DOCSLIB.ORG

Aztec Culture

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Aztec Culture Aztec Culture The Aztec civilization contained about 15 million people that lived in nearly 500 towns and cities. About 300,000 people lived in Tenochtitlan. In this famous city, the government controlled and were responsible to deal with taxes, punishment, famine, and market trading. Punishment in the city of Tenochtitlan was enforced for breaking any of the code of government laws. Offenders were enslaved into tedious work conditions for a specific amount of time. If the offense happened to be minor, the law-breaker was charged with a string of fees or fines. This type of governing system is only one of the many things that affected aspects of everyday life for the Aztecs. ART The Aztec sculptures which adorned their temples and other buildings were among the most elaborate in all of the Americas. Their purpose was to please the gods and they attempted to do that in everything they did. Many of the sculptures reflected their perception of their gods and how they interacted in their lives. The most famous surviving Aztec sculpture is the large circular Calendar Stone, which represents the Aztec universe. EDUCATION The Mexicas were especially interested in education. Boys and girls were carefully educated from birth. During the first years of life, fathers educated boys, while mothers took care of girls. Once family education was over, the children of the nobles and priests went to the calmecac, and all others went to the tepochcalli . The Aztecs believed that education was extremely valuable and insisted that boys, girls and young people attend school. There were two main types of school, the so-called tepochcalli and the calm*cac. Boys and girls went to both, but were kept separate from each other. The tepochcalli was for the children of common families and there was one in each neighborhood. Here, children learned history, myths, religion and Aztec ceremonial songs. Boys received intensive military training and also learned about agriculture and the trades. Girls were educated to form a family, and were trained in the arts and trades that would ensure the welfare of their future homes. The calmecac was for the children of the nobility, and served to form new military and religious leaders. Teachers were greatly admired. FAMILY LIFE In the context of the family, men and women played distinct roles. Aztec women married at about 16. In school boys were taught arts and crafts, and the girls were taught to cook and other necessities. FARMING - IRRIGATION The Aztecs made terraces, which were steps descending down a hall to control the flow of water. This kept their crops from flooding. Like the Olmec civilization, the Aztecs also used a slash and burn method of farming. Chinampas, artificial islands made by weaving giant reed mats and covering them with mudded plants, were used to extend crops into the swamp. Although they seemed to float, the chinampas were anchored to the ground by plant roots. All this helped the Aztecs grow and abundance of corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans, and other kinds of food. The Aztecs were late arrivals to the Lake Texcoco area. They were surrounded by very strong neighbors, so they were forced to live on the swampy, western side of the lake. As the Aztecs grew in number they made excellent military and civil organizations. By 1325, they founded the city of Tenochtitlan. The city was located on present day Mexico City. It was very hard to build Tenochtitlan because the Aztecs only had a small piece of land in the surrounding marshes. The Aztecs made the swampy, shallow lake into chinampas. In this case the islands were made by piling up mud from the lake bottom. They used them as their city foundations. Then they built causeways and bridges to connect the city to the mainland. To easily move people and goods, canals were dug and lined with stone. All this made it easy to defend the city from attack. Because of Tenochtitlan's location and high organization, the city grew rapidly. By 1519 there were about 60,000 people in the city every day. Goods were exported and traded in many other parts of the Aztec Empire. FOOD The principal food of the Aztec was a thin cornmeal pancake called a tlaxcalli. (In Spanish, it is called a tortilla.) They used the tlaxcallis to scoop up foods while they ate or they wrapped the foods in the tlaxcalli to form tacos. They hunted for most of the meat in their diet and the chief game animals were deer, rabbits, ducks and geese. The only animals they raised for meat were turkeys and dogs. The Aztecs have been credited with the discovery of chocolate. T he Aztecs made chocolate from the fruit of the cacao tree and used it as a flavoring and as an ingredient in various beverages and kinds of confectionery. In 1519, Hernan Cortez tasted Cacahuatt , a drink enjoyed by Montezuma II, the last Aztec emperor. Cortez observed that the Aztecs treated cacao beans, used to make the drink, as priceless treasures. He subsequently brought the beans back to Spain where the chocolate drink was made and then heated with added sweeteners. Its formula was kept a secret to be only enjoyed by the nobility and the warrior class. LANGUAGE The Aztec spoke a language called Nahuatl (pronounced NAH waht l). It belongs to a large group of Indian languages which also include the languages spoken by the Comanche, Pima, Shoshone and other tribes of western North America. The Aztec used pictographs to communicate through writing. Some of the pictures symbolized ideas and other represented the sounds of the syllables. Variations of this language are still spoken in some of the more remote areas of Mexico in which the indigenous cultures are still alive. Nahuatl is a variation of a