Contributing To Aztec Society

The Ideal Aztec Citizen

Aztec Citizenship
Aztec society was focused on producing citizens
who would contribute to the community.
Lessons in good citizenship were part of Aztec
childrens education.
The Aztecs had a very clear notion of what an
ideal citizen meant to them.
The Aztecs believed in 5 virtues- courage, self
sacrifice, modesty, clean living, and
obedience.

Courage
Aztecs were expected to
show courage and deal with
hardships without
complaining.
All warriors were expected to
demonstrate courage on the
battlefield.
All citizens were expected to
demonstrate courage in their
daily lives.
Give examples of how people
demonstrate courage in their
everyday lives?

Self- Sacrifice
The group was considered
more important than the
individual.
Every Aztec had to be
willing to sacrifice
possessions, comfort, and
even life itself, for the
good of society.
How can we show self
sacrifice in our everyday
lives?

Modesty
No one, not even the
greatest warrior, was
to boast about
personal achievements
or do anything else to
stand out from the
crowd.
How can we
demonstrate modesty
in our everyday lives?

Clean Living
People had to keep
themselves healthy.
This meant avoiding
overindulging in food
and drink.
The Aztecs harshly
punished what they
considered evil
behavior.
How can we exercise
clean living?

Obedience

Everyone had to
obey superiors
without question.
Obedience helped
preserve the social
order.
How do we
demonstrate
obedience in our

Aztec Citizen of the Year Contest

You have been asked to encourage Aztec citizens to apply to be the
Aztec citizen of the year. In order to do your job you need to do one of
the following:
Write an information bulletin that will encourage suitable citizens to apply for the
honour of being this years top citizen. This will be read to the Aztec people at the
market. Your bulletin should capture the attention of the listeners and should explain
in detail what makes a superior citizen. Include a graphic on the bulletin.

Create your own application form for Aztec Citizen of the Year and fill in the
application as if you are applying for the honour. Explain in detail the qualities that
you have which demonstrate why you should be chosen. Include a graphic on your