Figure 1.--The Codex Mendoza made a few years after the Conquest provides informatrion about the lives of children. Two pannels are especially informative about the tasks children were expected to perform and how children who neglected their chores were punished. The Codex suggests that parents were tolerant until the children were about 9 years old, but then began to punish malcreants severely. This pannel deals with children 11-14 years old. The left column deals with boys while the right pannel with girls. Misbehaving children at vage 11 are being forced to enhale hot pepper (chile) fumes. Apparently by age 13 the childdren have learned their lessons and are diligently performing assigned tasks. The boy is transporting rushes and fishing. The girl is making tortillas and weaving. Click on the image for information about the younger children.

Parents had high expectations for their children. They expected then to be both hard-working and dutiful. We do not know much about play among Aztec children. We do know that from aelatively early age they were expected to make themselves useful. As in Europe, a child's education began at home. Aztec society was socially stratified. Children inherited the occupation and social status of their parents. This began at about 3 years of age. The younger children were assigned simple tasks like feyching fire word or carrying water. Common boys learned the trades and skills of their father. We do not know if such skills were adressed in Aztec schools or just learned from fathers. Boys learned to farm and fish from their fathers. Artisan skills were taught like pottery making and bsasket weaving in the same manner. Trades or crafts were taught as approprite to his calpulli (family kinship group). Girls learned domestic skills like cooking and weaving from their mothers. Especially important was learning to grind maize and make tortillas. The skills taught were graduated according to the child's age. Aal of this was similar to Europe. Younger children might be endulged, but older childern if they did not behave or perform assigned tasks dutifully could be trrated very harshly. Parents seem to have been very inventive in how to discipline misbehaving children. They might be beaten, but there were other punishments like piercing them with cactus spines or force to inhale hot pepper (chiles) fumes.

Child Rearing

Aztec parents took child rearing seriously. It is a little difficult to compsre them to other Meso-American peoples because we know more about the Aztecs. Parents were intent that vthe children knew their place in society and understood their responsibilities. They also made sure they learned needed skills and applied themselves to learmibg them. Aztec parents in this regard had the assistance of well-ordered schools. They taught the children proper values and discouraged vices such as gambling, stealing, gossiping, and over drinking alcoholic brverages and strictly enforced these teachings. Aztecs parents were insistent that children learn correct behavior and follow it in theirv daily life. There were written laws setting forth a code of behavior. Parents not only taught basic manners and conventions, but behavior and civic responsiv\bilities were taught at schools.

Play

We do not know much about play among Aztec children. We know that Aztec men like other Meso-American peoples played ball games. Presumably the boys would have played these games.

Work

Parents had high expectations for their children. They expected then to be both hard-working and dutiful. We do know that from aelatively early age they were expected to make themselves useful. As in Europe, a child's education began at home. Aztec society was socially stratified. Children inherited the occupation and social status of their parents. This began at about 3 years of age. The younger children were assigned simple tasks like fetching fire word or carrying water. Common boys learned the trades and skills of their father. We do not know if such skills were adressed in Aztec schools or just learned from fathers. Boys learned to farm and fish from their fathers. Artisan skills were taught like pottery making and bsasket weaving in the same manner. Trades or crafts were taught as approprite to his calpulli (family kinship group). Girls learned domestic skills like cooking and weaving from their mothers. Especially important was learning to grind maize and make tortillas. The skills taught were graduated according to the child's age. Aal of this was similar to Europe.

Discipline

Younger children might be endulged, but older childern if they did not behave or perform assigned tasks dutifully could be trrated very harshly. The punishments could be quite painfgul. Parents seem to have been very inventive in how to discipline misbehaving children. They might be beaten, but there were other punishments like piercing them with cactus spines or force to inhale hot pepper (chiles) fumes.

School

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the life of Aztec children was school. At a time that only a fraction of European childtren sttended school, most Aztec children attended state schools. The Aztecs believed in education. As they grew older, however, Aztec children went to schools. Details on the schools are sketchy and some of the details are disputed. All Aztec boys were educated. Sources vary widely as to just what age the childreb began school. We have seen reports barying from 7-16 years. There were schools for both boys and girls. Aztec schools were separated by both gender and social class. Common children went to schools called telpochalli--meaning "house of youth". The telpochalli wre set up next to the local temple. In villages the children were taught together, In cities there might be a telpochalli for each calpulli. Slave boys were for the most part excluded from the telpuchcalli. There were special schools for the children of aristocrats called calmecac. The graduates of the calmecac would become the leading figures in the state, military cimmabnders, judges, bureacrats, and priests.

Child Sacrifice

The Aztecs primarily sacrificed war captives from other tribes, but also some of their own people, mostly criminals. There were also a small number of children sacrificed. We are not sure at this time how the children were selected. A reader writes, "Last night I was watching a National Geographic documentary about three Aztec children. Two girls and a boy. It seems the children were prepared for a sacrificial offering to a weather God. The children were taken on a 1000 mile hike across sorts of terrain including a desert crossing. They went to a volcano where they were sacrificed and buried. The bodies were preserved in tacked and looked like sleeping children when they were excavated 500 miles later. Bone, skin and body organs remained as did their brains. This has proved useful to the researchers From hair samples it was possible to know what they ate. Head lice was a problem then as it is in our time. The eldest girl had an insect bite which had festered. The youngest girl was found to have sinusitis. The clothes they wore were clearly seen and still retained the deep red colour. The chldren looked to be weasring ponchos."

Clothing

We do not yet have details as to the clothing worn by children. Young children mught go naked in warm weather. Older children seem to havehworn clothing reflecting the social standing of their parents. Tge drawing in the Aztec codicies suggest that the children were dressed very much like theor parents.

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Created: 8:38 AM 6/23/2010
Last updated: 4:27 PM 8/26/2010