larger language group known as Uto-Aztecan. Other variations on this language group are still spoken in some of the regions spanning from central Mexico through northern Mexico on into the southwestern United States including the Pima, Tohono O'ohdam of Arizona. MATH The Aztecs used a vigesimal system, counting by 20s. The numbers 1-19 were expressed by dots or occasionally by fingers; 20 was represented by a flag; 400 (i.e. 20 >(20) by a sign which looks like a feather or a fir tree; and 8,000 (20 x 20 x 20) by a bag or tasseled pouch which was imagined to contain 8,000 cocoa beans. METALS The Aztecs had 3 basic crafts: metal work, feather work, and music. The metal workers had no iron so they used copper, gold, and silver. That created jewelry of gold and silver. SOCIETY The Aztec society was divided into 3 classes- slaves, commoners, and nobility. Slaves: The children of poor parents could be sold, usually for only a certain time period. Slaves could buy back their freedom. The slaves that escaped and reached the royal palace without being caught were given their freedom instantly. Commoners: The most numerous social group was known as the macehualtin ; these people were engaged in agriculture and the common trades. Although they worked the land in family units and were allowed to kept their produce, the land itself was collectively owned by the inhabitants of the neighborhood or calpulli. Commoners were given lifetime ownership of an area of land. The lowest group of commoners were not allowed to own property. They were tenant farmers, they just got to use the land and never be owners. The lower social orders were made up by peasants, who like the European serfs, were attached to the lands owned by the nobility and were obliged to cultivate them in exchange for part of the harvest. Nobility: The nobilities were the people who were nobles by birth, priests, and those who earned their rank. The very highest social sphere was occupied by a minority of families known as the pipiltin . These people were members of the hereditary nobility and occupied the top positions in the government, the army and the priesthood. The nobles chose a supreme leader known as the tlatoani from within their own group; in Nahuatl this name means he that speaks . This leader was greatly revered and ruled until his death. In Aztec society, warriors, priests, and the nobility were considered to be among the most respected in the Aztecan social hierarchy Because of the Aztecs' emphasis on warfare, the warrior class was highly valued, and often warriors would volunteer for the most important Aztec sacrificial rituals. The long distance traders also enjoyed considerable privileges and often served the government as ambassadors and spies. The most outstanding artisans, physicians and truly wise teachers were also highly respected. WAR Due to the aspirations of conquest and the religious beliefs of the Mexicas, war was a very important activity. The Mexicas believed that the gods had sacrificed themselves for mankind, that their blood had given man life, and that the Sun was nourished with the blood of human hearts. This belief led them to sacrifice many prisoners at their temples. Some people were able to resist the Aztecs; the most powerful of these were the Tlaxaltecas and the Purepechas. The people were completely prepared for war and great emphasis was placed on the creation of codexes and on the interpretation of the calendars, since both activities were essential to religion and community life. The codexes consist of writing and drawings made by the Mesoamerican people on strips of deer skin, or on a kind of paper made from amate tree bark. Once finished, these strips were folded like a concertina.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Knowledge of Skull Base Anatomy and Surgical Implications of Human Sacrifice Among Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican Cultures
    See the corresponding retraction, DOI: 10.3171/2018.5.FOCUS12120r, for full details. Neurosurg Focus 33 (2):E1, 2012 Knowledge of skull base anatomy and surgical implications of human sacrifice among pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures RAUL LOPEZ-SERNA, M.D.,1 JUAN LUIS GOMEZ-AMADOR, M.D.,1 JUAN BArgES-COLL, M.D.,1 NICASIO ArrIADA-MENDICOA, M.D.,1 SAMUEL ROMERO-VArgAS, M.D., M.SC.,2 MIGUEL RAMOS-PEEK, M.D.,1 MIGUEL ANGEL CELIS-LOPEZ, M.D.,1 ROGELIO REVUELTA-GUTIErrEZ, M.D.,1 AND LESLY PORTOCArrERO-ORTIZ, M.D., M.SC.3 1Department of Neurosurgery, Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia “Manuel Velasco Suárez;” 2Department of Spine Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación; and 3Department of Neuroendocrinology, Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia “Manuel Velasco Suárez,” Mexico City, Mexico Human sacrifice became a common cultural trait during the advanced phases of Mesoamerican civilizations. This phenomenon, influenced by complex religious beliefs, included several practices such as decapitation, cranial deformation, and the use of human cranial bones for skull mask manufacturing. Archaeological evidence suggests that all of these practices required specialized knowledge of skull base and upper cervical anatomy. The authors con- ducted a systematic search for information on skull base anatomical and surgical knowledge among Mesoamerican civilizations. A detailed exposition of these results is presented, along with some interesting information extracted from historical documents and pictorial codices to provide a better understanding of skull base surgical practices among these cultures. Paleoforensic evidence from the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan indicates that Aztec priests used a specialized decapitation technique, based on a deep anatomical knowledge.
