POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS: FIGURES OF POWER

The political organization of the Aztecs refers to the way in which the ancient Mexica civilization distributed and ordered its power figures. Generally speaking, the organization of this Empire was based on a collective administration where blood ties and family structures were important.

That is, the Mexican territories were distributed among highly prestigious families. Likewise, the main figure was constituted by the Tlatoani; a kind of emperor who was selected by a council made up of nobles and representatives of important families.

Drawing showing the foundation of the Aztec society. It is located in the Codex Duran. Via wikimedia commons.

Although the Tlatoanis were elected by a council, it was nevertheless necessary for these rulers to have a blood affinity with the king who preceded them. Therefore, the nobles chose the next tlatoani from the group of sons of the previous tlatoani.

The Aztec State was made up of the Triple Alliance, which consisted of the union of three important cities: Texcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlán. However, the greatest power was consolidated in Tenochtitlán; that is, from this city the others were commanded and watched.

It should be noted that a large part of the territories of the Aztec Empire was made up of conquered peoples. These peoples preserved their rulers and their ways of life, however, they had to pay tribute to the main city.

These taxes generated discontent in the dominated peoples, who in revenge helped the Spanish on many occasions to end the power of Tenochtitlán.

The huey Tlatoani

Drawing of the huey tlatoani Moctezuma II, who witnessed the arrival of the Spanish. Via wikimedia commons.

The huey Tlatoani was the most important figure within the organization of the Aztecs. He was considered as an emissary of the gods, that is, as a direct representative of the deities. The words huey tlatoani can be translated as "great speaker."

The Huey Tlatoani were selected by the Pīpiltin, a group of nobles who made up the Aztec council. Some authors assure that the Aztec State functioned as a kind of hereditary monarchy, since only the children of the Tlatoani could access that position.

The Cihuacóatl

Cihuacóatl, National Anthropology Museum. Madman2001 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Within the political structure, the Cihuacóatl occupied the second most important position. They were the chief priests and their position was similar to that of a prime minister. In general, the Cihuacóatl was in charge of replacing the tlatoani in case of absence; he was also the supreme judge within the judicial and military elements.

In addition, the Cihuacóatl could organize expeditions of a military nature and call an electoral meeting in the event of the death of the tlatoani.

The council or

The Tlatocan was the Aztec council and was made up of a group of 14 men belonging to the nobility, who used to hold one of the following positions:

- religious leaders.

- administrators.

- military chiefs.

- heads of the population or important families.

- war advisers.

At the council meetings, the Cihuacóatl proposed a topic for discussion and the other members offered their points of view. Upon completion, Huey Tlatoani made the final decision based on the options presented by his advisors.

For this reason, historians agree that the members of the Tlatocan were very influential people within Aztec society.

The Tlacochcalcatl

Drawing of a Tlacochcalcatl portrayed in a codex. Via wikimedia commons.

The word Tlacochcalcatl translates as "the man of the house of darts" and was used to designate the Mexica generals. Within military decisions, the Tlacochcalcatl were the second in command after the Tlatoanis.

These generals had the duty to lead the armies and to plan the war campaigns. In addition, the Tlacochcalcatl also had to watch over the arsenals of the troops, which were sheltered in the Tlacochcalco (the house of the darts).

The Tlacateccatl

Tlacateccatl from the Mendoza Codex.

The Tlacateccatl was a military position that followed in importance to the Tlacochcalcatl. The duty of these soldiers was to protect the barracks located in the center of Tenochtitlán. Generally, the Tlacateccatl assisted the Tlacochcalcatl in decision-making and in controlling the troops.

The Huitzncahuatlailótlac and the Tizociahuácatl

These positions were used to appoint the main judges within the Aztec Empire. The objective of these nobles was to impart justice in Mexica society; likewise, generally the positions were occupied by wealthy and educated people.

The Tlahtoqueh or head of the province

The Tlahtoqueh were the governors of the Aztec provinces. They had a duty to maintain order within their territories. Although they had a certain autonomy, they had to meet with the huey tlatoani from time to time to report on the development of the province and render accounts on the collection of tributes.

The Tecutli

The word tecutli translates as "lord" and was used to designate the supervisors of the tributes. In other words, the tecutli were administrators in charge of collecting taxes.

Administration of power from taxes or tributes

To maintain order and authority within the conquered territories, all Aztec provinces had to deliver a series of tributes so that these were administered in Tenochtitlán.

Generally, the tributes were specific goods -food, textiles, among others- sent by the governors in regular periods (that is, every so often a year).

Likewise, the provinces that delivered these taxes used to be communities with other languages and beliefs that were subject to the authorities of Tenochtitlán. These communities agreed to make this payment because they did not have the military power of the Aztecs.

In fact, if the tributes were not paid, the Mexica could threaten these communities with a military attack.

Administration of the provinces

According to the Spanish chronicles, the Aztec Empire was divided into 38 provinces. These territories, after being conquered by the Aztecs, maintained their local leaders and had a certain independence in the execution of their traditions and customs.

Thanks to the tributes from these provinces, the Triple Alliance was able to spread rapidly and become a vast empire. This happened because taxes made it possible to finance not only military campaigns, but also the development of infrastructure and agriculture.

References

Berdan, F. (1996) Aztec imperial strategies. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Google books: books.google.com
Berdan, F. (nd) The organization of tribute in the Aztec Empire. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Históricas UNAM: historicas.unam.mx
Hernández, J. (sf) The community administration of the Aztec people. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Scielo: scielo.org
Lowie, R. (1948) Some aspects of political organization among the American aborigines. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from JSTOR.
Rounds, J. (1979) Lineage, class and power in the Aztec state. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Wiley Online Library.
SA (nd) The Aztec Empire. Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
Xiu, (2018) Who were the 14 men who really ruled Tenochtitlan? Retrieved on March 15, 2020 from Matador Network: matadornetwork.com

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE AZTECS: FIGURES OF POWER - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025