Editing Aztecs (section)

== Economy ==
===Agriculture and subsistence===
[[File:The_Florentine_Codex-_Agriculture.tiff|thumb|right|Cultivation of [[maize]], the main foodstuff, using simple tools. [[Florentine Codex]]]]

Like all Mesoamerican peoples, Aztec society was organized around maize agriculture. The humid environment in the Valley of Mexico with its many lakes and swamps permitted intensive agriculture. The main crops in addition to maize were beans, squashes, chilies, and [[amaranth]]. Particularly important for agricultural production in the valley was the construction of [[chinampa]]s on the lake, artificial islands that allowed the conversion of the shallow waters into highly fertile gardens that could be cultivated year-round. Chinampas are human-made extensions of agricultural land, created from alternating layers of mud from the bottom of the lake, and plant matter and other vegetation. These raised beds were separated by narrow canals, which allowed farmers to move between them by canoe. Chinampas were extremely fertile pieces of land, and yielded, on average, seven crops annually. Based on current chinampa yields, it has been estimated that {{Convert|1|ha|acre|spell=in}} of chinampa would feed 20 individuals and {{Convert|9,000|ha|acre}} of ''chinampas'' could feed 180,000.{{sfn|Noguera Auza|1974}}

The Aztecs further intensified agricultural production by constructing systems of artificial [[irrigation]]. While most of the farming occurred outside the densely populated areas, within the cities there was another method of (small-scale) farming. Each family had a garden plot where they grew maize, fruits, herbs, medicines, and other important plants. When the city of Tenochtitlan became a major urban center, water was supplied to the city through [[Chapultepec aqueduct|aqueducts]] from springs on the banks of the lake, and they organized a system that collected human waste for use as fertilizer. Through intensive agriculture, the Aztecs were able to sustain a large urbanized population. The lake was also a rich source of proteins in the form of aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians, shrimp, insects and insect eggs, and waterfowl. The presence of such varied sources of protein meant that there was little use for domestic animals for meat (only turkeys and dogs were kept), and scholars have calculated that there was no shortage of protein among the inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico.{{sfn|Townsend|2009|pp=171–179}}
{{Further|topic=the land distance measure|Tlalcuahuitl}}

===Crafts and trades===
[[File:Plate with painted decoration, Aztec culture, Mexico, ceramic - Fitchburg Art Museum - DSC08809.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|left|Typical Aztec black on orange ceramic ware]]

The excess supply of food products allowed a significant portion of the Aztec population to dedicate themselves to trades other than food production. Apart from taking care of domestic food production, women weaved textiles from [[agave]] fibers and [[cotton]]. Men also engaged in craft specializations such as the production of ceramics and [[obsidian]] and [[flint tools]] and of luxury goods such as [[beadwork]], [[featherwork]], and the elaboration of tools and musical instruments. Sometimes entire calpollis specialized in a single craft, and in some archeological sites large neighborhoods have been found where- only a single craft specialty was practiced.{{sfn|Brumfiel|1998}}{{sfn|Townsend|2009|pp=181–196}}

The Aztecs did not produce much metalwork but did have knowledge of basic smelting technology for [[gold]], and they combined gold with [[precious stones]] such as [[jade]] and [[turquoise]]. [[Copper]] products were generally imported from the Tarascans of Michoacan.{{sfn|Townsend|2009|pp=184, 193}}

===Trade and distribution===
[[File:Tlatelolco Marketplace.JPG|thumb|Diorama model of the Aztec market at Tlatelolco]]

Products were distributed through a network of markets; some markets specialized in a single commodity (e.g., the dog market of Acolman), and other general markets with the presence of many different goods. Markets were highly organized with a system of supervisors taking care that only authorized merchants were permitted to sell their goods, and punishing those who cheated their customers or sold substandard or counterfeit goods. A typical town would have a weekly market (every five days), while larger cities held markets every day. Cortés reported that the central market of Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlan's sister city, was visited by 60,000 people daily. Some sellers in the markets were petty vendors; farmers might sell some of their produce, potters sold their vessels, and so on. Other vendors were professional merchants who traveled from market to market seeking profits.{{sfn|Hirth|2016}}

The [[pochteca]] were specialized long-distance merchants organized into exclusive [[guild]]s. They made long expeditions to all parts of Mesoamerica bringing back exotic luxury goods, and they served as the judges and supervisors of the Tlatelolco market. Although the economy of Aztec Mexico was commercialized (in its use of money, markets, and merchants), land and labor were not generally commodities for sale, though some types of land could be sold between nobles.{{sfn|Hirth|2016|pp=18, 37–38}} In the commercial sector of the economy, several types of money were in regular use.{{sfn|Hirth|2016|loc=Ch. 2}} Small purchases were made with [[cacao bean]]s, which had to be imported from lowland areas. In Aztec marketplaces, a small rabbit was worth 30 beans, a turkey egg cost three beans, and a tamal cost a single bean. For larger purchases, standardized lengths of cotton cloth, called [[quachtli]], were used. There were different grades of quachtli, ranging in value from 65 to 300 cacao beans. About 20 quachtli could support a commoner for one year in Tenochtitlan.{{sfn|Smith|1997|p=126}}

===Taxation===
[[File:Codex Mendoza folio 47r.jpg|thumb|right|A folio from the ''[[Codex Mendoza]]'' showing the tribute paid to Tenochtitlan in exotic trade goods by the altepetl of Xoconochco on the Pacific coast]]

Another form of distribution of goods was through the payment of [[tax]]es. When an altepetl was conquered, the victor imposed a yearly tax, usually paid in the form of whichever local product was most valuable or treasured. Several pages from the [[Codex Mendoza]] list subject towns along with the goods they supplied, which included not only luxuries such as feathers, adorned suits, and [[Greenstone (archaeology)|greenstone]] beads, but more practical goods such as cloth, firewood, and food. Taxes were usually paid twice or four times a year at differing times.{{sfn|Berdan|Anawalt|1997}}

Archaeological excavations in the Aztec-ruled provinces show that incorporation into the empire had both costs and benefits for provincial peoples. On the positive side, the empire promoted commerce and trade, and exotic goods from obsidian to [[bronze]] managed to reach the houses of both commoners and nobles. Trade partners also included the enemy [[Purépecha people|Purépecha]] (also known as Tarascans), a source of bronze tools and jewelry. On the negative side, imperial taxes imposed a burden on commoner households, who had to increase their work to pay their share of taxes. Nobles, on the other hand, often made out well under the imperial rule because of the indirect nature of imperial organization. The empire had to rely on local kings and nobles and offered them privileges for their help in maintaining order and keeping the tax revenue flowing.{{sfn|Smith|2005}}