Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl and His Position in the Succession of Toltec Rulers: an Interpretation Through Colhua History
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La Saga De Ce Ácatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl
SECCIÓN GENERAL RELACIONES 95, VERANO 2003, VOL. XXIV Ce Ácatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl ha sido objeto de interpretaciones ex- travagantes y confusas. En el presente trabajo se estudian primero las fuentes históricas que hablan del personaje histórico descrito como el fundador y gobernador de Tula (lo que podría llamarse la “Saga de Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl”), para distinguirlo del protagonista presenta- do como el causante de la destrucción y el abandono de Tula (el “Ci- clo de Huémac”). (Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, Huémac, Tula: fundación, auge y caída, Chi- chén Itzá y Kukulcán) A SAGA DE CE ÁCATL TOPILTZIN QUETZALCÓATL L Enrique Florescano* CONACULTA The documents [relacionados con el relato de Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl de Tula], taken together, constitute a rich, fascinating, confused, and contradictory corpus, a remarkable mélange of intricately blended, historical, legendary, and mythological elements. Nicholson 2001, 247. Ce Ácatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, el legendario rey y sacerdote de Tula es el personaje más citado por las fuentes que narran la historia de este reino y su trágica destrucción en el siglo XIII. Ningún otro individuo del mundo prehispánico alcanzó esa fama, ni su memoria fue recogida por tantos cantares, leyendas y monumentos, ni su recuerdo se propagó por tan diversas regiones de Mesoamérica. Pero también es verdad, como lo advirtió hace tiempo Henry Nicholson,1 que esos testimonios mezclan * [email protected] 1 Nicholson, 2001. Este libro, conocido en forma de tesis desde 1957, es la mejor obra sobre las fuentes que construyeron la figura y el mito del Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl de Tula. Se trata de una verdadera enciclopedia, donde el lector puede encontrar todas las refe- rencias y temas sobre este personaje recogidos en las fuentes de los siglos XVI al XVIII. -
Toltec.Html Toltec
Text and pictures adapted from http://www.crystalinks.com/toltec.html Toltec The Atlantes are columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula The word Toltec in Mesoamerican studies has been used in different ways by different scholars to refer to actual populations and polities of pre-Columbian central Mexico or to the mythical ancestors mentioned in the mythical/historical narratives of the Aztecs. It is an ongoing debate whether the Toltecs can be understood to have formed an actual ethnic group at any point in Mesoamerican history or if they are mostly or only a product of Aztec myth. The scholars who have understood the Toltecs to have been an actual ethnic group often connect them to the archeological site of Tula, Hidalgo which is then supposed to have been the Tollan of Aztec myth. This tradition assumes the "Toltec empire" to have dominated much of central Mexico between the 10th and 12th century AD. Other Mexican cities such as Teotihuacán have also been proposed to have been the historical Tollan "Place of Reeds", the city from which the name Tolteca "inhabitant of Tollan" is derived in the Nahuatl language. The term Toltec has also been associated with the arrival of certain Central Mexican cultural traits into the Mayan sphere of dominance that took place in the late classic and early postclassic periods, and the Postclassic Mayan civilizations of Chichén Itzá, Mayapán and the Guatemalan highlands have been referred to as "toltecized" or "mexicanized" Mayas. For example the striking similarities between the city of Tula, Hidalgo and Chichen Itza have often been cited as direct evidence for Toltec dominance of the Postclassic Maya. -
The Maya and Their Neighbours Internal and External Contactsthroughtin1e
