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marily an attempt to cluster towns on the basis of proximity, regardless of when they had been conquered. Rather than keeping records on the status of each tributary town's payment, the new system bureaucratized the system and made it much more efficient. Now each cabecera was responsible for the payments by its dependent towns, each provincial capital was responsible for the payments by its tributary towns, and Tenochtitlan was concerned only with the receipts of its thirty-eight tributary provinces. Restructuring the system in this manner enabled each level to place responsibility for providing the appropriate tribute payment on the next-lower level, freeing it from concern for the entire system. |
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A second change instituted by Moteuczomah Xocoyotl was in scheduling. The time at which goods were paid under the original system is unclear. But perishables should logically be brought when ready, not according to an arbitrary schedule, while nonperishables can be sent at any time. During Tetzotzomoc's reign Tetzcoco paid Azcapotzalco on a yearly schedule, and several towns in the Cuauhnahuac area paid tribute to Tetzcoco six times a year during the reigns of Nezahualcoyotl and Nezahualpilli.
13 Under the system reorganized by the Aztecs, tribute was paid on a regular basis either annually; four times a year (in a sequence of 80, 100, 80, 100 days); or every 80 days, possibly keyed to specific festivals (Tlacaxipehualiztli, Etzalcualiztli, Ochpaniztli, and Panquetzaliztli).14 These four festivals were at the beginning of the second, sixth, eleventh, and fifteenth months, so tribute payments would not have been equally distributed throughout the year. Rather, they were distributed around the military campaign season, which lasted six months of 20 days each, or 120 days. |
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The scheduling system was established not for the convenience of the tributaries but, aside from its economic function, to bring subjects into the capital at times most guaranteed to impress them.15 Equally important, the more frequent schedule also served as a barometer of the tributaries' loyalties. Since tributaries took their payments to Tenochtitlan, requiring payment at least four times a year rather than once kept the king better informed about their loyalty. By keeping aware of the state of his tributaries this frequently, in the event of revolt, the king could mobilize the armies sooner and keep the rebellion from spreading. |
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The third reorganization of the tribute system involved its personnel. Only two tribute collectors were required per province. How- |
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