The term tying the knot, or getting hitched were not just terms to describe a wedding. Aztecs literally had the bride and groom tied together. Men usually marriage at 20 and women at 16.

Men were not penalized for not being married like the Inca, rather it was just impossible to live alone without a wife preparing meals and keeping a house.

Marriages were only permitted between clans. In a clan, regardless of actually being related by blood, an Aztec was related.

A man had to get permission from a council to marry a woman, not the girl's father.

To the Aztecs, marriage was a social tie, not just an attraction between the two people. Old women of the clan were the marriage brokers and they would help set up a courtship. This was also done in China.

That actual marriage would start a night, when the bride would be carried on the back of the old woman to the site of the man's clan.

There the two would be dressed in a loose fitting white cloth and would sit on the floor while members of each family gathered to listen to passages.

At a point in the service, the two would have their white linens tied together by the old woman.

A celebration would then ensue. Unlike in many other cultures, when the husband and wife would consummate the marriage that night, the wife would be "helped out" by her uncles, brothers, and fathers.

This was not considered incest since they believed that their were mysterious powers occurring that could disrupt life.

Women had rights that did not reach as far as males, but they were quite liberated

A woman could:

• Own property
• Ask for justice
• Obtain divorce for cruelty
• Could marry again after divorce, but not after death.

Concubines did occur in Aztec society, however, this was given only to nobles and kings.

Oddly, the Aztecs participated in a organization that was very unique. Aztecs would openly chosen male babies, to learn and act like females. At birth their gender role was completely reversed. They were taught how to act, dress, and serve as a women. They never could become men. These chosen males were called berdaches.

A married couple would build a house after they were married. There were no bachelor pads, people lived with their parents until they were married.

An Aztec day started at 4:00 am. Yes, there is a 4:00 am everyday. Priests would beat drums and blow trumpets to celebrate the rising of the sun. The men of the house would have a steam bath before they went to the fields. All Aztecs regardless of society had steam baths in their houses.

Aztecs were very clean people since they were always around water unlike the Europeans. The ancient Romans were the other clean society of the ancient world.

If you were able to own a slave, work was simple. If you were poor, newly married, or married at a later age, obtaining a slave was more difficult. The most taxing job for the women was making meals twice a day. The main source of food was the tortilla. They also ate: Beans, meat, chili pepper, fish, maize (corn), and tamales.

Aztec justice was quick and final. There were many minor crimes, or rather social restrictions, but there were a few felonies: