DOCSLIB.ORG

The Aztecs the Aztecs

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Aztecs the Aztecs The Aztecs The Aztecs A tribe of hunters and farmers who migrated to the shores of Lake Texcoco in the 1200s. Founded Tenochtitlan in 1325. Empire borders stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and as far south as Guatemala. Became a powerful tribe that was skilled in the art of war. Tenochtitlan Capital city of the Aztec The city was connected empire. to the mainland by three Most modern city of the causeways/bridges. time. Empire grew to more than 5 million at its peak. Divided into four districts. Built on an island, in Modern day Mexico City Lake Texcoco, that had is built over the ruins of been enlarged until it Tenochtitlan. was two square miles. Had a population of half a million people. Aztec Warfare Aztecs conquered surrounding tribes and forced them to pay large tributes. Tribute = Taxes Conquering other tribes allowed the Aztecs to gain wealth and slaves for sacrifice. The conquered peoples were not happy and were easily convinced to revolt against the Aztecs. Aztec Government As the civilization grew, they formed city- states that were governed by an emperor. A council of nobles always chose the emperor from members of the royal family. The most important emperor was Montezuma. Montezuma Became emperor in 1502. Built many temples, water conduits, and hospitals. Expanded the empire as far south as Honduras. Even though the other conquered tribes disliked him, he was thought of as a great ruler by the Aztecs. Brought the Spaniards to Tenochtitlan. Religion Polytheistic – many gods Each village and each occupation had its own patron god. Worshipped over 60 gods and goddesses – some helpful, some harmful. To win favor from the helpful gods, the Aztecs made offerings to them. Sometime these offerings were human sacrifices. Pyramids were used as Temples. Sacrifices were made on an altar at the top of the pyramid. Blood would run down the steps. Most sacrificial victims were prisoners of war. Quetzalcoatl – God of learning and the priesthood, also god of arts and crafts Tlaloc – Rain god, most important to farmers Huitzilopochtli – Sun god an god of war, chief god of the town of Tenochtitlan Homoyoca – Ancient Sun god Advanced Civilization Aztecs had . Mathematical system to maintain their empire Calendar systems to organize their empire Farming system was very efficient Developed irrigation systems to help their crops grow during dry periods. Aztec Calendar Used two types of calendars. Lunar = based on the moon Solar = based on the sun The lunar calendar had 260 days Divided into 13 months, each month having 20 days. The Lunar calendar was considered magical and used to decide which days would be used for religious ceremonies and rituals. Aztec Calendar The solar calendar had 365 days Divided into 18 months, each month having 20 days. This calendar helped them determine planting and harvesting times. The extra five days were “nothing” days added to the end of each year and were considered unlucky. No activities were performed during the “nothing” days. At the end of the 5 days the Aztecs gave a sacrificial victim to the gods. Aztec Calendar Stone * Discovered in 1790 * 12 feet in diameter and weighs 20 tons Solar Calendar Lunar Calendar Aztec Calendar The image of the Sun god Tonatiuh is carved in the center of the Aztec calendar stone. Other carvings represent the Aztec days and religious symbols. Each month was represented by a dot. The individual days were given a specific name and symbol. Art Art used religious subjects and themes. The best remaining examples of Aztec art are architecture and sculpture. Used stone, wood, jade, turquoise, metal, emerald, and volcanic glass. Most Aztec gold treasures no longer exist as they were taken and melted down to reuse the gold. Many buildings and pieces of artwork were destroyed by the Spanish. Aztecs also made pottery and woven cloth. Aztec Sports Tlachtli is a ball game that was played during religious ceremonies. Court Requirements Played on a court. In the shape of a capital “I.” A vertical stone ring was in the middle of the side walls. The object of the game was to put the ball through the ring. They used a hard, rubber ball. This ball could only be moved by the players’ hips, knees, legs, and elbows. This game was used to determine who was to be sacrificed next. THE WINNERS!!!! Agriculture Slash and burn method. Terraces and Canals Chinampas were small islands formed in lake and swamp area. Made by digging mud at the bottom of the lake or swamp and piling it into little mounds. Sometimes called floating gardens, even though they did not really float. Common foods Corn (Maize), beans, squash Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, papayas, Rubber, cotton and cacao beans Language Had no alphabet. Wrote in glyphs (pictures). Paper was made from the bark of the wild fig tree. The bark was soaked and beaten into sheets. These sheets were coated with a varnish and stuck together. They were then folded like an accordion (codex). Spoke Nahuatl. Some Aztec words Acapulco, Mexico, avocado, chocolate, and tomato. The END of the Aztecs 1519 Spanish conquistador Cortes trained his men and Hernan Cortes lands on nearby natives that disliked the eastern coast of Mexico Aztecs. looking for gold By the time he reached • Conquistador = Spanish Tenochtitlan, he had 1500 explorer or soldier fighters . 