The Aztec Empire was a civilization that flourished in central Mexico before European explorers arrived during the Age of Exploration. The Aztec Empire extended throughout most of central Mexico and the neighboring territories as a civilization, eventually becoming the most powerful and dominating people in the region. The huge Aztec metropolis (or altepetl) of Tenochtitlan was the epicenter of this enormous empire.

As the Aztecs spotted the eagle perched on a cactus on the southwest border of Lake Texcoco, they regarded it as a sign that they should settle there. In 1325 A.D., they devoured the marshy terrain, built artificial islands on which to cultivate gardens, and established the infrastructure of Tenochtitlán, their capital city.

The daily lives of people living in the Aztec Empire differed based on their social level. People of the top class, for example, were referred to as a pipeline. They had bigger houses, could afford luxury things and slaves, and had more authority in the government, church, and military. While the macehualtin, or middle-class folks, led far more ordinary lives. Farmers, traders, artists, and warriors were among their occupations.

If you want to know more about the Aztec lifestyle, You are welcome here. Read on as we explore the truths about this community.

Aztec Society and Its Rules

Aztec Individuals were classified as nobles (pipiltin). Commoners (macehualtin), serfs, or slaves went by Aztecs. They followed a rigid social structure. Government and military officials, high-ranking clerics, and lords made up the noble class (tecuhtli). Priests had their internal hierarchy and were supposed to stay celibate and abstain from using alcohol. Failure to do so would result in severe consequences, including death. Landowners, judges, and military leaders were among the tecuhtli. Nobles were entitled to tribute in the form of commodities, services, and labor from commoners. Only nobles were allowed to show their riches, which they handed down through male and female lineages.

For the Aztecs, family structure was fundamental. Outside of the house, the spouse usually worked as a farmer, warrior, or craftsman. The wife worked at home, both cooking and weaving cloth for the family’s clothing. Kids went to school or volunteered to assist around the house.

Therefore, here below, we provide you with their daily life habits one by one.

Aztec Clothing

The Aztec males wore long capes and loincloths. The women wore long skirts and blouses. Poor people used to weave their fabric and sew their own garments. It was the wife’s job to sew the clothing.

Clothing has its own set of regulations in Aztec culture. These included comprehensive rules outlining the clothing embellishments and colors that various social groups were permitted to wear. Only aristocrats were permitted to wear feathered attire, and only the Emperor was permitted to wear a turquoise-colored robe.

Aztec civilization was also known for its jewelry and accessories. Necklaces and bracelets made of gold and other stones, for example, were worn by both men and women. In general, the Aztecs used jewelry as a status signal, with the upper classes wearing more and the lower classes wearing less. Feathers and shells were very popular in Aztec jewelry and clothing. In reality, the blue-green feathers of the quetzal bird were highly treasured and only worn by Aztec monarchs on their headdresses. To learn more about Aztec clothes, go here.

Aztec Homes

They built the dwellings of the wealthy of stone or sun-dried brick. The Aztec ruler resided in a huge palace with several chambers and gardens. Every affluent person had their own bathing chamber, which was akin to a sauna or steam room. The Aztecs believed that bathing was an important aspect of their everyday lives. Poor people lived in tiny, one- or two-room cottages with palm-leaf thatched roofs. They had gardens in their backyards where they grew food and flowers. There were four primary sections inside the home. The family will sleep in one location, occasionally on mats on the floor. A kitchen, a dining space, and a location for deity shrines were among the other features.

Aztec eating habits

The Aztecs were confined to locally cultivated foods since the Columbian Exchange had not yet occurred. While a result, the Aztec diet consisted largely of vegetables and fruits, as most domesticated animals originated in Eurasia. Maize, for example, was perhaps the most prevalent dietary item throughout the Aztec Empire (corn). Maize is a cereal grain that was probably originally cultivated by humans in modern-day Mexico about 10,000 years ago. As a result, maize had a lengthy history of usage in Mexican farming methods by the time of the Aztec Empire. Aztecs prepared the maize in a variety of ways, including grinding it into flour that they could use to make tortillas.

To prepare tortillas, they crushed the corn into flour. Beans and squash were other essential mainstays. Aside from these three major mainstays, the Aztecs ate insects, fish, honey, dogs, and snakes, among other things. The cocoa bean, which produces chocolate, was maybe the most valuable food.

