Show marvel of history zong long before columbus aztec Indi indiana ansi lived under a mixed monarchy democracy in which might was not always right ra F boox pw Z n ia j 1 2 7 crep prepared red by no national geographic society c washington hington D C service TEC warriors generally A wore armor made from quilted cotton three fourths to an inch and a half thick soaked in brine some tim esthe legs also were encased in armor and the outside of the entire suit was frequently covered with feathers plates of gold or of silver allver the feathers played an important part in that they formed an elastic layer on th the e out outside s ide of the quilted cotton and made it even more effective protection tio n the protection offered by such apparel was so effective against arrows and javelins that the span lards adopted and wore it the use of feathers also made possible a differentiation of costume that indicated various subdivisions and companies in the military forces S some ome uniforms had white and red feathers others blue and yellow some were green and others simulated actual birds some groups wore animal skins over their armor or painted it to resemble animals warriors of merit wore he addresses halt half mask hall half helmet many of which imitated the heads of jaguars jagua rs mountain lions wolves snakes birds and other creatures the principal leaders and war chiefs were distinguished by the cut of their hair by up and nose plugs by their wide and flowing mantles and by towering plumes of green feathers the ordinary dress of the priests wa was black even their bodies were stained black but the color of the a sacrificial a priest was red on the 0 occasion of certain ceremonies various priests represented different gods and dressed accordingly the habitations of the farmers and poorer classes were wattle and daub with thatched roofs many of the houses were erected on piles because because of the swampy condition of the city and the frequent floods the walls of the structures in and other towns around the lake were covered with white plaster or were colored a dull rich red early american beauty from all accounts it was indeed a beautiful place the green of at its numerous trees the sparkling blue waters of the surrounding lake and many canals the gay splashes of color from flower beds on the roof tops and in the gar gardens densi the multitude of canoes loaded with products fro from m the field and garden and the brightly hued garments of the populace all contrasted with the white and dull red of the buildings to make an enchanting scene the daily life of the people was a busy one women were occupied with numerous household duties the rooms and courtyards were cire carefully fully swept and cleaned corn or maize was ground to make meal tor for the tortillas hortillas tor tillas even as it is ground today in many parts of mexico there were rich sauces and other foods to prepare the older men taught the young boys when they became older they were sent to schools and prepared for either the priesthood or the mill military tary service or were alpren tice i to merchants or artisans arfisa ns there were schools for girls as well b but ut unless they went into one of the religious orders their education was not so rigorous as that of the boys girls were married between the ages of 11 and 18 all arrangements being made by their parents or priests democratic government whether the entire organization was a monarchy or a democracy em is largely a matter of definition even after th the e inheritance of office became established men were nominally elected to their positions and when not satisfactory were ousted there were slaves but they were oot not slaves in the present accepted sense of the word the labor of people in this group belonged to another but their persons did not and relics of a civilization which w aich antedated the coming of the spaniards are arc shown here the pyramids of the sun and the moon of san juan photographed from the ar air give imposing evidence of the industry and ability of the ancient builders it was entirely possible for a slave to have hav slaves of his own the e owner of a slaves labor could not sell it to another person without the consent of the laborer the organization of the city was elaborate after sett settling ling on the lalands islands the aztecs azteca separated the area into four quarters in each of these was a composed of kindred peoples or those of common descent dencen there were 20 kin to a each kin elected and deposed its own officers consisting of a governor and a group of elder brothers or council at the head of each was a war captain these four captains served on the great council of the tribe in company with one representative senta tive from each kin elder brothers and certain of the temple priests there was a smaller counell council composed of one speaker from each kin kb wh which ich met ev every e ry 20 days in a directing and judicial capacity at the head bead of the entire tribal organization were the chief of men and the snake woman the chief of men elected by the council was the executive officer he later became the king or emperor toward the end of the aztec dominance in the valley there was a definite lineal descent of the office of chief of men but even then he was voted upon by the council crime and punishment there were two major divisions 0 of f crime among the aztecs azteca ono one was the crime against a persons 0 own wn group the other an offense against another group the group to which an offender belonged was obligated to see that he was brought to justice murder was punishable 4 with wish acre fully carved knives like these the domin domineering cering priests prie ats of aztec times cut out the hearts of sacrificial victims by death intemperance except tor for those who had bad attained to the age of 70 years also carried the death decree theft had varying degrees ol of punishment according to the amount or nature of the stolen goods and the number of offenses charged a against the individual the stealing of gold or silver was a major crime and offenders were were flayed clayed A priest who broke the law was put to death slanderers Slander ers were punished by their own kin they had bad their lips cut off the legislative power was vested in the ruler he laid down the laws and stipulated the penalties tor for violations of his edicts each had a magistrate elected tor for personal ability and integrity gri the aztecs azteca were remarkable for x their day and age in fact were superior to some som e modern modem governments because there was an impartial treatment of all cases case az brought before the magistrates th lowliest laborer and the richest noble were accorded equal justice 11 |