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Slavery in the
Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled that area in and around the Valley of Mexico ...
and surrounding
Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: , ;''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1990). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, frolink/ref> singular ) were a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of ...
societies was widespread, with slaves known by the
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
word, ''tlacotin.'' Slaves did not inherit their status; people were enslaved as a form of punishment, after capture in war, or voluntarily in order to pay off debts. Within Mexica society, slaves constituted an important class.


Description

Slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
was not a station one was born into, but a state entered into as a form of punishment, out of financial desperation, or as a captive. The practice consisted of two systems: * Slavery, in the strictest sense of the term *
indentured servitude Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repaymen ...
.


Aztecs as slave owners

Slave owners were required to provide food, water, and shelter for their slaves. Women slave owners exerted much in the way of choice, in regard to slaves. For example, if a woman was widowed, it was not uncommon for her to either remarry one of her husband's slaves, or make one of his slaves her personal steward. The richest merchants in Mexica society were slave traders. Not only were they wealthy, but they were also granted special privileges. They were also considered to be very religious, and played a key role in the festival of Panquetzaliztli festival, in the respect of Mexica god, Huitzilopochtli. Any person not related to a slave's master could be enslaved for trying to ''prevent'' a slave's escape. If one slave would not behave in accordance to the slave masters will, he could be sentenced to death.


Slaves in the Aztec society

While slavery could not be inherited, in Mexica society, one could, in fact, live indefinitely as a slave. For example,
Moctezuma II Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...
, in addition to confiscating property, would condemn traitors, or their families, to slavery for life. He would also do the same to astrologers who failed to predict the occurrence of omens. Slaves were bound to their master's lands, until one's debt was paid to his master. Barring being a captive, being punished for committing a crime, or failing to pay an outstanding gambling debt, slavery was an institution one could enter into freely. In that respect, the system was not slavery, but contractual indentured servitude, resulting in "unfree" labor. However, it was such a widely held practice that the Mexica would often sell their children into slavery. Slaves wore maguey garments called "'' cueitl,''" which was a skirt that wrapped around the hips, one end overlapping the other, held together by a belt-like strap. Reflecting their low status in society, the ''cueitl'' of slaves were colorless. Typically, upon the death of their owner, slaves who had performed outstanding services were freed, while the rest were passed on as part of the inheritance. As for assigned work, many slaves were sent to the regions of Cimatan and the
Acalan Acalan (Chontal Maya: ''Tamactun'', Nahuatl: ''Acallan'') was a Chontal Maya region in what is now southern Campeche, Mexico. Its capital was Itzamkanac. The people of Acalan were called ''Mactun'' in the Chontal Maya language. Cuauhtemoc, rule ...
, aquatic environments, to work as rowers and as laborers in the cacao groves, which was work that needed to be done year-round. Beyond their labor, slaves were free; they could marry and own their own property including other slaves. They were also expected to contribute to the betterment of Mexica society. For example, slaves helped move the military's equipment when it set off for battle. When slaves had children, the children were not passed down to the master of the slaves but were set free to live their own lives.


Use of slaves by various social classes

Slaves could be used for any sort of work, however in practice most slaves often found themselves as servants in the palaces of lords. When noblemen died they were
cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre is a ...
with forty slaves, 20 women and 20 men. Aztec society consisted of strict social class structure and every individual had their place in society, yet your social class was not set in stone there was room for manoeuvring . Aztec slaves were a vehicle for moving around the societal hierarchy. José Luis de Rojas the author of ''Tenochtitlan: Capital of the Aztec Empire'' states that one of the most respected positions an Aztec commoner could obtain was the role of “Tealtiani"'' or the person responsible for the cleansing of slaves before
sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...
.


Slavery of war captives

Slavery was most difficult for
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
captives who, after being captured, could be sold. They could also be sacrificed at a religious ceremony or festival. For example, slaves were selected to be ''ixiptla'', which is a representation of a
god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. They believed that the god would, in turn, represent a force of celestial natures such as the wind or the moon, and that sacrificing the slave would satisfy the god, who would then bring good fortune to the people. In the event of a nobleman's death, slaves could be killed, and buried with him, to assist him in the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
, as they assisted him in life. The body parts of sacrificed slaves could be taken home and eaten with maize and salt as an extension of their sacrifice. It was a great honor to be given the opportunity to sacrifice a human in a public setting in the Aztec Empire. The warriors would go out into combat and come back with slaves to sacrifice but for the elderly and nobles this was not an option, and in turn they would purchase slaves. The book ''
Tenochtitlan , ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...
: Capital of the Aztec Empire'' by José Luis de Rojas also mentions that citizens would buy slaves that held similar occupations as themselves for sacrifice.


