The Aztec Government
Aztec government had a definite structure within each city. First, a group of families, called a calpulli, would come together to share land and provide for their families. The leader of each calpulli would be in groups with other calpulli leaders. This group was the city council. Four leaders from the city council would be part of the "executive council," but only one person would be elected to be the city's leader, the tlatcani. The leader of Tenochtitlán would not only rule the city, but ruled the whole Aztec empire. This emperor was called the Huey Tlatcani, and was regarded as part god.
Social Structure
There were four main classes of Aztec social structure: nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves.
- The nobles worked in leadership and influence, and were wealthy. They had decorated clothes, often made of cotton, and were able to keep artworks and expensive, high quality pottery. The higher level of nobles, those with high government or military positions, were called pilli.
- Commoners, or macehaultin, consisted of merchants, artisans, and farmers. Some commoners were able to afford cotton clothes, but those who could not wore simple clothes made of maguey cactus fibers. Men wore loincloths and a cloak, and women wore a plain blouse and skirt. Commoners made up most of the Aztec population, and some commoners had more independence than others.
- Serfs worked on nobles' land. Even when a new noble owned the plot of land, the same serfs would continue working there.
- Slaves, also called tlacotin, were usually prisoners of war, criminals, or people who could not get out of debt. There were many ways to get out of slavery, especially since slavery was not passed down to slaves' children. A slave could buy, marry, or replace himself from slavery at any time.