How were bastard children treated in the Aztec Empire?

One of the defining aspects of the Aztec civilization was its widespread use of polygamy compared to European civilizations at the time. Unlike European civilizations, Aztec men could marry as many women as they liked, leading to many members of the nobility having dozens of wives, either from marriage pacts or conquest and slavery. However, adultery was seen as a capital offense, almost always being death penalty for women who were caught offending and similarly often for men as well. Given this incredibly high criminality of adultery, what happened to known (or at least believed) bastard children in Aztec society?

Posted Nov 6, 2022, 7:33 PM UTC

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