Editing Tribute (section)

== Aztec Empire ==

=== Tributes as a form of government ===
The [[Aztecs]] used tributes as a means for maintaining control over conquered areas. This meant that rather than replacing existing political figures with Aztec rulers or colonizing newly conquered areas, the Aztecs would simply collect tributes.<ref name="Motyl">{{cite book |last1=Motyl |first1=Alexander |title=Imperial Ends: the Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires |date=2001 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=0231121105 |pages=13, 19-21, 32-36}}</ref> Ideally, there was no interference in the local affairs of conquered peoples unless these tributes were not paid.<ref name="Berdan">{{cite book |last1=Berdan |first1=Frances |last2=Hodge |first2=Mary |last3=Blanton |first3=Richard |title=Aztec Imperial Strategies |date=1996 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=9780884022114}}</ref>

There were two types of provinces that paid tribute to the Aztec Empire. First, there were strategic provinces.<ref name="Michael Smith">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael Ernest |title=The Aztecs |date=2012 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |location=Chichester, West Sussex |isbn=978-1405194976 |edition=3rd}}</ref> These provinces were considered [[client state]]s, as they consensually paid tributes in exchange for good relations with the Aztecs.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Second, there were tributary provinces or [[tributary state]]s.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> These provinces were mandated to pay a regular tribute, whether they wanted to or not.<ref name="Michael Smith" />

=== The hierarchy of tribute collection ===
Many different levels of Aztec officials were involved in managing the empire's tribute system.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brumfiel |first1=Elizabeth |title=In Early State Economies |date=1991 |publisher=Transaction Press |location=New Brunswick |pages=177–198 |chapter=Tribute and Commerce in Imperial Cities: The Case of Xaltocan, Mexico}}</ref> The lowest ranking officials were known as ''calpixque''.<ref name="Calnek">{{cite book |last1=Calnek |first1=Edward |title=The Inca and Aztec States: 1400-1800 |date=1982 |publisher=Academic Press |location=New York |pages=56–59 |chapter=Patterns of Empire Formation in the Valley of Mexico}}</ref><ref name="Evans">{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Susan |title=Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Culture History |date=2004 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=New York |pages=443-446, 449-451}}</ref> Their job was to collect, transport, and receive tributes from each province.<ref name="Calnek" /><ref name="Evans" /> Sometimes one calpixque was assigned to an entire province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Other times, multiple calpixques were assigned to each province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> This was done to ensure that there was one calpixque present at each of the provinces' various towns.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> One rank higher than the calpixque were the ''huecalpixque''.<ref name="Calnek" /> They served as managers of the calpixque.<ref name="Calnek" /> Above the huecalpixque were the ''petlacalcatl''.<ref name="Calnek" /> Based in [[Tenochtitlan]], they oversaw the entire tribute system.<ref name="Calnek" /> There was also a military trained official known as the ''cuahtlatoani''.<ref name="Calnek" /> They were only involved when newly conquered provinces resisted paying tribute.<ref name="Calnek" />

=== Types of tributes ===
[[Natural resource]]s were in high demand throughout the Aztec Empire because they were crucial for construction, weaponry and religious ceremonies. Certain regions of Mexico with higher quantities of natural resources were able to pay a larger tribute. The basin of Mexico, for instance, had a large resource pool of obsidian and salt ware. This increased usefulness of such regions and played a role in their social status and mobility throughout the empire.<ref name="Peregrine" /> 

As expansion continued with tribute, the demand for warriors to serve the Empire in their efforts to take control of nearby city/state regions increased drastically. "Land belonged to the city-state ruler, and in return for access to land commoners were obliged to provide their lord with tribute in goods and rotational labor service. They could also be called on for military service and construction projects." It was very common to be called for military service, as it was vital to the expansion of the Aztec Empire.<ref name="Peregrine">{{cite book |last1=Peregrine |first1=Peter N. |title=Encyclopedia of Prehistory : Volume 5: Middle America |date=2002 |publisher=Springer US |location=Boston, MA |isbn=978-1-4684-7132-8}}</ref>

Tributes to the Aztec Empire were also made through gold, silver, [[jade]] and other metals that were important to Aztec culture and seen as valuable.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guinan |first1=Paul |title=About Aztec Empire |url=https://www.bigredhair.com/books/aztec-empire/about/ |publisher=Big Red Hair |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>