they could be sold just as easily as slaves unless the owner had a document written freeing them from their bondage. They were also allowed to have businesses or trades of their own in order to support their families and themselves.

MIDDLE CLASS
The middle class was one of the largest groups in Aztec society and mainly consisted of the accountants, lawmakers, merchants, quarriers, feather workers, potters, weavers, sculptors, painters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths.

The merchants or pochteca had their own guild and were very choosy and particular about who could join their ranks. They led a different lifestyle to those of other Aztecs for they lived in a separate area of the city, belonged to a merchant guild, had their own laws and judges, and worshipped their own god called Yacatecuhtli. His name means “the lord who guides” to whom they made offerings so that he would protect them on their dangerous journeys for trade. Through the merchants, the Aztecs were able to acquire goods needed through trade. Their children were only allowed to marry the children of other merchants in the guild. The pochteca went on very long, dangerous trading expeditions to all corners of the Aztec Empire. Some pochteca acted as spies reporting to Aztec generals about the wealth of other cities and the size of their armies.

METAL WORKERS
Metal workers worked with gold, copper, and silver for they had no iron. These metals were used to make jewelry and religious objects. They came from the far reaches of the empire either as trade goods acquired by the pochteca or tribute. Goldsmiths and silversmiths first made a clay model of what they wanted to make, which they covered with beeswax and then coated with more clay. A small furnance which was heated by charcoal into which air was blown into through a metal tube was used to melt the metal. The molten metal was then poured into a hole in the top of the mould of the desired object, and the heat melted the wax which was replaced by the metal. After the mould was left to cool, the clay was then smashed leaving the finished metal object.

FEATHER WORKERS
Feather workers had their own guild and they made many very beautiful objects, which have unfortunately almost all been destroyed. The most highly prized feathers came from the brilliant plumage of the Quetzal bird. There was a huge aviary in Tenochtitlan where three hundred workers cared for many thousands of brightly colored birds. As these birds molted, their feathers were collected, graded, and then taken to the feather workers.

POTTERY
The potters were able to make beautiful pottery to sell in the market place without using the potter’s wheel, which was at that time unknown in Mexico. They made very beautiful cups, statues, vases, and delicate bowls and plates that were sometimes inlaid with precious and semi precious stones. These objects were very beautifully decorated with brilliant colored paints that were made from nature itself.

AZTEC LAW
Law governed every aspect of the person’s life from birth to death. It covered criminal behavior, divorce, and land ownership. Although the laws covered the whole empire, they varied from place to place. The laws were designed to protect the class system that prevailed throughout the empire.
The Aztecs had three types of Law Courts: local courts, the Teccalco court in Tenochtitlan, and the High Courts at the Emperor’s palace. In the local courts, only minor cases were dealt with, and senior warriors acted as judges while the Teccalco court dealt with the more serious crimes and were led by experienced judges. The most serious cases and those involving nobles were heard by the High Courts at the Emperor’s palace.

COURT OF APPEAL
The Court of Appeal was held in the city of Texcoco and was made up of twelve judges and was held every twelve days under the presidency of the king of Texcoco to decide the most difficult cases. No case could last for more than eighty days, and these judges sat from dawn to sunset and were liable to death if a bribe was taken or accepted.

TRIAL
A trial was brought when a crime had taken place and the criminal had been charged with a date being set for the trial. The criminal was held in the cuauhcalli without food or drink until the trial started. Achcacauhtin or officers of the law were charged with carrying out the sentence of the court.

Each of the Aztec social classes has a lengthy and colorful history, a story within itself. Many aspects of the social classes are quite parallel to our own classes in contemporary life.

Q. If pochteca was the word for an Aztec merchant, what would an illegal dog-trader be called?
A. A poochtaker!

Comments (38)

Chih

14th Feb 2025

Love the resource. i was hoping i could get the primary sources for this project im doing in school. the sooner the better, thanks.

Mexicolore

The main sources for this article would be the encyclopaedic 12-volume Florentine Codex (original in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence), and the Codex Mendoza (original in the Bodleian Library, Oxford). Both were compiled in the early years after the Spanish invasion.

