EDUCATiON

Aztec children were expected to go to school when they came of age. The actual age when they went is not clear. It could be as young as 7 or as old as 14 or 15. The school a student attended depended on social class and gender. The basic education of a boy was through his father and the school. For a girl, her main teacher was her mother.

Children of the macehualtin class went to a local school. This school, the telpochcalli (“youth house”), was usually next door to or attached to the local temple. The boys learned trade skills, got military training, and learned how to be good citizens. They also learned the history of the Aztec Empire and the basic elements of the Aztec

Religion. Schooling for girls in the macehualtin class included dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument, and the basic elements of good citizenship. This took place before the girl was old enough to get married.

Children of the nobility attended a calmecac. Girls and boys went to separate schools, where they learned the responsibilities of being nobles. This included Aztec history, how to govern the lower classes, and

CONNECTIONS

A Modern Telpochcalli

Chicago has the second-largest Mexican-American population of any U. s. city (Los angeles has the largest). in one part of the city, officials have started their own version of a telpochcalli. almost all of the students trace their roots to mexico, and they learn a great deal about mexican art and culture. classes are conducted in both English and spanish. They also celebrate certain mexican holidays, such as the Day of the Dead. after classes, they can learn mexican folk dances. some of these dances have aztec roots.

Fulfilling their responsibilities to the empire. The schools were run by priests and were attached to temples. Many boys who went to the calmecac were expected to become managers, either of their own land or in the Aztec cities.

Boys of the macehualtin class who were gifted or talented might attend a calmecac. Those sons would be destined to have better careers than their fathers.

At age 15, boys moved on to further studies in the calmecac or attended a cuicacalli. At the calmecac, the students took on added religious responsibilities. They also learned astronomy, poetry, writing, and mathematics. Students with talent in art might be pointed toward a career in architecture (designing buildings). Others might learn about the law or advanced ideas in farming. At the cuicacalli, the students learned singing and dancing.

The Aztecs used a form of hieroglyphics for writing. The glyphs were symbols that represented real objects. These might be people, animals, weather events, crops, or other items that appear in daily life. All cultures that lived in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish used some form of hieroglyphic writing.

Documents were all handwritten. The job of tlacuilo (writer or scribe) was honored. There was no printing, and the Aztecs did not have books like the ones published today. But they did produce written documents. Book-length works were written on bark paper and folded up like an accordion.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

After the Spanish conquest, a handful of books were written that recount the history and culture of the Aztecs before the Spanish arrived. They were written in Nahuatl and some also had notes in Spanish. In addition, many manuscripts were produced that combined pictures with Nahuatl text written using the European alphabet. The Aztecs learned to use the European alphabet and were writing their own chronicles, letters, and other documents in it by the 1540s.

These later Aztec works are called codices (codex is the singular). These codices were bound on the side, like regular books. All were sent back to Europe, where they were kept as

Advice for Boys

The Aztec elders offered advice on how a young man should behave. here is an excerpt. it was written down by Spanish priest Andres de Olmos (ca. 1485-1571). (Maguey is another name for agave, a plant grown for its strong fibers.)

Act! Cut wood, work the land,

Plant cactus, sow maguey;

You shall have drink, food, clothing.

With this you will stand straight.

With this you shall live.

For this you shall be spoken of, praise;

In this manner you will show yourself to your parents and relatives.

(Source: Leon-Portilla, Miguel. Aztec Thought and Culture. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963.)

Curiosities. Today, they are named after the cities in Europe where they are now located or after the people responsible for collecting them.