MY AZTEC JOURNAL

RULER

• Today I witnessed Montezuma II talk on his palace
• He talked about how the sacrifices went well
• He also said that they would not being going to war with the Spanish just yet
• He also said how that the coming harvest and how there will be a good crop turnout

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

• Today Montezuma II appointed a new government official
• As everyone knows he will serve as an official for the rest of his life
• Noble status is not hereditary based
• Though most sons of nobles earn high offices themselves

PRIESTS

• Today I witnessed a priest conduct a sacrifice
• Some of the priests I met ran schoolsthat trained boys for government officials
• A new priest was appointed from a lower class, even though they are usually chosen from nobles

MILITARY LEADERS

• Also a new military leader who was a commoner was chosen
• All Aztec men are trained to be soldiers
• Leaders commanded groups of soldiers and held war council

COMMONERS

• There is seven sub-classes inside the commoner class
• There is pochteca, the highest ranked class, they were professional traders
• Most commoners work as farmers

PEASANTS

• 30 percent of the Aztec population are peasents
• These people were free, unlike slaves

SLAVES

• The slaves are at the bottom of the Aztec Hierarchy
• Slaves had a number of rights
• They could own property, goods, and other slaves
• Slave status didn't pass down to children

MARRIAGE

• Today I was invited to see a marriage planned out between the two families
• They then went to the matchmaker
• The brides family refused, but then I realized it was customary to refuse
• The family then accepted the marriage
• The wedding was between a wealthy family who could afford very much

FAMILY LIFE

• Men have higher status than women in our society
• The skills of both mem and women are crucial to keep a household
• The women's most important job is to care for the kids
• The parent began teaching the kids at very young age
• All boys attended school

FOOD

• We eat both imported and homegrown foods
• Maize is very important here
• Sometimes we add a little varitey, like turkey or rabbits
• We grow different crops here too
• The wealthy attend many different feasts and their diet is much different

MARKETS

• Markets are an important part of our economy
• Many people bring their wares to the market
• Guards watch over the sellers acted honestly
• If a problem arose, there is a court at the end of the market to reach a verdict
• The market also had a social aspect of it

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

• We Aztecs adopted some of our gods from other Mesoamerican cultures
• Most of our rituals include blood
• The richest scarifice is that of a human

RECREATION

• Today we played Patolli
• It is a game played on a board that symbolizes the 260 day calender
• All social classes play Patolli
• Only nobles play tlachtli