Alen

24th Jan 2025

Thank you for the good article! loved it, and Don’t mind andre’s it doesn’t matter

Zoe

11th Sep 2024

Was there a difference between vassals and slaves? I am thinking for example of the Zapotec, who were originally killed or enslaved after the Aztecs conquered the area...but after that it seemed they had vassals and tributaries established which seems to be different

Mexicolore

We have to be careful when using words like ‘vassal’, ‘slave’, ‘serf’ etc. as these tend to come from European usage, referring to feudal systems which didn’t exist in the same way in ancient Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican slaves generally had more rights than their counterparts in other parts of the ancient world. To our knowledge ‘vassal’ is basically another word for ‘slave’.
In Aztec society there were landless serfs or peasants (who we might call ‘tenant farmers’) as well as slaves, all bound to the land of nobles who they served, but with different rights and duties.
The main thing to note, in the words of Jacques Soustelle, was that ‘slavery’ in ancient Mexico ‘had nothing of the hopeless character that it had in other times and other places; it was a state that might be only temporary’.

Eric Nunez

5th Sep 2024

THanks I needed this for school

Jeff

16th Aug 2024

Thanks this is fire.

Jenny Bruseaux

15th Apr 2024

This is the perfect website to learn about this culture. Thank you!

Mexicolore

Glad to be of service - thanks for your comment.

Julia

21st Feb 2024

this was so helpful for my history! thanks

Prammet Jamen

11th Dec 2023

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican civilization that existed in central Mexico from the 14th to the 16th centuries. They were known for their impressive architectural achievements, including the construction of massive pyramids and temples. The Aztecs were also skilled farmers, using advanced irrigation techniques to cultivate crops such as maize, beans, and squash. They were a highly organized society, with a complex system of government that included a powerful emperor and a council of nobles.
The Aztecs were also known for their religious practices, which revolved around a pantheon of deities. They believed that their gods required regular offerings of blood and human sacrifice in order to maintain the balance of the universe. In fact, the Aztecs were notorious for their practice of human sacrifice, which they believed was necessary to ensure the sun’s continued movement across the sky.
Despite their impressive achievements, the Aztecs were ultimately conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century. The Spanish, led by Hernán Cortés, arrived in Mexico in 1519 and quickly began to take advantage of the Aztecs’ political and social divisions. With the help of local allies, the Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec empire in 1521, ending their reign and transforming the region into a Spanish colony. Today, the legacy of the Aztecs lives on through their impressive ruins, as well as the many cultural and artistic traditions they helped to shape in modern Mexico.

Ayden Parker

8th Nov 2023

Hey, I am doing a research project on the fall of the Aztecs can you provide some information or a place where I can find information on the factors that lead to the fall?

Mexicolore

Well, we have a comprehensive booklist in our Resource section, which lists all the major sources on the Spanish invasion, here -
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/resources/aztec-history-resources-list-2021
(We would recommend particularly books by Camilla Townsend and Matthew Restall)
But at the same time, check out our whole section on this site on the Spanish invasion -
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/spanish-invasion/

Jonas

6th Nov 2023

Hey! loved the article, but what date was it published? thanks!

Mexicolore

Sorry this wasn’t clear before. The article was published on August 29th. 2009.

Hannah

22nd Oct 2023

this helped alot with my codex project.

David Dodson

6th Aug 2023

Did Aztec warriors utilize women as servants? These would be women that were not their wives.

Mexicolore

There is some evidence that women supported the war effort in practical ways such as preparing/honing the best stones for use in slingshots and assisting featherworkers in assembling and decorating shields...

human name

22nd May 2023

Helpful for my research project. Thanks :)

Andre

12th May 2023

cheesey jokes.
too cringe

Mexicolore

cringe is the new binge...

Melissa

9th Mar 2023

This article was very helpful and it was shown to my class. My students were very interested!

Keby

27th Aug 2022

Thank you so much to the person who wrote this article, it has saved me so much time looking over 100 different websites! and yes I admit it was for overdue home work that I needed this information for this website helped a lot. Thanks :)

boi

26th May 2020

this was helpful

Jicinta

18th Apr 2020

This article has helped me alot. I need this information for school and this has just helped me so much thanks to you i will pass this thanks.

14th Jan 2020

Awesome article I showed my class this and they thought it was intresting, I think you should add a social pyramid though!!

Sophia

22nd Sep 2019

thank u so much this article helped so much with my history homework omg THANK YOU
elro ‘22

Arianna

13th Jan 2019

Where’s the information displayed to cite this website?

Mexicolore

We usually give the author’s name at the top of the article; in this case, for example, the author of the article is Zoe Ann Steenberge. so please give the title of the article, the author’s name and then the URL or simply www.mexicolore.co.uk

john

28th May 2018

epic website thank u so much for it!!

