Hierarchy Of Government

 

Calpulli - The calpulli was a group of families that was able to own land, individual families were not allowed to own land. Each calpulli had a leader that lead the rest of the people in the calpulli.

City Council - Each of the leaders in the calpulli came together to form the city council. There was one city council for each city-state, and these city councils held much power in the Aztec government.

Executive Council - From each city council, four leaders would come together to form the executive council. These members had more power than the calpulli and the cit council.

Huey Tlatcani - One member of each executive council was known as the Huey Tlatcani, or “Great Speaker”. He was considered the emperor and was worshipped as a god. Aithough the Huey Tlatcani had ultimate power, this leader got his power through a somewhat democratic system. It is not clear how this system worked, but the Huey Tatclani could be removed from power by the people. The power was not passed hereditarily, but some believe family lines did play a part.

Sources:

http://www.aztec-history.com/about-aztec-history.html