4. Aztec children were used as servants by their parents
Until an Aztec child was 15 years of age, they were retained in the homes of their parents or guardians, and the state demanded that they be raised in an atmosphere of discipline, with mandatory chores and duties about the home. At 15 they began their formal education, which varied depending on the social status of the family and their location within the empire. All male children were taught the basics of being an Aztec warrior, as well as being taught a trade useful to the state. Boys were taught in a manner which at the same time served the community and toughened them for further training. For example, when gathering firewood, each succeeding trip needed to produce a greater amount than the trip before, and the boy was not to return until his quota was met.
The children of wealthier families and of the priests of the empire attended schools in which they were subjected to rituals intended to mark the end of childhood. Their days were marked with early rising, continuous labor, training in the military arts, and little food. Aztecs weren’t taught the concept of mercy, to either enemies or friends, because the earth’s survival was based on the concept of sacrifice, first of the gods and then on the inhabitants for whom they had saved the earth. There was no room in their character for mercy. Self-inflicted pain and suffering was a practice which prepared the child for sacrifice. The priests who administered the schools, which were called calmecacs, delivered routine beatings on their charges, the punishments of childhood being deemed no longer sufficient to the task.