The Aztecs - Economy Flashcards
Define tribute.
A tribute is a tax or payment the people were required to the Aztecs and their empire. This was required to be paid by the societies conquered by the Aztecs in order for the emperor to be able to support Tenochtitlan and the Triple Alliance. The tributes went right to the capital of their empire, Tenochtitlan, because that’s where their government was. When they paid this tribute, they were provided with protection. Tribute could be paid through military service, food, luxury items, or clothing.
Define cacao beans and their purpose.
Cacao beans are edible chocolate beans that were grown in the tropical areas of Mexico. They were used as a tribute for the Aztecs, as they were exotic/not grown in the Aztec areas. Cacao beans were very important and used for many things. They used the beans to make a drink of cacao beans, hot chili peppers, and cornmeal. They believed this drink gave them wisdom and power. Also, no coins were used to purchase goods in the marketplace, but instead, cacao beans were used as their currency.
Define cottage industries.
Cottage industries were small neighborhoods or communities that produced local goods from raw materials. Producing these goods developed the cottage industries. They supplied these products to their neighbors and people living in their cities. Not only would they make local goods, but they would also mine products like salt or stone that were also supplied to other citizens in the marketplace.
What were the items that the Aztecs wanted but couldn’t grow or get themselves?
The items that the Aztecs wanted but couldn’t grow were tropical fruits such as avocados, papayas, and cacao. These were grown in the rainforests along the coasts which were not part of the Aztec territory. They also wanted deposits of gold and silver, as well as tropical birds with brightly colored feathers that they couldn’t get themselves.
Who had to pay tribute?
Once the Aztecs had conquered another territory, it was required of them to pay tribute or taxes to the emperor. So it was the territories they conquered during the war outside of Tenochtitlan, that had to pay tribute.
What were some of the items the Aztecs collected for tribute? Which was most valuable and why?
Some of the items the Aztecs collected for the tribute were food like cacao beans, natural resources like lumber, crops like cotton, or luxury items like featherwork and precious metals. They also gave cotton blankets, feathered headdresses and shields, and strings of jade beads. The most important and valuable was the cacao beans because they were used for different things. They used the beans to make a drink of cacao beans, hot chili peppers, and cornmeal. They believed this drink gave them wisdom and power. Also, no coins were used to purchase goods in the marketplace, but instead, cacao beans were used as their currency.
What does it mean to say that military service was compulsory for the Aztecs?
To say that military service was compulsory for the Aztecs meant that it was mandatory for them to join the military. They believed that the group was more important than the individual, and wanted people to understand that protection was for everyone and not only one person. Also, according to an Aztec tradition, Huitzilopochtli told them that they “shall conquer all the people in the universe and become the kings of the world.” This made them create the greatest empire because they believed their society was much more important than the individual, so they were prepared to fight and sacrifice their lives to protect their society and respect their gods.
What was the purpose of the marketplace? Where was the best Aztec marketplace?
The purpose of the marketplace was to sell/exchange/trade goods that were not used for tribute or that the nobles didn’t want. The markets were divided into streets with each type of good sold on each street. The best Aztec marketplace was in the Tlatelolco section of Tenochtitlan, as it was the biggest marketplace with the most valuable and luxury goods.
Who were the pochteca? Why were they important in Aztec society?
The pochteca were long-distance traders that held a position of high status in society. They were important in the Aztec society because they traded finished goods for the raw materials used to make clothing and jewellery for the nobility. They also organized caravans of porters all across the empire for transportation of these goods. They were also called “spying merchants” because they travelled to enemy territory and reported back to the emperor, which helped them conquer that territory.
What was the most valued artisan?
Artisans were workers that made goods by hand. The most valued artisans were the feather workers who crafted lively colored capes, garments, and ceremonial items from the tropical bird feathers.