1000 were natives. Had 11 ships, 500 soldiers, 1000 sailors and 16 horses In order to prevent his men from leaving, he burned his ships. • Success or death. Cortes & the Aztecs The Aztecs saw Cortes and his men, and believed that he was an Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl, who had returned to earth. He was taken back to Montezuma (emperor) and Tenochtitlan, where he saw what he called “the city of gold”. Cortes was given gold in the hopes that he would take the gifts and leave. After two years of struggle, Cortes and the Spanish were able to defeat the Aztecs in 1521. During this time, Montezuma was a prisoner in his own palace. Cortes hoped he could rule the Aztecs if he kept their leader hostage. 240,000 Aztecs were killed, and the city was destroyed. How were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztecs so easily? Guns Cannons Horses Thought the men and their horses were one creature. European diseases Smallpox 1520 – thousands died The Aztec enemies helped the Spanish Life after the Aztecs Major consequence of the Spanish conflict with the Aztecs . Creation of a new Spanish empire by the end of the 1500’s. Stretched from the southern tip of California to the tip of South America. Thousands of colonists moved from Spain to settle in the New World. Influenced religion, customs and trade..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Mat of Serpents: Aztec Strategies of Control from an Empire in Decline
    A Mat of Serpents: Aztec Strategies of Control from an Empire in Decline Jerónimo Reyes On my honor, Professors Andrea Lepage and Elliot King mark the only aid to this thesis. “… the ruler sits on the serpent mat, and the crown and the skull in front of him indicate… that if he maintained his place on the mat, the reward was rulership, and if he lost control, the result was death.” - Aztec rulership metaphor1 1 Emily Umberger, " The Metaphorical Underpinnings of Aztec History: The Case of the 1473 Civil War," Ancient Mesoamerica 18, 1 (2007): 18. I dedicate this thesis to my mom, my sister, and my brother for teaching me what family is, to Professor Andrea Lepage for helping me learn about my people, to Professors George Bent, and Melissa Kerin for giving me the words necessary to find my voice, and to everyone and anyone finding their identity within the self and the other. Table of Contents List of Illustrations ………………………………………………………………… page 5 Introduction: Threads Become Tapestry ………………………………………… page 6 Chapter I: The Sum of its Parts ………………………………………………… page 15 Chapter II: Commodification ………………………………………………… page 25 Commodification of History ………………………………………… page 28 Commodification of Religion ………………………………………… page 34 Commodification of the People ………………………………………… page 44 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………... page 53 Illustrations ……………………………………………………………………... page 54 Appendices ……………………………………………………………………... page 58 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………... page 60 …. List of Illustrations Figure 1: Statue of Coatlicue, Late Period, 1439 (disputed) Figure 2: Peasant Ritual Figurines, Date Unknown Figure 3: Tula Warrior Figure Figure 4: Mexica copy of Tula Warrior Figure, Late Aztec Period Figure 5: Coyolxauhqui Stone, Late Aztec Period, 1473 Figure 6: Male Coyolxauhqui, carving on greenstone pendant, found in cache beneath the Coyolxauhqui Stone, Date Unknown Figure 7: Vessel with Tezcatlipoca Relief, Late Aztec Period, ca.
    [Show full text]
  • Ross Hassig. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control
    Comparative Civilizations Review Volume 24 Number 24 Spring 1991 Article 11 4-1-1991 Ross Hassig. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control C. Chase-Dunn Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr Recommended Citation Chase-Dunn, C. (1991) "Ross Hassig. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 24 : No. 24 , Article 11. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol24/iss24/11 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Comparative Civilizations Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Chase-Dunn: Ross Hassig. <em>Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Book Reviews 101 STRATEGIC AND MORAL ORDER IN THE MAKING AND MAINTENANCE OF EMPIRE Ross Hassig. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. Hassig's book is an excellent presentation of the history of the Aztec conquest of central Mexico, an amazing story of rags to riches. It equals in drama the rise of Rome from an insignificant rural town and the rise of the United States from a department set of colonies to world-system hegemony. The Aztecs were nomadic foragers who migrated into the valley of Mexico, a state-based world-system which had already seen the rise and decline of empires. Occupying an island in a shallow lake surrounded by competing city-states, the Aztecs began their career as mercenary allies of the Tepanec empire.
