The Pipiltin (sg. ''pilli'') were the
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Gr ...
social class in the
Mexica Empire
The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled that area in and around the Valley of Mexico ...
. They are below the ruling nobles in the civilization's social structure and above the commoners who achieved noble status due to an outstanding deed in war. These people were members of the hereditary nobility and occupied positions in the
government as ambassadors and ministers, the army and the
priesthood. The subclasses within the ''Pipiltin'' were: tlahtohcapilli (a
tlahtoani
''Tlatoani'' ( , "one who speaks, ruler"; plural ' or tlatoque) is the Classical Nahuatl term for the ruler of an , a pre-Hispanic state. It is the noun form of the verb "tlahtoa" meaning "speak, command, rule". As a result, it has been variousl ...
's son), tecpilli or teucpilli (a
teuctli's son), tlazohpilli (son of legitimate wife), and calpanpilli (son of a
concubine).
Children of the ''Pipiltin'' were given extensive education in preparation for the role they will play in their adult life. They were sent to the ''
calmecac
The Calmecac (, from ''calmecatl'' meaning "line/grouping of houses/buildings" and by extension a scholarly campus) was a school for the sons of Aztec nobility ('' pīpiltin'' ) in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican history, where they ...
'', which was the center for higher learning, to study the ancient wisdom as well as "elegant forms of speech, ancient hymns, poems and historical accounts, religious doctrines, the calendar, astronomy, astrology, legal precepts and the art of the government."
Origin
As the
Aztecs
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl l ...
began settling what would later become their homelands, an elite emerged (the ''Pipiltin'') that claimed descent from the
Toltecs, the former empire of Central
Mexico. The new hereditary elite unified the clans that had been the center of
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
life and paved the way for a conquest empire. Some sources describe the ''Pipiltin'' as the offspring of ''tlahtohqueh'' and ''teteuctin'', which were different social classes within the ruling nobility.
The name was also where the
Pipil people
The Nahua people, also academically referred to as ''Pipil'', are an indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. Although very few speakers are now left, they speak the Nawat lang ...
of western El Salvador get their name, as they are descendants of Toltec people who migrated and settle in El Salvador.
The authority and prestige of the ''Pipiltin'' were based on the belief that they descended from the original migrant founders of the Aztecs and came from a mythical place.
Due to this heritage, they enjoyed privileges such as special family dispensation, the use of privilege goods and dwellings that were appropriate to their station.
See also
*
Macehualtin, the commoners
References
irows.ucr.edu course 122
{{Nobility by nation
Aztec society