mayeque

Aztec social class

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June 30, 2026

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The mayeque were a social class in the Aztec society, functioning as serfs attached to private or state-owned rural estates. They occupied the base of the social structure, below the pipiltin (nobles) and the macehual class (commoners). The mayeque owed their labor and agricultural produce to their overlord. This system of social stratification allowed for some vertical mobility, but the land tenure system and taxation structure helped maintain these divisions.1

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pre-Columbian civilizations
Social and political organization
…the social structure were the mayeques, or serfs, attached to private or state-owned rural estates. Within these three castes, a number of social classes could be differentiated, according to wealth, occupation, and political office. The Aztec system made a distinction between ascribed and achieved status. By a system of promotions,…
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…the social structure were the mayeques, or serfs, attached to private or state-owned rural estates. Within these three castes, a number of social classes could be differentiated, according to wealth, occupation, and political office. The Aztec system made a distinction between ascribed and achieved status. By a system of promotions,…
Read More