Maria

24th May 2018

This is very good

Christopher

28th Sep 2017

And not a single mention of musicians, dancers, poets, muralists, architects, etc., in regards to this societal “hierarchy” when every aspect of life and living was ritualistic art! That is highly unusual to say the least! Where does this information come from in regards to societal hierarchies? Where is it corroborated? in Spanish? or indigenous literature of the time? I see no cited references, bibliographies, or personal experiences cited from the 15th and 16th century? Where does this information come from?? We would all like to know, so we may also learn, research and corroborate this information. Blanket statements and opinions without at least 3 reliable corroborative sources are exactly that - blanket statements and opinions.

Mexicolore

Keep your shirt on, Christopher! Hang on: look, it’s as clear as crystal that this section of our website, called ‘You Contribute’, is open to keen ‘amateurs’ and other members of the general public to offer their opinions. In our view Zoe has done a good job of summarising some of the key features of what you know perfectly well was - like virtually all throughout history - a hierarchical society. We ask contributors to these pages specifically NOT to add in bibliographical references etc in order to keep the articles ‘short and sweet’. If you want an ‘academic’ reference on our site to Aztec social classes, go to this page in our ‘Ask the Experts’ section - http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/which-were-the-most-common-crimes-among-the-aztecs

Addie

12th Jan 2016

I really liked this website.but could you add a pyiramid

Zoe

26th Nov 2015

Andrea, what type of pyramid do you and the others want? Is it a societal or architectural one you’re asking about?

Mexicolore

I imagine, Zoe, that they’re thinking of a societal one...

andrea nickle

23rd Apr 2015

hi marcus and yes add a pyramid pleas

marcus

21st Apr 2015

you should ad a social pyiramid

marcus reimann

21st Apr 2015

your website is intresting but you should ad a pyramid pleez

JACK JOGNON

21st Jul 2014

That’s very interesting. Can you put it in a pyramid tho?

Monty Hannnaford

8th Aug 2013

This is very helpful. I was wondering what effect the spanish invasion and colonisation had on this social hierachy system? Was there a readjustment in the system? What happened to certain social classes as a result of the invasion?

Mexicolore

Thanks Monty. You can read a partial answer to this in the ‘Ask Us’ section of the website: look for the piece ‘What happened to the nobility after the Conquest?’

Katia H.

27th Jun 2012

A very informative and concise article that nicely outlined the different social classes. Where can one read Ms. Steenberge’s short stories?

Mexicolore

Zoe replies: ‘I have some Aztec short stories and if you want I can send them to you via email. they aren’t published anywhere on the internet so a search there would be fruitless. I am grateful for the comments left on the page by others.’ We’ve arranged for email addresses to be exchanged in this case.

tanav kumar

16th May 2012

great job but if possible could you add the names of the illustrations?

Mexicolore

Generally, throughout our site, we research, select and prepare the illustrations to accompany our own and articles submitted by external contributors (such as Zoe, in this case). It’s a lot of work to do this. We decided when uploading pieces in this section (‘You Contribute’) not to add enlargeable images, and to omit captions and sources, to save time and detail. If you’re interested in more information on any of these images, let us know and we’ll dig out the details for you. Many of them appear, with more data, in other parts of the site.

katia of Tonkam

15th Aug 2011

What was the official name of the “middle-class”? Pochteca refers only to merchants, right? Were they known as macehualli?

Mexicolore

No. macehualli was the term for commoner. ‘Officially’ the Mexica appear to have had just the two classes, commoners and nobles (pipiltin).

thomas bessette

5th Feb 2010

zoe what a good job you have done.your uncle tom is very proud of you.congratulaions.

Louise Hoit

12th Oct 2009

Zoe
What a wonderful article you have written. The illustrations are fantastic!

Sister Michelle Guerin, OSU

31st Aug 2009

Zoe, I am so proud of you. What a wonderful job you have done! I wept from joy as I read your article and, as you said, the illustrations are so apt, so beautifully rendered. Mom and Dad must be very proud of us. The content showsyour grasp of the subject and your appreciation of an ancient culture. Once again, congratulations!

Kathy Steenberge

30th Aug 2009

Zoe, you have done a wonderful job on your article!!! Congratulations on having it posted!! We are very proud of you.

Zoe Steenberge

Aztecs

Maya

Aztec Social Classes

Comments (38)

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