Political+Science-John

john

The nobility and priesthood had a lot of power in Aztec society. But although the nobility provided leadership, they weren't automatically put in government positions. In the cities, each calpulli would have a leader, and those leaders would form another council. It was the city councils that held a lot of power in the ancient Aztec government. By the early-mid 1400s, three powerful city-states had formed the famous Triple Alliance in central Mexico. These cities were Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. These cities dominated central Mexico, and it was Tenochtitlán that came to dominate the empire. Each council would have a kind of "executive council" within it. 4 members would be chosen who would lead, and out of those there would be one tlatcani - the leader of the city. These leaders would not only control the city proper but the surrounding area. The ancient Aztec government did not rule an empire in the way we often think of the word. The control didn't stretch into every corner of life - rather, conquered lands were forced to pay tribute, but left a certain amount of freedom. Warriors made small attacks on surrounding peoples and took prisoners which would be sacrificed.