Aztec Trade and Economy
By Sam
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  Trade and Economy were  probably the most important part of Aztec life.  The Aztec people lived in1400’s.  Trade was a way to get needed and desired items from other cultures, and trade things to other tribes or people.  It allowed specialization in one area.  Economy was what the Aztecs jobs were.  The economy was also a way for the Aztecs to make money.

  Trade is a huge part of Aztec civilization.  A lot of times they traded food, clothing, jewels, slaves, knives, flint, raw cotton, grain, rubber, Jaguar skins,  coco beans, feathers, tropical birds, avocados, squashes, potatoes, tomatoes ,  pepper, and corn.  In return they received jewels, different types of   animal   skins,   and  bird feathers.

    Tlateloco was the largest trade place.  It was a  giant market. Sixty thousand people visited Tlateloco every day.  There were a lot of small markets  all over the Aztec empire. The Aztec people called the traders spies and emissaries. Also there were people called artisans. They were people who made pots with art on them, weapons, and farming tools.  They would trade and sell these pots, weapons, farming tools, and a whole lot more to traders and to individuals.
 

     The economy was a very big part of  Aztec  life.  They were advanced enough to allow job specialization.  Some people had certain jobs, and these often determined their status within the community.  Some of their jobs were farming, building temples, crop pulling, or just farming.  Also some jobs were to hunt for food, even trading was a job.  The economy was how the Aztecs could make their money.  The most important job was farming.  Many people worked on farms.

      There were also laws that helped the community. One was called Tribute. When the Aztecs won a battle they would make all the enemies pay jewels and goods.  This was called tribute , and it was like paying taxes.

   Another interesting aspect about the Aztec is that they would  trade slaves for all kinds of things.  Some of the things they got back from the traders were    feathers, animal skins, knives, clothing, and food.

     In conclusion, trade and economy were a very big part of Aztec life.  The Aztec spent a lot of their time trading all sorts of things and working.  The Aztec had many jobs. A lot of their jobs were farming crops, and some Aztec people’s jobs were trading.  As you can see trade and economy were a very big part of Aztec life.
 
 

Bibliography
 Web sites
www.http://worldbook.com/o4o540.htm
Aztec

www.http://archaeology.la.asu.edu./tm/pages2/sala3.htm
Aztec civilization

www.http://historyofworld.com/htm
Aztec life

Books
Author. Malu Jane Aztec Inca Maya   published 1995 Singapore p. 26,27

Author. Denver museum Aztec published 1992 Denver Museum Denver Colorado p. 27

Encyclopedia
Comptons  Encyclopedia   published 1997  P.890
Written by comptons learning center
 

World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia 1996 P.20,36
Comptons learning center