Chapter 8 Flashcards
Why was the Aztec counting system based on the number 20?
Because they counted with both their fingers and toes.
Could Aztec slaves gain their freedom? If yes, how?
They can, if sold in the marketplace they could flee and make it to the palace.
What was the school system for Aztec nobles?
Calmecac
What were the three bad omens in Aztec society?
- The wound of a mother wailing for her children.
- Lake Texcoco turning red as blood.
- A fiery comet streaking across the sky
You’re a 15 year old Aztec child, and today is your first day of school! You come from a humble family that produces crops. You live in a 1 story house. What school system will you be going to?
Telpochcalli.
How did Aztecs view slavery?
As bad luck, and not a permanent condition.
Why did the law judge Aztec nobles more harshly?
They were meant to set an example, so if they did not, they would be called out.
How did farmers pay their taxes?
In crop.
What are 2 ways that the Aztec hierarchy is different from that of mediaeval society?
What are 2 similarities?
Commoners and nobility are very similar, but the emperors and the roles in the nobility are very different.
What were the responsibilities of the calpolli? Why were merchants the richest calpolli?
Each callpolli assigned a leader who attended the calpolli meetings. This council assigned land and houses to other calpollies, collected taxes, keeping the neighbourhood clean, washing the streets, and painting/scrubbing buildings.
Who were the most respected (Aztec) artisans? What were the valuable feathers used to create?
Feather workers, mash makers, and goldsmiths. Creations from feather workers were the most valuable items in Tenochtitlan, though, as they commonly used Quetzal feathers, which are connected to Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent.)
What was the Aztec market called and how many people could it hold?
Tlatelolco housed 60 000 people.
Other than selling merchandise, what other role did Tlatelcoco serve?
It served as a social centre as well.
Why would only Aztec nobles be able to add height to their homes?
As a sign of status, and to show that since hey had status, they were able to be closer to the gods.
What type of discipline for children is used in Aztec society? What was the
aim of this discipline?
Lighting a handful of spicy peppers and dangling the child over it so they could inhale the fiery smoke. I think it was to teach a lesson in a not so harsh way but to also use their surroundings.
How did Aztec society show that they valued its women citizens?
Women still got a great education and had the ability to be doctors/medics, teachers and priestess’.
According to an Aztec mother, why was it important to dress properly?
Because if you did not it signified that you were low in the Aztec hierarchy
What was the punishment for a noble who beat a slave to death?
The noble would be executed.
How could a commoner rise to nobility?
By gaining success on the battlefield; bringing back tributes so that Huitzilopochtli could rise the next day.
TRUE OR FALSE: For minor crimes Aztecs were fined or sentenced to
slavery. There were no prisons so punishment for
serious crimes like theft was often death.
True
