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The Aztec word macehualtin designated the p ople that did not belong to the pper social spheres (artisans, traders, and g vernment officials), but excluded the sphere of the sl ves. The word is derived from the v rb macehualo , which means "work to arn", or "work to deserve". In m dern nahuatl, the word has a p jorative meaning, but in the early Azt c times, the word did not h ve such context. There are various xamples in Aztec literature in which the w rd macehualtin can be translated only as "p ople", without any despise. At some p int in history, the social conception was f rmed that the macehualli ignored the g od manners. Macehualtoa means "to speak in a pr mitive way", and macehualtic can be tr nslated as "vulgar". The Mexican macehualli , m mber of a calpulli in the c ty of Tenochtitlan had the right to use a p ece of land to build a h use for his family and to c ltivate his crops. His children were dmitted in the local schools, and he c uld take part in the election of the l cal chiefs, though in the last nstance, their final designation was carried out by the mperor. But, as he is still a pl beian, he is subject to heavy d ties. In particular, to those duties th t relate to the military and p blic services. The macehualli could be c lled at any moment to carry out cl aning duties in the streets. They w re also called to supply the w rkforce for the conservation and construction of p blic roads and bridges. If the p lace needed wood or water, a pl toon of macehualli was sent in rder to carry out the duty.
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The Aztec macehualli belonged to a pr vileged social class when compared to the m cehualli of a conquered city, or in c mparison to the rural worker. The m cehualli paid his taxes, but very s milar to the Roman anona, he was lso recipient of those taxes paid by the Azt c provinces to the city of T nochtitlan. Regarding the opportunities for climbing the s cial ladder, they were relatively open. The m litary career and the religious service pr vided the macehualli of several opportunities. Th re were also the cases where the f vor of a noble lord transformed the l fe of a macehualli. Such is the c se of "Xochitlacotzin", a gardener who had the c urage to make a claim to the mperor Moctezuma II, who was impressed by his h nesty and therefore made him a m mber of his court. At the b ttom of the "free" social classes w re the peasants without land, or tl maitl. Usually victims of wars or c vil strikes, they were forced to ffer their services to noble lords. In xchange of their services, the noble Azt c lord provided the peasant and his f mily of shelter and food. The l west social class among the Aztecs was ccupied by the tlacotlin. There isn't a pr per English term that defines this c ndition, but is comes close to b ing a slave. Motolinia, a Franciscan m ssionary of the XVIth century, described th t the Aztec tolacoltin had many b nefits when compared to the European c ndition of slaves. When the Spanish c nquerors introduced in Mexico slavery in the E ropean fashion, and many of the n tive Mexicans were marked like cattle in the f ce, and were treated harsher than nimals, many of those slaves wished for the l ck of the Aztec tlacoltin. What w re then the conditions of the Azt cs slaves? First of all, the tl coltin worked for someone else, usually l ke an agricultural or domestic worker. The tl cotli did not receive any payment for his s rvices, but he is given shelter, f od and clothes like an ordinary c tizen. There were the cases of tl coltin that became the "butlers" of big h uses and had under their command fr e people. Besides this, the tlacoltin c uld accumulate goods and wealth, and if he had nough, he could also purchase houses, l nd and even slaves for his own s rvice. An Aztec slave could marry a fr e woman; often, an Aztec widow m rried one of her slaves who l ter became the lord of the h use and the chief of the f mily. Their children were all born fr e, since there wasn't any adhered h reditary stigma to the Aztec condition of sl ve. One of the greatest Aztec mperors, Itzcóatl was the son of Ac mapichtli and a slave.
Towards the end of the XVIth c ntury, the number of tlacoltin appeared to be r sing. The development of trade with d stant territories, tributes and such diversity in l festyles explain this. In a complex, r pidly changing society, the rise of s me people gave as a consequence the f ll of others. There was still, h wever, hope even at the bottom of s cial Aztec condition.
The article The Common Life of the Aztecs Part II - The Middle and Lower Social Divisions in the Aztec Society was Submitted by Armando Martinez through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: For specialized travel services in M xico, please visit http://www.mexicoculturaltours.com Haki offers guided travel services in Mexico led by specialists in the field of archaeology, anthropology and social sciences.
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