Which elements sustained the Aztec economy in Tenochtitlán?

• A. Chinampas (floating gardens), a tribute system, and vibrant markets.
• B. A system of large-scale plantation labor.
• C. Terraced farming on volcanic hills.
• D. A cash-based economy relying on coinage.

Answer: (B)

The economy in Tenochtitlán rested on an integrated system of agriculture, tribute, and trade. Chinampas—the floating gardens built on the shallow lakebed—made farming extremely productive, producing steady surpluses that fed a large urban population and supported everyday markets and state needs. A tribute system drew resources from conquered regions, providing a reliable stream of goods, labor, and luxury items that fueled the city’s wealth and helped maintain political control. Vibrant markets connected the city to far-off areas, allowing goods to move through a wide network, standardizing exchange, and enabling specialization and redistribution within the empire.

This combination—high-yield agriculture, enforced tribute, and robust markets—best explains how the Aztecs sustained their economy in Tenochtitlán. Large-scale plantation labor isn’t characteristic of their system, and terraced farming is more associated with Andean cultures, not the Aztec core of central Mexico. A cash-based, coin-driven economy didn’t exist there either; trade and tribute operated mainly through barter and goods rather than money.