    [Show full text]
  • COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL NOT for DISTRIBUTION Figure 0.3
    Contents Acknowledgments ix A Brief Note on Usage xiii Introduction: History and Tlaxilacalli 3 Chapter 1: The Rise of Tlaxilacalli, ca. 1272–1454 40 Chapter 2: Acolhua Imperialisms, ca. 1420s–1583 75 Chapter 3: Community and Change in Cuauhtepoztlan Tlaxilacalli, ca. 1544–1575 97 Chapter 4: Tlaxilacalli Religions, 1537–1587 123 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Chapter 5: TlaxilacalliNOT FOR Ascendant, DISTRIBUTION 1562–1613 151 Chapter 6: Communities Reborn, 1581–1692 174 Conclusion: Tlaxilacalli and Barrio 203 List of Acronyms Used Frequently in This Book 208 Bibliography 209 Index 247 vii introduction History and Tlaxilacalli This is the story of how poor, everyday central Mexicans built and rebuilt autono- mous communities over the course of four centuries and two empires. It is also the story of how these self-same commoners constructed the unequal bonds of compul- sion and difference that anchored these vigorous and often beloved communities. It is a story about certain face-to-face human networks, called tlaxilacalli in both singular and plural,1 and about how such networks molded the shape of both the Aztec and Spanish rule.2 Despite this influence, however, tlaxilacalli remain ignored, subordinated as they often were to wider political configurations and most often appearing unmarked—that is, noted by proper name only—in the sources. With care, however, COPYRIGHTEDthe deeper stories of tlaxilacalli canMATERIAL be uncovered. This, in turn, lays bare a root-level history of autonomy and colonialism in central Mexico, told through the powerfulNOT and transformative FOR DISTRIBUTION tlaxilacalli. The robustness of tlaxilacalli over thelongue durée casts new and surprising light on the structures of empire in central Mexico, revealing a counterpoint of weakness and fragmentation in the canonical histories of centralizing power in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Nahua and Spanish
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Nahua and Spanish Concepts of Health and Disease in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1615 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Rebecca Ann Dufendach 2017 © Copyright by Rebecca Ann Dufendach 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Nahua and Spanish Concepts of Health and Disease in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1615 by Rebecca Ann Dufendach Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Kevin B. Terraciano, Chair This dissertation uses a wide variety of original historical sources to examine Nahua (Aztec) and Spanish concepts of health and sickness in the sixteenth century, and how both cultures applied these concepts in their attempt to understand the widespread, devastating epidemics that plagued colonial Mexico or New Spain. The Nahuatl and Spanish texts of the Florentine Codex and the Relaciones Geográficas, in addition to several other pictorial and alphabetic writings, abound with information on a topic that is little explored and poorly understood: how did indigenous peoples comprehend and remember the terrible, recurring diseases that wiped out about 90% of their population over the course of a century? How did they associate disease with the arrival of the Spaniards, the conquest, Christianity, and colonial rule? How did they speak and write about these matters? And how did their words on these topics differ from what the Spaniards said? How did Spanish cultural concepts, based on Greek, Roman,
    [Show full text]
  • ©2018 Travis Jeffres ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
    ©2018 Travis Jeffres ALL RIGHTS RESERVED “WE MEXICAS WENT EVERYWHERE IN THAT LAND”: THE MEXICAN INDIAN DIASPORA IN THE GREATER SOUTHWEST, 1540-1680 By TRAVIS JEFFRES A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in History Written under the direction of Camilla ToWnsend And approVed by _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October, 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “We Mexicas Went Everywhere in That Land:” The Mexican Indian Diaspora in the Greater Southwest, 1540-1680 by TRAVIS JEFFRES Dissertation Director: Camilla ToWnsend Beginning With Hernando Cortés’s capture of Aztec Tenochtitlan in 1521, legions of “Indian conquistadors” from Mexico joined Spanish military campaigns throughout Mesoamerica in the sixteenth century. Scholarship appearing in the last decade has revealed the aWesome scope of this participation—involving hundreds of thousands of Indian allies—and cast critical light on their motiVations and experiences. NeVertheless this Work has remained restricted to central Mexico and areas south, while the region known as the Greater SouthWest, encompassing northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, has been largely ignored. This dissertation traces the moVements of Indians from central Mexico, especially Nahuas, into this region during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and charts their experiences as diasporic peoples under colonialism using sources they Wrote in their oWn language (Nahuatl). Their activities as laborers, soldiers, settlers, and agents of acculturation largely enabled colonial expansion in the region. However their exploits are too frequently cast as contributions to an overarching Spanish colonial project.
