Although the Aztec nobility often had many wives, the Aztec common people were monogamous. Most Aztec men married by the age of twenty; women usually married at the age of sixteen. The marriages were between people from the same calpulli, or group of families living among each other in the same district, and they were usually arranged. Priests were often enlisted to find the correct calendar day for a wedding, one to bring good luck to the couple.

Wedding ceremonies, which took place at night with great festivities, were taken seriously. As part of the ceremony, the bride's shirt or dress was tied to her new husband's cloak, indicating the union. Divorce was available if things did not work out, but as in modern times, it was a legal matter. Either partner could apply to the courts and explain his or her complaint to a judge who could end the marriage. If the divorced couple had children, the mother got custody of the girls and the father got custody of the boys. Prior to marriage, each partner listed his or her belongings, so there would be no confusion in case of divorce. Women had significant legal rights, including the right to own property, although many historians note that in practice, women were usually not treated as equals.

After the wedding, the couple lived with the husband's family for a time and then their families built them a house. If they were farmers, both the man and the woman would tend to the fields, but the woman had a larger role in maintaining the home, preparing food, and raising children. Women in almost all Aztec homes spent a significant portion of their time weaving cloth. Women also worked making crafts.

Bearing children was a very important part of an Aztec woman's life. If a woman died in childbirth, the Aztecs believed there was a very special section of heaven for her, just as they believed there was a special section of heaven for warriors who died in combat.

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