A social, territorial, and administrative division of Aztec society, functioning like a neighborhood or clan that controlled land and organized people for labor and military service.
From Nahuatl 'calpulli,' combining 'calli' (house) + 'pulli' (group). The term was preserved in Spanish colonial records and has remained the standard historical term in English.
The calpulli system was so effective at organizing large populations that modern scholars think the Aztec Empire's ability to manage millions of people came directly from how well these local units worked—it's like comparing local town governments to a national government.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.