what was the Aztecs economy?
Aztec economy was highly based on agriculture and trade. Markets were dedicated to farmers and craftsmen to sell their goods. For pay, buyers would use cocoa beans to pay for what they were buying since cocoa beans were considered very valuable. Merchants also travelled out of the community to find and gather valuable goods that weren’t available in the Aztec community and region. This made the Aztec community grow in wealth and population.
The Aztec law system was powerful and was there to maintain order in their society. It reminded citizens that every person must learn to be obedient and honest and every citizen, especially nobles, had to follow and respect the laws. Nobles had to respect and follow the laws especially since they had to give out a good example to everyone else.
Moctezuma (who was the head of the law system) would pass down orders and sentences to the judges. If a judge was not satisfied with the order or sentence Moctezuma handed down, he could talk to the high court and even the emperor himself. As in modern court cases, Aztec judges would base their decisions on the evidence they had. Once judges discussed and reached their decision, they would hand down the sentence. The guilty person (or people) were fined or sentenced to become a slave if they had committed a minor crime. Aztecs did not have prisons and therefore could not sentence someone to prison, so for bigger crimes the punishment was often death.
There was also specific laws for slaves. Aztecs soon came to realize that slaves did much work that they needed to be done. No one believed it was shameful to be a slave… they believed it was just “bad luck”. The laws had certain rules to protect a slaves rights. If a noble ever beat a slave so severely that the slave died, the noble could be sentenced death. Also, if a slave was being sold in the marketplace and the slave escaped and ran to the emperor’s palace, they would win their freedom. Also, children born to a slave would be free, meaning that the child didn’t have to grow up and be a slave as well. Slavery wasn’t considered a permanent condition.
The Aztec law system was powerful and was there to maintain order in their society. It reminded citizens that every person must learn to be obedient and honest and every citizen, especially nobles, had to follow and respect the laws. Nobles had to respect and follow the laws especially since they had to give out a good example to everyone else.
Moctezuma (who was the head of the law system) would pass down orders and sentences to the judges. If a judge was not satisfied with the order or sentence Moctezuma handed down, he could talk to the high court and even the emperor himself. As in modern court cases, Aztec judges would base their decisions on the evidence they had. Once judges discussed and reached their decision, they would hand down the sentence. The guilty person (or people) were fined or sentenced to become a slave if they had committed a minor crime. Aztecs did not have prisons and therefore could not sentence someone to prison, so for bigger crimes the punishment was often death.
There was also specific laws for slaves. Aztecs soon came to realize that slaves did much work that they needed to be done. No one believed it was shameful to be a slave… they believed it was just “bad luck”. The laws had certain rules to protect a slaves rights. If a noble ever beat a slave so severely that the slave died, the noble could be sentenced death. Also, if a slave was being sold in the marketplace and the slave escaped and ran to the emperor’s palace, they would win their freedom. Also, children born to a slave would be free, meaning that the child didn’t have to grow up and be a slave as well. Slavery wasn’t considered a permanent condition.