Final answer:
Aztec Mexico's economy was based on intensive agriculture, especially maize farming using chinampas, and was supported by a complex trade network and a strict tribute system. This economic base allowed the Aztec Empire to sustain a diverse and stratified society with a range of roles from nobles to commoners.
Step-by-step explanation:
Economic life in Aztec Mexico was established on a foundation of intensive agriculture, primarily the cultivation of maize, along with other crops like beans, squash, and chiles. They employed advanced agricultural techniques, such as the chinampas system, which allowed them to generate surpluses that sustained urban centers and were heavily taxed by the state. These surpluses supported a complex society with diverse roles including craftspeople, warriors, bureaucrats, and nobles.
Extensive trade flourished across the Aztec Empire, linked by markets that offered a wide array of products, including precious metals, tools, and foodstuffs. The Empire also had a strict tribute system, exacting payments in goods or labor from conquered territories. This system fostered an early form of economic exchange, with goods flowing into the centers of power and ultimately reaching even the commoners, diversifying the economy.
Overall, Aztec society was highly stratified, with a caste system that placed rulers, nobles, priests, and merchants above commoners and slaves. The empire's robust economy also supported large-scale building projects, military expeditions, and religious practices, such as human sacrifices to appease the gods, which were fundamental to Aztec culture and society.