    [Show full text]
  • William T. Sanders and the Study of the Aztec Peasantry
    The Aztec Silent Majority: William T. Sanders and the Study of the Aztec Peasantry Michael E. Smith' Peasants in ancient civilizations far outnumbered elites, urbanites, and any other social category. Their contribution to society was fundamental, for their labor supported the entire society through farming, construction, and other kinds of work. Yet peasants remain the most poorly-known members of ancient societies. They were not usually literate, and most written texts produced in early states have little to say about rural peoples. Similarly, descriptions of early states by outsiders (such as the accounts of the Spanish conquistadores in Latin America) generally ignore the peasantry. Early archaeological fieldwork on the ancient civilizations focused al- most exclusively on urban settlements, not rural sites. It is only in the past few decades that archaeologists have shifted their attention to the remains of peasant houses and villages to shed some light on the "silent majority" of the ancient civilizations. The archaeological and ethnohistorical study of ancient peasants is a recent phenomenon, and we are only now gaining significant insight into this important sector of the early states (see studies in Schwartz and Falconer, 1994). In the case of the Aztecs of central Mexico, rural peoples have only recently become a topic of research in spite of the fact that scholars have acknowledged the existence and importance of peasants since the six- teenth century (Figure 1). Since, 1960, surveys have illuminated settlement and land use in rural areas (e.g., Sanders, 1965; Sanders et a/., 1979), mapping and excavations are bringing rural villages to light (e.g., Evans, 1988; M.
    [Show full text]
  • Insights from the Ancient Word: the Use of Colonial Sources in the Study of Aztec Society
    This is a repository copy of Insights from the Ancient Word: The use of colonial sources in the study of Aztec society. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/98075/ Version: Accepted Version Book Section: Dodds Pennock, C. (2011) Insights from the Ancient Word: The use of colonial sources in the study of Aztec society. In: Roque, R. and Wagner, K.A., (eds.) Engaging Colonial Knowledge: Reading European Archives in World History. Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series . Palgrave Macmillan , Basingstoke , pp. 115-134. ISBN 9780230241985 Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Insights from the ‘Ancient Word’: The use of colonial sources in the study of Aztec society Caroline Dodds Pennock When the Spanish conquistadors invaded Mexico in 1519, they found themselves confronted with a society who regarded the fundamentals of civilization in an entirely different way.