    [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]
  • MILITARY HISTORY MARCH 2017 Wlm Mm ' S a M Bascv;,;'•W- V- *#Jt
    For his astounding overthrow of earned royal appointment as governor of the conquered territory, dubbed New Spain. MILITARY HISTORY MARCH 2017 WlM mm ' S A m BascV;,;'•W- v- *#jt. , n Aug. 13, 1521, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes received the surrender of Cuauhtemoc, ruler of the Aztec people. The astonishing handover occurred amid the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the shattered capital of a mighty empire whose influ­ ence had stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and extended from central Mexico south into parts of what would become Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. After an 80-day siege Cortes had come to a terrible resolu­ tion: He ordered the city razed. House by house, street by street, building by building, his men pulled down Tenochtitlan’s walls and smashed them into rubble. Envoys from every tribe in the former empire later came to gaze on the wrecked remains of the city that had held them in subjection and fear for so long. But how had Cortes accomplished his conquest? Less than three years had passed since he set foot The conquistadors’ m ilitary technology was unquestionably on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, yet he had de­ superior to that of every tribe they encountered. The war­ riors’ weapons and armor were made of wood, stone and stroyed the greatest power in Mesoamerica with a hide, while those of the Spaniards were wrought of iron and relative handful of men. His initial force comprised steel. Atlatls, slings and simple bows— their missiles tipped 11 ships, 110 sailors, 553 soldiers—including 32 with obsidian, flint or fish bone—could not match the power crossbowmen and 13 bearing harquebuses (early or range of the crossbow.
    [Show full text]
  • Smith, ME. the Aztec Empire. in the Aztec World
    SEVEN THE AZTEC EMPIRE ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY The Empire of the Triple Alliance-often called the Aztec empire-occupied a somewhat para- doxical place in Aztec history and society. On the one hand the empire was the dominant politi- cal and economic force in central Mexico at the time of Spanish conquest (1521). Many or most of the best-known art objects from Aztec culture were produced for imperial rulers and elites, and they only make sense within the context of the empire. On the other hand, the effects of Aztec imperialism on people were sometimes quite modest. Unlike the Roman or Inkan emper- ors, whose armies and bureaucrats interfered greatly in provincial society, Aztec emperors were content to leave things alone in the provinces so long as people paid their taxes. In this essay I explore this paradox, emphasizing two aspects of Aztec imperialism: its effects on people and its manifestation in art and archaeology. The rise to power of Tenochtitlan, the dominant imperial capital, is a dramatic story that is preserved in numerous official historical accounts written down after the Spanish conquest. The chronicle includes dramatic battles, courtly intrigue, and a story of religious predestination in which the gods guided and protected the Mexica rulers and people on their imperial journey. But in order to understand the empire, we need to begin with its background of city-states (altepetl in Nahuatl). BACKGROUND TO EMPIRE: AZTEC CITY-STATES (ALTEPETL) The ancestors of the Aztec peoples migrated to central Mexico from a semi-mythical northern homeland they called Aztlan. When groups of immigrants settled in the valleys of highland central Mexico-most likely during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D.-they established dozens of small, independent kingdoms, the altepetl (see Chapter 2).
    [Show full text]
  • Games of Power: Spectacle in the Aztec and Roman Worlds
    Games of Power: Spectacle in the Aztec and Roman Worlds Colonial writers who came in contact with the Aztecs in the 16th century often refer to the combat spectacles they witnessed as escaramuzas, or skirmishes. In the Roman Imperial period, spectacula encompassed a wide variety of events, the term generally referring to “events seen by a public.”1 Sponsored by the state, spectacles were often aggressive, violent and dangerous confrontations between individuals or large groups in a public space, and the death of one party was ultimately expected, and even often ensured. In Juegos Aztecas Rituales, López Austin argues that Aztec rituals cannot be equated with Greek athletics, and furthermore, they cannot be compared, as the first Europeans had attempted, to Roman gladiatorial games. However, the mock battles of the Aztec world and the arena games of the Romans both served key social roles and functioned as visual demonstrations of imperial strength and as a means of socially reinforcing hierarchical values. I will highlight the ways in which publicly staged mock battles – taking place within the city’s boundaries – formed an integral part of imperial strategy, serving as opportunities for each empire to make public displays of the authority they exerted and maintained over conquered peoples and lands. In order to explore the role of mock battles in the Aztec and Roman realm, I will briefly describe some of the participants and some of the occasions on which the battles occurred, including a few of the principal Aztec feasts that featured this practice. These events played an important part within the larger event of the ritual itself, as recorded by Bernardino de Sahagún in Book II, Ceremonies, of the Florentine Codex from the 16th century.
