The Aztecs - Education Flashcards
What was a codex?
An ancient manuscript in book form/ a book of the Aztec history that is written through pictures because they didn’t have letters or an alphabet.
What was the calmecac?
Of the two schools that the Aztecs had, the Calmecac was the higher-ranking school that the nobles attended.
What was the Telpochcalli?
Of the two schools that the Aztecs had, the Telpochcalli was the lower-ranking one that the commoners attended.
How were the Aztec society’s social structure and its educational system related?
The Aztec social structure and its educational system were related because the type of school and education that you got determined your rank on the social pyramid. If you attended the Calmecac, you were higher in social status than the commoners that went to the Telpochcalli. Their education/schooling was organized into its own social pyramid, with its own classes. Also in the educational system, they learned about their society and how it was organized, which taught them about how they should act/ skills that would help them in society.
What did the noble children study in school? What jobs were they training for?
The noble children studied how to read and write symbols/glyphs. Using this, they studied codices in order to learn about their society, religion, and economy. They were taught and trained religiously in school in order to become priests or religious leaders. They were also taught military warfare, as the boys were also trained to become warriors in order to defend the Aztecs state once they grew older. They were also trained to have high administration jobs in government.
How was education different for commoners and nobles?
- For one, the nobles learnt how to read and write while the commoners were instructed orally, so the commoners had to learn their lessons through rote memorization.
- The nobles studied religious training and military warfare, while the commoners learnt about music and physical labour/work. The commoners were stuck doing the physical work, while the nobles studied how to have jobs in high status.
Describe the education women got in Aztec society. What roles could they occupy in society?
The education the women got in society was usual. The learnt most of their materials at home from their mothers. They were able to attend school regardless of their rank. They learnt music, sacred dances, medicine, religion, and citizenship duties. They were able to become doctors, priestesses, matchmakers, midwives, and housewives that would take care of their homes and teach their kids.
How was Aztec education organized? Who was allowed to attend school?
Aztec education was organized into 2 schools, the Calmecac for the nobles, and the Telpochcalli for the commoners. The kids were homeschooled until they turned 10-15, which was when they would join. All schooling was free and every child was allowed to attend.
What did children learn through Aztec education?
- Society - in order to become proper citizens and hold high positions in society
- Religion - in order to become priests
- Read and write glyphs
- Military training/warfare - in order to become warriors
- Physical labor
- Music and how to play instruments
- Sacred dances
- Medicine
In the Telpochcalli boys and girls were taught separately. What did the boys learn? What did the girls learn?
The boys were taught about military warfare and skills, music, dance, history, religion, and citizenship. They spent most of their time doing physical labour which they were also taught how to properly do.
The girls learn about music, sacred dance, how to play instruments, history, religion, citizenship duties, and medicine. They were also trained to be priestesses or doctors if they wanted.
In the Calmecac, boys lived at the school. What were they taught? What was expected of them?
The boys were taught military warfare and training, religion and religious training, and how to read and write glyphs. When they were taught how to read and write, they were able to read the codices, in which they learnt about their society and history. They were expected to hold high positions in society such as high ranking priests and warriors.
The Aztecs had no alphabet. What did they use in place of an alphabet in their manuscripts?
Instead of an alphabet, they used a system of pictures called glyphs. They used these in order to describe and write about the Aztec history and religion as they didn’t have letters.
Summary paragraph
The Aztecs were very strict with their education and discipline towards the children. The society pampered their children until the age of three, in which after that they were expected to be hardworking and obedient. If they weren’t, they would be harshly punished. This aim of discipline was to turn the children into citizens with “a stone heart and a stone face.” Education was valued in Aztec society and was organized in a specific manner. Aztec children were educated at home until they started school; they started school from ages 10 to 15. All schooling was free and every child was allowed to attend school, regardless of their rank. There were two types of schools, the Calmecac, in which the nobles attended, and the Telpochcalli in which the commoners attended.
The Calmecac was located in neighborhoods where the nobles lived and were often attached to a temple. They based their education on the ability to read and write using a system of pictures called glyphs, instead of letters. Only the nobles were taught to read and write. Using their knowledge of these glyphs, they studied codices, manuscripts that were written using glyphs, to learn about their society and history. They were taught and trained religiously in school in order to become priests or religious leaders. They were also taught military warfare, as the boys were also trained to become warriors in order to defend the Aztecs state once they grew older. Once a boy knew how to fight, he would serve as a soldier’s servant and follow the army to learn how warriors act in battle. At 15 years old, they became warriors and took an active role in battle themselves. The eagle and jaguar were the two most important military orders that the highest-ranking and most important warriors would join. Not only was military training taught in the Calmecac, but it was also taught in the Telpochcalli, in which every boy was trained to become a warrior. In school, the children were also trained to have high administration jobs in government.
The Telpochcalli had a different system of education. Commoners received their education by the spoken word, rather than being taught to read. Students were expected to earn their lessons through rote memorization. The boys and the girls were taught separately. The boys were taught about military warfare and skills, music, dance, history, religion, and citizenship. They spent most of their time doing physical labor, like digging ditches and carrying firewood, which they were also taught how to properly do. They were trained to become warriors or lower-ranking priests. The girls learn about music, sacred dance, how to play instruments, history, religion, citizenship duties, and medicine. They were also trained to be priestesses or doctors if they wanted. The boys and girls also received instruction from their parents at home to prepare them for family trade.
The Aztecs believed that it was important that women got a good education. The education the women got in society was usual. The learned most of their materials at home from their mothers. They were able to attend school regardless of their rank. They learned music, sacred dances, medicine, religion, and citizenship duties. Although they weren’t able to hold public office, they were able to become doctors, priestesses, matchmakers, midwives, and housewives that would take care of their homes and teach their kids. At age 16, most girls got married and left school, to move in with their husbands.
The Aztec social structure and its educational system were greatly related. This is because the type of school and education that you got determined your rank on the social pyramid. If you attended the Calmecac, you were higher in social status than the commoners that went to the Telpochcalli. Their education/schooling was organized into its own social pyramid, with its own classes. Also in the educational system, they learned about their society and how it was organized, which taught them about how they should act/skills that would help them in society.