Emancipation

A way for slaves to get their freedom was by running outside the walls, at the marketplace and stepping on a piece of human
excrement Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
, then presenting their case to the judges, asking for freedom. If granted, the slaves would then be washed, given new clothes (not owned by the master), and declared free.


Aztec slave trade

Slaves were also frequent faces in the market of
Tenochtitlan , ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...
where they could be sold along with food, cloth, and handmade goods. However, the cities with the most well-known slave markets were
Azcapotzalco Azcapotzalco ( nci, Āzcapōtzalco , , from '' āzcapōtzalli'' “anthill” + '' -co'' “place”; literally, “In the place of the anthills”) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. Azcapotzalco is in the northwestern p ...
and Itzocan. Usually, only wealthy men, or nobles, could often afford slaves. Slaves could be bought for 30 cotton garments called "''quachtli.''" Slaves who could entertain their masters with a talent, such as by singing or dancing, were more expensive, and could cost upwards of 25 percent more. Slaves that possessed different skills were valued at different prices. According to José Luis de Rojas the author of ''Tenochtitlan: Capital of the Aztec Empire'', slaves that could dance would be worth around 40 cotton cloth while different skills like weaving were valued differently. Luis also writes about how Slaves could also be purchased with
Cacao beans Cacao is the seed from which cocoa and chocolate are made, from Spanish cacao, an adaptation of Nahuatl cacaua, the root form of cacahuatl ("bean of the cocoa-tree"). It may also refer to: Plants *''Theobroma cacao'', a tropical evergreen tree ** ...
, the average slave was possessed at 3000-4000 beans.


Collared slaves

Orozco y Berra reports that a master could not sell a slave without the slave's consent, unless the slave had been classified as incorrigible by an authority. Incorrigibility could be determined on the basis of repeated laziness, attempts to run away, or general bad conduct. Incorrigible slaves were made to wear a wooden collar, affixed by rings at the back. The collar was not merely a symbol of bad conduct: it was designed to make it harder to run away through a crowd or through narrow spaces. According to Dr. Michael Smith slaves for sale in the market all were identified by their large wooden collars. When buying a collared slave, one was informed of how many times that slave had been sold. A slave who was sold three times as incorrigible could be sold to be sacrificed; those slaves commanded a premium in price. However, if a collared slave managed to present him- or herself in the royal palace or in a temple, he or she would regain liberty.


Voluntary slavery

Some slaves gave up their freedom to pay off gambling debts. However, becoming a slave was a process. First, the gambler had to stand before four respected elders. They would then conduct a ceremony whereby the gambler would prefers his want (or need) to become a slave and be given, by his new owner, the price of his freedom, which was often 20 pieces of cloth and the means to live alone for a year before he began his slavery. After the gambler spent that amount, his service would be exchanged for food, shelter and clothing. Anyone could be a slave, though commoners were more likely to enter slavery voluntarily. But, because slaves were looked down upon, it was usually the last option one took to pay off a debt. Beside gamblers, selling oneself into slavery was often a fate for aging
courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or othe ...
s or prostitutes, known among the Mexica as "''ahuini''". Beyond paying off debts people may have become slaves to better support themselves in times of economic crisis. During a Famine in the 1450s many Aztecs sold themselves into slavery in the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...
where economic prospects were better.


Superstitions and slavery

It was believed that those who were born in the 13-day series that started with 1 Ocelotl were destined to be slaves, or that their lives would be burdened with something else undesirable.


References

* Thomas Ward “Expanding Ethnicity in Sixteenth-Century Anahuac: Ideologies of Ethnicity and Gender in the Nation-Building Process.” ''MLN'' 116.2 (March 2001): 419–452. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aztec Slavery
Slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
Slavery in Mexico