Mexica society was hierarchical, with a clear distinction between the nobility and the commoners, and with a smaller but distinct class of slaves at the bottom. The hierarchy was based on birth, but it was also influenced by achievement, particularly in war and in trade, and there was considerable social mobility. The Mexica ruling class, the pipiltin, was a hereditary nobility that held the highest offices of state and that enjoyed a wide range of privileges, including the right to own land, to collect tribute, and to live in the wealthier neighborhoods of Tenochtitlan. The common people, the macehualtin, were the great majority of the population, and they worked as farmers, artisans, merchants, and laborers. Below the commoners were the mayeque, who were tied to the land, and the tlacohtin, or slaves.
The Pipiltin, the Nobility
The pipiltin were the hereditary nobility of Mexica society, and they were descended from the founders of the Mexica state and from the most successful warriors and officials. The pipiltin held the highest offices of state, including the Tlatoani and the Cihuacoatl, and they were granted large estates in the form of tribute from the subject provinces. The pipiltin lived in stone houses in the wealthier neighborhoods of Tenochtitlan, and they wore distinctive clothing, including cotton garments, feathered headdresses, and gold and jade ornaments.
The pipiltin were organized into a hierarchy of ranks, with the highest rank reserved for the descendants of the ruling dynasty. The ranks were distinguished by their privileges, their clothing, and their access to the gods. The highest rank had the right to wear the most elaborate ornaments, to live in the largest houses, and to be attended by the largest retinues. The ranks were also reflected in the religious life, with the highest rank having the right to participate in the most important religious ceremonies.
The pipiltin received a distinctive education in the calmecac, the school for the sons of the nobles. The calmecac provided advanced training in religion, writing, mathematics, astronomy, and oratory, and it prepared its students for careers in the priesthood, the bureaucracy, and the higher ranks of the military. The calmecac was a demanding institution, and only the most able students were able to complete its full course of study.
The Macehualtin, the Commoners
The macehualtin were the common people of Mexica society, and they made up the great majority of the population. The macehualtin were the farmers, the artisans, the merchants, and the laborers who formed the backbone of the Mexica economy. They lived in reed-and-thatch houses in the calpulli neighborhoods of Tenochtitlan, and they wore simple clothing made of maguey fiber or rough cotton. They worked the chinampas, served in the army, and paid tribute to the state in the form of goods and labor service.
Despite their formal subordination, the macehualtin had important rights and privileges. They could own land, they could hold public office in the local community, and they could rise to the nobility through distinguished service in war. Many macehualtin accumulated wealth and prestige, and the great merchants of the pochteca, though technically commoners, lived in considerable luxury and wielded significant political influence. The successful warriors, the Eagle Warriors and the Jaguar Warriors, could also rise to high social rank, and they were honored with special privileges.
The macehualtin received their education in the telpochcalli, the school for the sons of the commoners. The telpochcalli prepared commoner boys for service to the Mexica state through instruction in arms, in civic duties, and in the everyday skills of Mexica life. The telpochcalli was less demanding than the calmecac, but it was still a rigorous institution, and it prepared its students for careers in the military, in the trades, and in the lower levels of the bureaucracy.
The Mayeque, the Landless
The mayeque were a class of people who were tied to the land and who worked the estates of the pipiltin. The mayeque were not slaves, in the strict sense, but they were bound to the land and could not leave it without the permission of their lord. They were required to work a certain number of days each year for their lord, and they paid tribute in the form of goods and labor service. The mayeque were descendants of people who had been conquered by the Mexica, and they were concentrated in the areas that had been subject to the most intensive military campaigns.
The mayeque had fewer rights than the macehualtin, but they were not without legal protections. They could own personal property, they could marry, and they could pass their status to their children. The mayeque were generally treated as a part of the household of their lord, and they were expected to participate in the religious and social life of the community. The status of the mayeque was inherited, but it could sometimes be changed through military service or through marriage.
The Tlacohtin, the Slaves
The tlacohtin, or slaves, occupied the bottom of the Mexica social order. Slavery in Mexica society was not the same as chattel slavery in the European and American sense. Slaves had legal rights, they could own property, and they could purchase their freedom. Most slaves were criminals, debtors, or war captives. Crucially, slavery was not hereditary in Mexica society: the children of slaves were born free, and most slaves were eventually able to purchase their freedom or were freed as a reward for loyal service.
The Mexica distinguished between several kinds of slaves, each with a different legal status. The most common kind of slave was the war captive, who was enslaved after being captured in war. The war captive was at the mercy of his captor, and he could be sacrificed, sold, or held in servitude. The second kind of slave was the criminal, who was sentenced to slavery for a particular crime. The criminal slave was required to work for his owner for a specified period of time, and he was freed when the period was over. The third kind of slave was the debtor, who was enslaved for failing to pay a debt. The debtor slave was also required to work for his creditor, and he was freed when the debt was paid.
Slaves in Mexica society had important rights. They could marry, they could own property, and they could purchase their freedom. They could also rise in social status, and some slaves became important figures in the Mexica state. The institution of slavery was not considered to be a permanent or hereditary condition, and most slaves were eventually freed.
Social Mobility
Despite the formal hierarchy of Mexica society, there was considerable social mobility, and many Mexica were able to rise to higher social rank through distinguished service. The most important avenue of social mobility was military service. Successful warriors could rise through the ranks of the military orders, and the most successful warriors could be granted the title of Tlatoani or could be given noble status. The Eagle Warriors and the Jaguar Warriors were the most prestigious military orders, and the warriors who held these titles were honored with special privileges.
The second important avenue of social mobility was trade. The pochteca were a class of professional merchants who traveled throughout Mesoamerica, and they accumulated considerable wealth. The most successful pochteca could rise to high social rank, and they were sometimes given noble status. The pochteca were also important politically, and they served as the principal envoys of the Mexica state.
The third important avenue of social mobility was the priesthood. The Mexica had a large and well-organized priesthood, and the most successful priests could rise to the highest ranks of the religious hierarchy. The high priests of the major temples were among the most powerful figures in Mexica society, and they enjoyed considerable political influence.
The Persistence of Social Distinctions
Despite the social mobility that existed in Mexica society, the formal social distinctions persisted, and the Mexica made a clear distinction between the pipiltin, the macehualtin, the mayeque, and the tlacohtin. The distinctions were reinforced by sumptuary laws, which regulated the clothing, the housing, and the lifestyle of the various social ranks. The pipiltin were forbidden to intermarry with the macehualtin, and the children of such marriages were considered to be of lower social status.
The Spanish conquest brought the Mexica social order to an end, and the Spanish imposed their own social distinctions on the indigenous population. The formal hierarchy of pipiltin, macehualtin, mayeque, and tlacohtin was gradually dismantled, and the surviving indigenous population was incorporated into the Spanish colonial system. Yet many of the social distinctions persisted in modified form, and the modern Mexican population reflects the long history of social differentiation that began in the pre-conquest period.
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See also:
- Who were the pipiltin, the nobility in Aztec society? — the hereditary nobility
- Who were the macehualtin, the commoners in Aztec society? — the common people
- What was the role of slaves in Aztec society? — the tlacohtin
- Family Life and Childhood in the Aztec World — the social context of birth and marriage
- Education in Aztec Civilization — the training of the young
- Aztec Society and Daily Life — the broader social context