Summary paragraph
An important part of the Aztec economic system was the payment of tribute to the Aztec emperor. Tribute was a tax paid to the emperor by the societies that were conquered by their empire. In order for the emperor to support Tenochtitlan and the other two cities of the Triple Alliance, he needed the tribute paid by the conquered societies. Military service was considered a form of tribute, so any altepetl located on the borders of the empire was required to protect that outlying area of the empire. This military service or protection could be considered part of that society’s tribute to the emperor. Tribute could be paid in the form of food such as cacao beans, natural resources like lumber, special crops such as cotton, and luxury items such as featherwork and precious metals. They would also collect cotton blankets, feathered headdresses and shields, strings of jade beads, and cacao beans. To the Aztecs, these cacao beans or chocolate beans were so very important. They made a drink of cacao beans, hot chilli pepper, and cornmeal, that they thought gave them power and wisdom. Since they didn’t have coins to use as currency to purchase goods in the marketplace, they used cacao beans as their currency. Huge amounts of food, luxury items, clothing, and large numbers of exotic goods flowed into Tenochtitlan because of this tribute. This also benefited the rulers as many items were redistributed among them as a payment for their allegiance and obedience to the emperor. This movement of different kinds of products throughout their empire encouraged the development of new businesses and the opening of marketplaces. Marketplaces were another very important part of the Aztec economy. Goods that weren’t used for tribute or were not wanted by the nobles were sent to the market. A wide selection of goods were exchanged and sold in the market. The markets were divided into streets, with each type of merchandise sold on its own street. The exchange of goods would happen among these streets, and selling outside of the marketplace was forbidden. There were many local regional markets, but the largest and greatest market was in the Tlatelolco section of Tenochtitlan, as it was the biggest marketplace ever known and had the largest selection of the finest crafts and goods.
Farming was another extremely important part of the Aztec economy. Initially, farming was done on the fields of land that were close to the farmer and his home, however, south of Tenochtitlan, farming was done on chinampas. Once farmers began to plant and grow their crops on these “floating gardens”, food production increased drastically. They were fertilized with human waste, which was a common practice for their societies. The farmers harvested seven crops a year, in which these crops grown on the chinampas supplied almost one-half of the food for all the cities, including Tenochtitlan. Farming products were used as a tribute and to pay taxes. Any products that were left over would be used in the trade or to be exchanged in the market. Marshland farmers worked on these chinampas, but the inland farmers had time to develop a different specialization. They produced local goods made from raw materials. Producing these local goods developed into cottage industries that supplied products to neighbors and citizens. Not only would they make local goods, but they would also mine products like salt or stone that were also supplied to other citizens in the marketplace. Ceramic pottery, blades and other tools made from obsidian, and paper were popular products that were made and sold by the cottage industries.
Artisans were also skilled workers that made goods or crafts by hand and worked at their craft full time. Some of these crafters made jewelry from precious stone, gold, and silver. The most valued artisans, however, were the feather workers who crafted brightly colored capes, garments, and ceremonial items from tropical bird feathers. Their products that were unwanted by the nobles were sent to the marketplace as well.
Once the Aztecs settled in Tenochtitlan, they began to develop relations with the people and societies around them. They were constantly expanding their empire through two ways: trading and war. They often formed trading and defensive alliances with the people around them, as they took great pride in these two aspects of a character: the trader and the warrior. Tenochtitlan was situated in the mountains, 2000 meters above sea level. Due to their location, they were forced to trade with other societies, in order to get the tropical fruits, exotic animals, and deposits of gold and silver as they wanted. They could not produce tropical fruits such as avocados, papayas, and cacao. They didn’t have the tropical birds with brightly colored feathers that they loved thrive in their area, nor did they have deposits of gold and silver. To get these valuable provisions they had to trade with the other cultures. The pochteca were long-distance traders that held very high positions and were very important in Aztec society. Since they had no animals to transport the goods, they needed porters. The porters worked for the pochteca, who organized caravans of these porters or slaves all across the empire. They would set off with hundreds of slaves to carry the goods, in which they may have been gone for months. The pochteca traded finished goods for raw materials that were used to make clothing and jewelry for the nobles. They were also important because they were essentially “spying merchants” that traveled to enemy territory and reported back to the emperor. They would draw maps of the territory to show which cities were well fortified and which could be easily conquered. These maps and their reports were very helpful in expanding their empire. Expanding through war was also very common. It was mandatory for the Aztecs to join the military. They believed that the group was more important than the individual, and wanted people to understand that protection was for everyone and not only one person. Also, according to an Aztec tradition, Huitzilopochtli told them that they “shall conquer all the people in the universe and become the kings of the world.” This made them create the greatest empire because they believed their society was much more important than the individual, so they were prepared to fight and sacrifice their lives to protect their society and respect their gods. They had an extremely organized economy that helped their empire thrive for many many years.
