Something interesting to note is that slaves in Aztec society were very different from what we associate with slavery today. People became slaves through debt or punishment, but it wasn't received through birth, a parent couldn't pass on slavery to their children. Slaves were allowed to marry, have children (who were free), and even own property. Anyone could own a slave but it was typically nobles that ended up being slave-owners. The owner of the slave was responsible for feeding and housing the slave, and had control over the slave’s labor. People would sell themselves into slavery when they couldn't support themselves, or when they incurred large amounts of debt. The Aztecs didn't use large groups of slaves to perform heavy labor so the overall economic contribution of them was rather limited.
To become chosen as ixiptla of a god or goddess for a slave was as great an honor as it would be for a regular citizen. Not only did it mean they were worthy, it also meant that they went through an immediate role reversal, the slave becoming the personification of a god or goddess and being treated as such, the master then serving the slave. It wasn't a lesser person being forced into sacrificing themselves, it is a person of lesser class elevating themselves to the highest class through what they view as appeasement of the gods through sacrifice.
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