    [Show full text]
  • A BRIEF HISTORY of MEXICO the Classic Period to the Present
    A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEXICO The Classic Period to the Present Created by Steve Maiolo Copyright 2014 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Section 1: The Maya The Mayan Creation Myth ........................................................................ 1 Ollama ..................................................................................................... 1 Mayan Civilization Social Hierarchy ....................................................................................... 2 Religion ................................................................................................... 3 Other Achievements ................................................................................ 3 The Decline of the Mayans ...................................................................... 3 Section 2: The Aztecs The Upstarts ............................................................................................ 4 Tenochtitlàn ............................................................................................. 4 The Aztec Social Hierarchy Nobility (Pipiltin) ....................................................................................... 5 High Status (not nobility) .......................................................................... 5 Commoners (macehualtin) ....................................................................... 6 Slaves ...................................................................................................... 6 Warfare and Education ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Tenochtidán: Ceremonial Center Miraculous Appearance of a Whirlwind That Connected at the Heart Oftenochtitlán Stood One of the Most Prorni- Earth with Heaven
    T or Serpent Wall, consisting of a line of serpents sculpted miraculous spring of red and blue waters-revealed to the from stone, was erected on a platform around three sides Mexica the location where they should settle and end of the base of the pyramid. North and south of the pyra- their wanderings. The Mexica raised their temple in that mid are small adoratorio altars, as well as a depiction of a spot, which represented the threshold of the opening that xiuhcoatl (fire serpent), its head crested with points indi- communicated between the world of humans and the cating a relation to the cult of the sun, the renewal ensu- world where gods dwelt. This portal was represented by ing from the New Fire Ceremony, and the periodic cycle either an anthill, a sabine tree (Juniperus mexicana), a of fifty-two years. double cave, or a double spring. These binary elements, along with the colors red and blue, would later determine FURTHER READINGS the principal characteristics of the main pyramid dedi- León Portilla, M. 1967. El proceso de aculturación de los cated to Huitzilopochtli (god of war, a solar deiry) and to Chichimecas de Xólotl. Estudios de Cultura Náhuatl Tlaloc (god of rain, an earth-related deiry), two gods who 7:59-86. played opposite but complementary roles. Marquina,1. 1935. Tenayuca, estudio arqueológico de la Thirteen years later, around A.D. 1337, a group of dis- pirámide de Este Lugar. Talleres Gráficos del Museo contented Mexica broke away from the rest and founded Nacional de Arqueología, Historia y Ethnografia, 35.
    [Show full text]
  • Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire : Myths and Prophecies in the Aztec Tradition / Davíd Carrasco ; with a New Preface.—Rev
    Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire Myths and Prophecies in the Aztec Tradition Revised Edition David Carrasco ~University Press of Colorado Copyright © 2000 by the University Press of Colorado International Standard Book Number 0-87081-558-X Published by the University Press of Colorado 5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C Boulder, Colorado 80303 Previously published by the University of Chicago Press All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing enterprise supported, in part, by Adams State College, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State College, Metropolitan State College of Denver, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, University of Southern Colorado, and Western State College of Colorado. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Carrasco, Davíd. Quetzalcoatl and the irony of empire : myths and prophecies in the Aztec tradition / Davíd Carrasco ; with a new preface.—Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87081-558-X (alk. paper) 1. Aztec mythology. 2. Aztecs—Urban residence. 3. Quetzalcoatl (Aztec deity) 4. Sacred space—Mexico. I. Title. F1219.76.R45.C37 2000 299'.78452—dc21 00-048008 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my mythic figures
    [Show full text]
  • A Close Reading Investigation with Annotation Guide & Common Core
    Common Core! A Close Reading Investigation with Annotation Guide & Common Core Analysis Common Core Writing 6-8.1, Common Core Literacy 6-8.2,4 & 10 Historical Snapshot An Aztec Close Reading Investigation Mexico How the Aztecs finally settled these Tlatohtin were considered slaves, they were treated far kinder in the Aztec empire than typical he Aztec claimed that they originally slaves in other Mesoamerica empires. In addition to wandered from Aztlan, a sacred ground aggression and conquering, the Aztec appreciated the somewhere in Northern Mexico. Their value of trade, so the Tlatohtinm or merchants also T nomadic lifestyle and unique language, were respected in Aztec culture. These travelers Nahuatlm, kept them at arm’s length from other handed down their title and prestige through their Mesoamerican civilizations. In the 13th century, they lineage. Towering above all these classes were the attempted to settle into central Mexico, but warring Tetuhctin , rulers of various parts of the empire and among the surrounding city-states eventually the king himself. Their families were still given honor uprooted the Aztec people again. Seeking refuge, as nobles with the title ofpipiltin and enjoyed a life of they fled and colonized the small islands of Lake tranquility tucked into the island proper. To further Texcoco. In 1325, they began laying the foundation of complicate class structure, the Aztecs also allowed their greatest city Tenochtitlan upon witnessing an Calpolli , or the big house, to thrive in their culture. ancient prophecy come to life; The eagle perched on These massive house complexes sheltered a a prickly pear eating a snake is captured for all particular family mixed with leaders and commoners.
