Aztec Daily Life


Aztec Family Life

The Aztec daily life was quite simple. In fact, Aztec family life was very similar to many modern day cultures. For example, the husband was primarily responsible for supporting the family and the wife's role was to provide the family with clothing and food. As such, the Aztec daily life for many of the men was to farm or engage in craftwork.

Aztec Daily Life

The female Aztec life, on the other hand, mainly consisted of weaving and cooking. Many traits of the Aztec culture are not unique, many civilizations from the Americas are similar to the Aztecs, so the Aztec culture is not exclusive to the Aztecs only.

Aztec Lifestyle Facts

The Aztecs were had amazing fishing skills, hunting and gathering, and gardening techniques. Those near the ocean ate turtles, crab, fish and oysters. They had a great advantage to live near the water.

The major wild animals that people hunted were rabbits, snakes, armadillos, deer, pumas and coyotes. One of the most important wild animal that they hunted was the Turkey. After gathering and gathering crops, the crops began to be domesticated and produced by the Aztecs. Crops such as maize, cocoa, chili, tobacco, and many more.

Aztec Daily Life

When the Aztecs conquered they required a lot of sacrifice and offerings to the chief god, the sun god, Huitzilopochtli. They would usually sacrifice the slaves or the prisoners. Twenty to fifty thousand people were sacrificed a year.

The Aztecs believed in the Legend of the Sun. Every day, before sunrise they would make at least one sacrifice, they did this help the sun win the battle between the darkness. If the sun won, it would rise the next day and it would promise that the civilization would continue for a longer period of time, but the sun wouldn't always win.

Aztec society

Aztec society was divided into classes. At the very top was the emperor. Below him were the nobles and priests. Below them were merchants, craftsmen, peasants and then slaves. Merchants formed a class of their own. They lived in their own areas of cities and their children usually married the children of other merchants. Merchants who carried out long distance trade were called pochteca.

Aztec Daily Life

There were also many craftsmen in Aztec society. Although the Aztecs did not use iron and bronze some craftsmen made jewellery from gold, silver and copper. Other craftsmen made objects of obsidian, jade and semi-precious stones. There were also feather workers who made things like headdresses from feathers.

Aztec Education System

Education was important to the Aztec people. Fathers were responsible for educating the boys in the family until they reached the age of 10. After this age, the boys were educated in a school connected with a Aztec temple. These schools taught Aztec religion and provided Aztec warriors. Girls sometimes attended these schools, as well. Otherwise, they stayed at home and learned household skills important to daily life from their mothers.

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