Aztec School System

The Aztec government mandated that all Aztec youngsters attend school. This included slaves and females, which was unprecedented at the period. Children received education from their parents when they were small, but when they were in their teens, they went to school. Boys and girls attended different schools. They taught religion to the girls, including ceremonial singing and dance. They also knew how to cook and sew. Boys often learned to farm or acquired a craft like pottery or featherwork. They learned about religion as well as how to fight like warriors. Manners and proper behavior were taught to Aztec youngsters from an early age. The Aztec’s valued youngsters did not whine, make fun of the elderly or sick, and did not interrupt. The consequences for violating the regulations were harsh.

Aztec Marriage

Around the age of 20, the majority of Aztec males married. They didn’t usually pick their spouses. Matchmakers were in charge of weddings. After the matchmaker has chosen two persons to marry, both families must consent. In honor of the wedding, the bride’s family prepared a feast. It’s possible that the feast may continue for many days. A woman was carrying piggyback on the back of the matchmaker who transported her to her new house on her wedding day. In most cases, the matchmakers were elderly ladies. Carrying a young bride was difficult at times, but it was part of their role.

The bride and groom knotted their strands together in front of his home’s fireplace, or cooking area, after arriving at her husband’s house. They got wed once their coats laced themselves.

Aztec Children

The Aztec youngsters treated themselves inhumanely. If they behaved out, they had to face cactus spines being pressed into their flesh or being held over a fire with chilies. The Aztecs, on the other hand, valued education. Boys learned agricultural and fishing skills from their fathers, while girls learned cooking and weaving skills from their moms.

Boys and girls, on the other hand, showed up to school. (Despite the fact that they taught independently.) The usual youngsters attended a telpochcalli school. They studied history and theology, as well as music and dance. Boys knew how to fight when they were older. Noble children attended a calvary school.

Aztec Entertainment

Despite their concerns about frequent military expansion over central Mexico, the Aztecs enjoyed participating in various sports. The ballgame known as llamalitzli was one of the most significant games in Aztec history. The phrase llamalitzli means “rubber to play ball” in Spanish. In reality, the ballgame was popular with many distinct groups of people across Mesoamerica, including the Maya, Teotihuacan, and Aztecs. The game had originated in modern-day Mexico about 1400 BCE, indicating that it has a lengthy history in the region.

Historians aren’t sure what the game’s actual rules were, but they can make some educated guesses about how it was played. Two teams, for example, would compete in a ‘ball court,’ which was simply a huge rectangular rectangle. Furthermore, the greatest ball court in Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital) was “teotlachco,” which means “holy ball court.” The ball court was obviously where the game took place, but it was also a venue for other religious festivals and festivities.

The game played itself with a rubber ball that weighed around 10 pounds (4.5 kg). The objective of the game, according to legend, was for the participants to knock the ball back and forth between each other with their hips, forearms, or thighs. The goal was to keep the ball in play and the game moving forward.

Aztec Religion

Religious ideas and rituals were an essential part of the Aztec Empire and history. Many of the Aztecs’ primary religious beliefs and practices were common with other cultures in the area. Some gods and religious traditions, for example, were common with many Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Toltec and Teotihuacan. As a result, it’s vital to remember that much of Aztec religion may be applied to various cultures throughout the region’s history.

In Aztec civilization, the notion of “god” is popular as “Teotl” in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. Like other Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs possessed a large pantheon of gods. As a result, they were a polytheistic culture, which means they worshipped numerous gods, each of whom represented various aspects of the universe to the Aztecs.

As previously established, the Aztec gods symbolized many elements of life and the world to the Aztec people. Culture of Aztec civilization and Mesoamerica, nature and the natural world, creation tales, fertility, food, death and the underworld, trade, and excess or amusement were all characteristics that the gods represent.

The Aztecs generally depicted each god in a unique fashion, with distinctive qualities and personality traits. Some were able to take on human or animal forms, and villagers honored them in festivals and ceremonies.

Aztec Work

In the Aztec Empire, there were numerous distinct types of labor. In general, males undertook more physically demanding work, whilst women usually stayed at home and cared for their families. Women were entrusting with care for small children, making meals, and mending clothing, for example. Some women worked as craftsmen or craftspeople, selling their wares in the Aztec economy’s numerous marketplaces.

Men, on the other hand, worked as a farmer, artisan, craftsman, trader, warrior, priest, or government official, among other vocations.

In the Aztec Empire, for example, commoners or middle-class people (known as macehualtin) primarily worked as farmers, cultivating crops including maize (corn), beans, and squash. Some craftsmen worked as artisans and sold their wares at the market, while others were excellent artists and creators. After the previous Toltec civilization, which the Aztec adore, talented artisans were popular as Tolteca. Commoners also helped build and maintain temples and public structures in the Aztec metropolis of Tenochtitlan at various eras.