The Nahuatl words aztēcatl (Nahuatl pronunciation: [asˈteːkat͡ɬ], singular) and aztēcah (Nahuatl pronunciation: [asˈteːkaʔ], plural) mean "people from Aztlán", a mythical place of origin for several ethnic groups in central Mexico. … 展开

Nobles and commoners
The highest class was the pīpiltin or nobility. The pilli status was hereditary and ascribed certain privileges … 展开

Nahuas' metaphysics centers around teotl, "a single, dynamic, vivifying, eternally self-generating and self-regenerating sacred power, energy or force." This is conceptualized in a kind of monistic pantheism as manifest in the supreme god Ometeotl, as well as a … 展开

Sources of knowledge
Knowledge of Aztec society rests on several different sources: The many archeological remains of everything from temple pyramids to … 展开

Agriculture and subsistence
Like all Mesoamerican peoples, Aztec society was organized around maize agriculture. The humid environment in the Valley of Mexico with its … 展开

Aztec society combined a relatively simple agrarian rural tradition with the development of a truly urbanized society with a complex system of institutions, specializations, and hierarchies. The urban tradition in Mesoamerica was developed during the 展开

The Aztecs greatly appreciated the toltecayotl (arts and fine craftsmanship) of the Toltecs, who predated the Aztecs in central Mexico. The … 展开