    [Show full text]
  • Aztec Art & Architecture
    AZTEC ART By MANUEL AGUILAR-MORENO, Ph.D. PHOTOGRAPHY: FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ Y GONZÁLEZ AND MANUEL AGUILAR-MORENO, Ph.D. DRAWINGS: LLUVIA ARRAS, FONDA PORTALES, ANNELYS PÉREZ AND RICHARD PERRY. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE AZTEC ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN Tolteca MONUMENTAL STONE SCULPTURE Ocelotl-Cuahxicalli Cuauhtli-Cuauhxicalli Dedication Stone Stone of the Warriors Bench Relief Teocalli of the Sacred War (Temple Stone) The Sun Stone The Stones of Tizoc and Motecuhzoma I Portrait of Motecuhzoma II Spiral Snail Shell (Caracol) Tlaltecuhtli (Earth God) Tlaltecuhtli del Metro (Earth God) Coatlicue Coatlicue of Coxcatlan Cihuacoatl Xiuhtecuhtli-Huitzilopochtli Coyolxauhqui Relief Head of Coyolxauhqui Xochipilli (God of Flowers) Feathered Serpent Xiuhcoatl (Fire Serpent Head) The Early Chacmool in the Tlaloc Shrine Tlaloc-Chacmool Chicomecoatl Huehueteotl Cihuateotl (Deified Woman) Altar of the Planet Venus Altar of Itzpaopalotl (Obsidian Butterfly) Ahuitzotl Box Tepetlacalli (Stone Box) with Figure Drawing Blood and Zacatapayolli Stone Box of Motecuhzoma II Head of an Eagle Warrior Jaguar Warrior Atlantean Warriors Feathered Coyote The Acolman Cross (Colonial Period, 1550) TERRACOTTA SCULPTURE Eagle Warrior Mictlantecuhtli Xipec Totec CERAMICS Vessel with a Mask of Tlaloc Funerary Urn with Image of God Tezcatlipoca Flutes WOOD ART Huehuetl (Vertical Drum) of Malinalco Teponaztli (Horizontal Drum) of Feline Teponaztli (Horizontal Drum) With Effigy of a Warrior Tlaloc FEATHER WORK The Headdress of Motecuhzoma II Feathered Fan Ahuitzotl Shield Chalice Cover Christ the Savior LAPIDARY ARTS Turquoise Mask Double-Headed Serpent Pectoral Sacrificial Knife Knife with an Image of a Face GOLD WORK FIGURES BIBLIOGRAPHY INTRODUCTION A main function of Aztec Art was to express religious and mythical concepts to legitimize the power of the State.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix a the Mandate of the Huey Tlahtocan (Great Council) of 1519
    Appendix A The Mandate of the Huey Tlahtocan (Great Council) of 1519 Sometimes called the Consigna de Cuauhtémoc, this message has been attributed often to the Huey Tlahtoani (Great Speaker), Cuauhtémoc, on behalf of the supreme governing council of the Anáhuac Confederation seated in México-Tenochtitlan (sixteenth century). The message was delivered at the end of the wars of resistance to the inva- sion. The text in Náhuatl and Spanish is taken from Nieva (1969), with my English translation. This message is one of the primary man- dates for the Mexicayotl movement. Table A1.1 Members of the Mexicayotl movement promote the Consigna de Cuáuhtemoc as an ancient mandate Náhuatl Spanish English Totonal yomotlatih. Nuestro sol, se ocultó. Our sun is hidden. Totonal yoixpolih, Nuestro Sol se perdió de vista, Our sun is out of sight, iuan zentlayouayan, y en completa oscuridad and it has left us in complete darkness. o tech Kahteh. nos ha dejado. Mach tikmatih man Ka okzepa ualla, Pero sabemos que otra vez volverá, But we know that it will return, man Ka okzepa Kizakin, que otra vez saldrá, that it will rise again, iuan yankuiotika tech tlauilikin. y nuevamente nos alumbrará. and it will illuminate us again. Mach inoka ompa Kah mitlan maniz Pero mientras allá esté en la mansión del But while it resides in the mansion of silence, 186 silencio, manzanueliui tozentlalikan, totechtecho muy prontamente nos reunamos, nos let us quickly gather, hold ourselves kan, estrechemos, iuan tozolnepantla, tiktlatikan, y en el centro de nuestro corazón, ocultemos, and in center of our heart, let us hide nochi intlen toyolkitlazohtla, todo lo que nuestro corazón ama, everything that our heart loves, Ki ueyi tlatkiomati.
    [Show full text]