    [Show full text]
  • AZTEC ARCHITECTURE by MANUEL AGUILAR-MORENO, Ph.D
    AZTEC ARCHITECTURE by MANUEL AGUILAR-MORENO, Ph.D. PHOTOGRAPHY: FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ Y GONZÁLEZ AND MANUEL AGUILAR-MORENO, Ph.D. DRAWINGS: LLUVIA ARRAS, FONDA PORTALES, ANNELYS PÉREZ, RICHARD PERRY AND MARIA RAMOS. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Symbolism TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE General Construction of Pyramid-Temples Temples Types of pyramids Round Pyramids Twin Stair Pyramids Shrines (Adoratorios ) Early Capital Cities City-State Capitals Ballcourts Aqueducts and Dams Markets Gardens BUILDING MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES THE PRECINCT OF TENOCHTITLAN Introduction Urbanism Ceremonial Plaza (Interior of the Sacred Precinct) The Great Temple Myths Symbolized in the Great Temple Construction Stages Found in the Archaeological Excavations of the Great Temple Construction Phase I Construction Phase II Construction Phase III Construction Phase IV Construction Phase V Construction Phase VI Construction Phase VII Emperor’s Palaces Homes of the Inhabitants Chinampas Ballcourts Temple outside the Sacred Precinct OTHER CITIES Tenayuca The Pyramid Wall of Serpents Tomb-Altar Sta. Cecilia Acatitlan The Pyramid Teopanzolco Tlatelolco The Temple of the Calendar Temple of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl Sacred Well Priests’ Residency The Marketplace Tetzcotzinco Civic Monuments Shrines Huexotla The Wall La Comunidad (The Community) La Estancia (The Hacienda) Santa Maria Group San Marcos Santiago The Ehecatl- Quetzalcoatl Building Tepoztlan The Pyramid-Temple of Tepoztlan Calixtlahuaca Temple of Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl The Tlaloc Cluster The Calmecac Group Ballcourt Coatetelco Malinalco Temple I (Cuauhcalli) – Temple of the Eagle and Jaguar Knights Temple II Temple III Temple IV Temple V Temple VI Figures Bibliography INTRODUCTION Aztec architecture reflects the values and civilization of an empire, and studying Aztec architecture is instrumental in understanding the history of the Aztecs, including their migration across Mexico and their re-enactment of religious rituals.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Indigenous Responses to Europeans During Moments of Early Encounter in the Caribbean and Mesoamerica, 1492-C.1585
    ‘The People from Heaven’?: Reading indigenous responses to Europeans during moments of early encounter in the Caribbean and Mesoamerica, 1492-c.1585 Claudia Jane Rogers Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of History May 2018 ii The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. The right of Claudia Jane Rogers to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. iii Acknowledgements Firstly, my thanks are due to my supervisors, Anyaa Anim-Addo and Manuel Barcia Paz, to whom I owe a huge amount – both professionally and personally. Their wisdom, insights, and perspectives have shaped and strengthened this project from beginning to end. I wish to thank them for their kind and supportive guidance, which they have always given generously. Anyaa and Manuel, my study is much stronger than it would have been without you, as am I. This work was supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (grant number AH/L503848/1) through the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH). WRoCAH has not only provided further financial support for research trips and conference attendance throughout my studentship, but valuable training and opportunities for professional development, too. I thank Caryn Douglas, Clare Meadley, and Julian Richards for all their help and support.
    [Show full text]
  • Aztec Human Sacrifice As Entertainment? the Physio-Psycho- Social Rewards of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2017 Aztec Human Sacrifice as Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho- Social Rewards of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations Linda Jane Hansen University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Hansen, Linda Jane, "Aztec Human Sacrifice as Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho-Social Rewards of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1287. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1287 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE AS ENTERTAINMENT? THE PHYSIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL REWARDS OF AZTEC SACRIFICIAL CELEBRATIONS ___________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology Joint PhD Program University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Linda Prueitt Hansen June 2017 Advisor: Dr. Annabeth Headrick ©Copyright by Linda Prueitt Hansen 2017 All Rights Reserved Author: Linda Prueitt Hansen Title: Aztec Human Sacrifice as Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho-Social Rewards of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations Advisor: Dr. Annabeth Headrick Degree Date: June 2017 ABSTRACT Human sacrifice in the sixteenth-century Aztec Empire, as recorded by Spanish chroniclers, was conducted on a large scale and was usually the climactic ritual act culminating elaborate multi-day festivals.
