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Page 1 of 3

The Aztec Economy

The Aztec Economy
  • Frances F. Berdan
  • Published online: 25 April 2023
  • Print publication: 18 May 2023
  • The Aztec Economy provides a synthesis and updated examination of the Aztec economy (1325–1521 AD). It is organized around seven components that recur with other Elements in this series: historic and geographic background, domestic economy, institutional economy, specialization, forms of distribution and commercialization, economic development, and future directions. The Aztec world was complex, hierarchical, and multifaceted, and was in a constant state of demographic growth, recoveries from natural disasters, political alignments and realignments, and aggressive military engagements. The economy was likewise complex and dynamic, and characterized by intensive agriculture, exploitation of non-agricultural resources, utilitarian and luxury manufacturing, wide-scale specialization, merchants, markets, commodity monies, and tribute systems.

  • 4 - The Merchant

  • from Part I - Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 83-105

  • Summary

    Chapter 4, “The Merchant,” focuses on the long-distant professional merchants (pochteca) stationed in the Basin of Mexico cities. The chapter examines their goals and attitudes, details their lives on the road and in their home cities, traces their life cycles, and delves into their most pressing problems and the solutions they devised for them.

  • 8 - Market Day in Tlatelolco

  • from Part II - Intersecting Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 170-191

  • Summary

    Chapter 8, “Market Day in Tlatelolco,” takes the reader to the grandest marketplace in the Aztec realm, the market at Tlatelolco. It surveys buyers and sellers and their wares, means of buying and selling, and the use of various types of money, including cacao beans and cotton cloaks.

  • 7 - A Child Is Born

  • from Part II - Intersecting Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 147-169

  • Summary

    Chapter 7, “A Child Is Born,” follows a pregnant woman through the birth and naming of her child with the knowledgeable help and intense involvement of a midwife. It continues with a view of childhood by looking at the education, expectations, and punishments of children.

  • 10 - A Battle Far Afield

  • from Part II - Intersecting Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 208-231

  • Summary

    Chapter 10, “A Battle Far Afield,” follows two warriors to a far corner of the Aztec domain as they prepare for, participate in, and return from a ferocious battle with an enemy city-state. The chapter looks at warfare as a way of life, the goals and provocations of the many Aztec wars, the aftermath of these conflicts, and their effects on the warriors and their families.

  • 3 - The Featherworker

  • from Part I - Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 54-82

  • Summary

    Chapter 3, “The Featherworker,” explores the lives of these luxury artisans and their families, living as either independent artisans or attached palace artisans in a Basin of Mexico metropolis. This chapter delves into the daily rounds in featherworking household workshops, the obligations and activities of these artisans beyond their households, their life cycles, their most troublesome problems, and their means of solving those problems.

  • 5 - The Farmer

  • from Part I - Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 106-125

  • Summary

    Chapter 5, “The Farmer,” looks at life in a rural village, focusing on farmers and their families. The chapter examines a farming family’s daily round and the life cycles of males and females; it takes these families in and out of trouble, taking into account the different types of farming in the Aztec domain.

  • 6 - The Slave

  • from Part I - Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 126-144

  • Summary

    Chapter 6, “The Slave,” delves into the lives of the different types of slaves in Aztec society and their relationships with their owners. It looks at their daily rounds and life cycles, emphasizing essentials such as food preparation and cloth production. It furthermore takes stock of the ultimate good and ill fortunes of slaves in this society.

  • 2 - The Priest

  • from Part I - Lives
  • Frances F. Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, Michael E. Smith, Arizona State University
  • Book: Everyday Life in the Aztec World
  • Published online: 13 November 2020
  • Print publication: 03 December 2020, pp 34-53

  • Summary

    Chapter 2, “The Priest,” places the Aztec priesthood in the context of the Aztec religious hierarchy, temples and other priestly structures, and ceremonial activities. Focusing on priestly activities in the city-state of Texcoco, it looks at the priests’ daily activities and life cycles, and takes them in and out of trouble by discussing their major problems and attendant solutions.

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