It's very interesting to wonder what life
would have been like in a normal Aztec
society family. There are many things we do
know, although the record is frustratingly
sparse. Record keepers were more interested
in other aspects of society, and family life was
considered the sphere of women.
Still, there are many things we do know. Like
other aspects of Aztec culture, life in an Aztec
society family was permeated by religious
beliefs, right from the start. Each decision was
ruled by the laws of religion, and often tied to
the sacred days in the Aztec calendar.
The life of a new family began at marriage,
typically in the early 20s for a man and mid-
teens for the woman. Marriages were
arranged by the relatives (though the children
may have had input). The parents would have
to talk to the religious leaders, and discuss the
signs under which both of the children had
been born. The wedding day, of course, was
chosen for similar religious reasons.
Men and women
All this was full of ceremony and form. In
Aztec society family a husband may have had
more than one wife - but it would be his
primary wife that would go through all the
ceremony. The man may have many secondary
wives, who would also be officially recognized.
The children of the principal wife would be the
inheritors - or, in the case of a ruler, only a
child from the principal wife would be a
successor. Still, the husband was supposed to
treat all wives equally in daily life.
As you may imagine, one family could grow
very large. As a result, most of the husbands
with numerous wives and children were the
wealthy ones, with the poor more likely to
have one wife.
In one sense, society was dominated by the
men. The man was considered the head of the
home. However, women had a great deal of
power as well. They may have had more power
in earlier times, with men taking more power
toward the end of the Aztec era.
Women often were able to run business out of
their homes, and had a lot of influence in the
family and the raising of children. The older
widows were much respected, and people
listened to their advice.
Adultery was a crime - death was the
punishment. Divorce was allowed on certain
grounds, presented by the man or woman,
property was divided equally and both sides
were free.