    [Show full text]
  • Born and Bred in Blood: the Fall of the Aztec Empire”
    Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Conference, 8–10 April 2021 Melina Arciniega, University of Alaska Fairbanks, undergraduate student, “Born and Bred in Blood: The Fall of the Aztec Empire” Abstract: The fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521 was a surprising feat given the well-known, vast power, and fighting capabilities of the Aztec people. Many questions since then have arisen as to how such a mighty empire had so rapidly fallen. These theories hold implications that the Aztecs were victims to the incoming disease, famine, and domination inflicted by the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes. Alongside these proposals I suggest that by examining archaeological and historical evidence, the Aztec traditional practices were also responsible for its society’s collapse. By identifying the significance of the human sacrifices, the cultural, political, and economical ramifications lead a straight line to the destruction of this massive civilization. Taking into account some major hypothesis in the causation of this society’s downfall, I further examine the capabilities of Aztec technology and their possible weaknesses that may have suggested other factors contributing to their defeat. By exposing the causes behind the frequency and procedures with which the Aztec practices their rituals of human sacrifice, conclusions can be drawn about the cause of the fall of the Aztec empire. Born and Bred in Blood; The Fall of the Aztec Empire Melina Arciniega Alpha Eta Epsilon University of Alaska - Fairbanks Undergraduate March 2021 1 INTRODUCTION: The Aztec, otherwise known as the Mexica or the Triple Alliance, was an empire during the Late Postclassic period in Mesoamerica (Smith 1987).
    [Show full text]
  • “Tenochtitlan Did Not Die a Natural Death, But, Violently, by the Sword
    Collins 1 Expansionism and Religion: The Fatal Flaws of the Aztec Empire By Kevin O. Collins Senior Seminar: Hst 499 Professor Hsieh Bau Hwa Western Oregon University June 7, 2007 Readers Professor John L. Rector Professor Benedict Lowe Copyright © Kevin Collins, 2007 Collins 2 “Who could conquer Tenochtitlan? Who could shake the foundation of heaven. ?”1 Tenochtitlan, like the mythical lost city of Atlantis, has drawn curiosity for centuries. In the recounting of the Aztec capital’s tragic apocalypse many have emphasized the actions of two men, Cortes on the Spanish side, and Montezuma on the Aztec. Yet, few historians, especially those writing before the twentieth century, have really explored the relationship between the Aztecs’ politics and the collapse of their empire. However, time has gradually revealed the Aztec’s past, and with the coming of the twentieth century and postmodernist thinking, the Aztec’s story and identity has begun to be heard. It is now possible to reveal the relationship between the Aztecs’ violent and arbitrary rule and the demise of their empire. Both Cortes and Montezuma were key figures in Tenochtitlan’s downfall, yet, it was the Aztecs own politics which had made the city vulnerable to conquest long before Cortes’s feet touched the Mexican beach. Regardless of historians’ attempts at neutrality, their writings regarding Tenochtitlan’s fall are all somewhat biased. In the sixteenth century historians described the righteousness of Spanish might, and the holiness of their actions. Of course, this view did not last forever. As the Spaniards of the original conquest laid long buried, the native population began to rebound, and eventually Mexico gained its independence, historians began to turn away from the conquistadors and turn towards the Aztecs and its neighboring or subordinate peoples.
    [Show full text]
  • Musical Conquests: Encounters in Music Cultures of Aztec and Early Colonial Times
    Arnd Adje Both Musical Conquests: Encounters in Music Cultures of Aztec and Early Colonial Times Summary This paper explores the socio-political and religious dimensions of sound and music making by comparing two culturally distinct but intimately connected time periods related to the same place: the Valley of Mexico. First, Aztec practices of musical domination and control over conquered societies in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica (1325 to 1521 CE) are revised. Then the Hispanic strategies of musical domination and control over the conquered Aztecs in the Early Colonial times (1521 to 1600) are reviewed and compared with the Aztec model. The paper asks which differences are present and whether there are structural similarities in musical conquests. Keywords: sonic warfare; musical conquest; Aztecs; proselytization Dieser Artikel untersucht die sozio-politischen und religiösen Dimensionen des Musizie- rens und Klangerzeugens über den Vergleich zweier kulturell unterschiedlicher, aber nah beieinander liegenden Zeitabschnitte an ein und demselben Ort: dem Tal von Mexiko. Zunächst werden die Praktiken der Azteken zur Ausübung musikalischer Dominanz und Kontrolle über die von ihnen eroberten Gesellschaften der späten post-klassischen Periode Mesoamerikas (1325 bis 1521 n. Chr.) untersucht. Darauf folgend werden die spanischen Strategien der musikalischen Dominanz und Kontrolle über die eroberten Azteken der frü- hen Kolonialzeit (1521 bis 1600) beleuchtet und dem aztekischen Modell gegenübergestellt. Der Artikel fragt nach den
    [Show full text]