The Pipiltin (sg. ''pilli'') were the noble

social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes. Membership in a social class can for example be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, inc ...

in the

Mexica 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 ...

. They are below the ruling nobles in the civilization's social structure and above the commoners who achieved noble status due to an outstanding deed in war. These people were members of the hereditary nobility and occupied positions in the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

as ambassadors and ministers, the army and the priesthood. The subclasses within the ''Pipiltin'' were: tlahtohcapilli (a tlahtoani's son), tecpilli or teucpilli (a teuctli's son), tlazohpilli (son of legitimate wife), and calpanpilli (son of a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

). Children of the ''Pipiltin'' were given extensive education in preparation for the role they will play in their adult life. They were sent to the '' calmecac'', which was the center for higher learning, to study the ancient wisdom as well as "elegant forms of speech, ancient hymns, poems and historical accounts, religious doctrines, the calendar, astronomy, astrology, legal precepts and the art of the government."

Origin

As the

Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

began settling what would later become their homelands, an elite emerged (the ''Pipiltin'') that claimed descent from the

Toltecs The Toltec culture () was a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, reaching prominence from 950 to 1150 CE ...

, the former empire of Central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. The new hereditary elite unified the clans that had been the center of

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

life and paved the way for a conquest empire. Some sources describe the ''Pipiltin'' as the offspring of ''tlahtohqueh'' and ''teteuctin'', which were different social classes within the ruling nobility. The name was also where the

Pipil people The Nahua people, also academically referred to as ''Pipil'', are an indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. Although very few speakers are now left, they speak the Nawat lan ...

of western El Salvador get their name, as they are descendants of Toltec people who migrated and settle in El Salvador. The authority and prestige of the ''Pipiltin'' were based on the belief that they descended from the original migrant founders of the Aztecs and came from a mythical place. Due to this heritage, they enjoyed privileges such as special family dispensation, the use of privilege goods and dwellings that were appropriate to their station.

References

irows.ucr.edu course 122
{{Nobility by nation Aztec society

Origin

See also

References