Slavery in the Aztec Empire

Slavery in the Aztec Empire and surrounding Mexica societies was widespread, with slaves known by the Nahuatl word, tlacotli.

[1] Slaves did not inherit their status; people were enslaved as a form of punishment, after capturing in war, or voluntarily to pay off debts.

They were also considered to be very religious, and played a key role in the festival of Panquetzaliztli in respect of the Mexica god, Huitzilopochtli.

For example, Moctezuma II, in addition to confiscating property, would condemn traitors, or their families, to slavery for life.

Barring being a captive, being punished for committing a crime, or failing to pay an outstanding gambling debt, slavery was an institution one could enter into freely.

[2] Slaves wore maguey garments called "cueitl," which was a skirt that wrapped around the hips, one end overlapping the other, held together by a belt-like strap.

[2] Typically, upon the death of their owner, slaves who had performed outstanding services were freed, while the rest were passed on as part of the inheritance.

[2] The body parts of sacrificed slaves could be taken home and eaten with maize and salt as an extension of their sacrifice.

According to José Luis de Rojas the author of Tenochtitlan: Capital of the Aztec Empire, slaves that could dance would be worth around 40 pieces of cotton cloth.

Incorrigibility could be determined based on repeated laziness, attempts to run away, or general bad conduct.

The collar was not merely a symbol of bad conduct: it was designed to make it harder to run away through a crowd or narrow spaces.

However, if a collared slave managed to present him- or herself in the royal palace or a temple, he or she would regain liberty.

They would then conduct a ceremony whereby the gambler would prefer his want (or need) to become a slave and be given, by his new owner, the price of his freedom, which was often 20 pieces of cloth and the means to live alone for a year before he began his slavery.

[2] Besides gamblers, selling oneself into slavery was often a fate for ageing courtesans or prostitutes, known among the Mexica as "tahini".