The Historical Profile of Kukulcan Jansen, M.E.R.G.N.; van Broekhoven, L.N.K.; Valencia Rivera, R.; Vis, B.; Sachse, F. Citation Jansen, M. E. R. G. N. (2010). The Historical Profile of Kukulcan. Acta Mesoamericana, 22, 89-104. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/16341 Version: Not Applicable (or Unknown) License: Leiden University Non-exclusive license Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/16341 Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable). ACTA MESOAMERICANA Volume Lama van Broekhoven, Rogelio Valencia Ri vera, Benjamin Vis, Frauke Sachse(eds.) The Maya and their Neighbours Internal and External ContactsThroughTin1e Proceedings of the 10th European Maya Conference Leiden December 9-10,2005 Separata VERLAG ANT ON SAURWElN 2010 Wayeb Advisory Editorial Board Alain Breton Andres Ciudad Ruiz Elizabeth Graham Nikolai Grube Nom1an Hammond Die Deutsche Bibliothek -- CIP Einheitsaufnahme Bin Titelsatz dieser Publikation ist bei Der Deutschen Bibliothek erhiiltlich ISBN 1419-1 Copyright VerlagAnton Saurwein, Markt Schwaben, 20 I 0 Alle Reehte vorbehalten / all rights reserved Fraukc Sachse Druek: Wissner, Miinchen Bindung: Scllmldkon:l, Printed in The Historical Profile of Kukulcan Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen LEIDEN UNIVERSITY Introduction region between Maya and Mexica, namely those contained in the Nuu Dzaui (Mixtec) In the liminal zone between the Classic and codices, which so far have received little the Postclassic we encounter a Toltec ruler of attention but may be highly pertinent to this legendary proportions, called Kukulcan question.3 (K'uk'ulkan) by the Yucatec Maya and Quetzalcoatl by the Mexica. Both names mean The narrative "Plumed Serpent". -
The Bilimek Pulque Vessel (From in His Argument for the Tentative Date of 1 Ozomatli, Seler (1902-1923:2:923) Called Atten- Nicholson and Quiñones Keber 1983:No
CHAPTER 9 The BilimekPulqueVessel:Starlore, Calendrics,andCosmologyof LatePostclassicCentralMexico The Bilimek Vessel of the Museum für Völkerkunde in Vienna is a tour de force of Aztec lapidary art (Figure 1). Carved in dark-green phyllite, the vessel is covered with complex iconographic scenes. Eduard Seler (1902, 1902-1923:2:913-952) was the first to interpret its a function and iconographic significance, noting that the imagery concerns the beverage pulque, or octli, the fermented juice of the maguey. In his pioneering analysis, Seler discussed many of the more esoteric aspects of the cult of pulque in ancient highland Mexico. In this study, I address the significance of pulque in Aztec mythology, cosmology, and calendrics and note that the Bilimek Vessel is a powerful period-ending statement pertaining to star gods of the night sky, cosmic battle, and the completion of the Aztec 52-year cycle. The Iconography of the Bilimek Vessel The most prominent element on the Bilimek Vessel is the large head projecting from the side of the vase (Figure 2a). Noting the bone jaw and fringe of malinalli grass hair, Seler (1902-1923:2:916) suggested that the head represents the day sign Malinalli, which for the b Aztec frequently appears as a skeletal head with malinalli hair (Figure 2b). However, because the head is not accompanied by the numeral coefficient required for a completetonalpohualli Figure 2. Comparison of face date, Seler rejected the Malinalli identification. Based on the appearance of the date 8 Flint on front of Bilimek Vessel with Aztec Malinalli sign: (a) face on on the vessel rim, Seler suggested that the face is the day sign Ozomatli, with an inferred Bilimek Vessel, note malinalli tonalpohualli reference to the trecena 1 Ozomatli (1902-1923:2:922-923). -
Encounter with the Plumed Serpent
Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez ENCOUNTENCOUNTEERR withwith thethe Drama and Power in the Heart of Mesoamerica Preface Encounter WITH THE plumed serpent i Mesoamerican Worlds From the Olmecs to the Danzantes GENERAL EDITORS: DAVÍD CARRASCO AND EDUARDO MATOS MOCTEZUMA The Apotheosis of Janaab’ Pakal: Science, History, and Religion at Classic Maya Palenque, GERARDO ALDANA Commoner Ritual and Ideology in Ancient Mesoamerica, NANCY GONLIN AND JON C. LOHSE, EDITORS Eating Landscape: Aztec and European Occupation of Tlalocan, PHILIP P. ARNOLD Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures, Revised Edition, ANTHONY AVENI Encounter with the Plumed Serpent: Drama and Power in the Heart of Mesoamerica, MAARTEN JANSEN AND GABINA AURORA PÉREZ JIMÉNEZ In the Realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya Archaeology at Laguna de On, Belize, MARILYN A. MASSON Life and Death in the Templo Mayor, EDUARDO MATOS MOCTEZUMA The Madrid Codex: New Approaches to Understanding an Ancient Maya Manuscript, GABRIELLE VAIL AND ANTHONY AVENI, EDITORS Mesoamerican Ritual Economy: Archaeological and Ethnological Perspectives, E. CHRISTIAN WELLS AND KARLA L. DAVIS-SALAZAR, EDITORS Mesoamerica’s Classic Heritage: Teotihuacan to the Aztecs, DAVÍD CARRASCO, LINDSAY JONES, AND SCOTT SESSIONS Mockeries and Metamorphoses of an Aztec God: Tezcatlipoca, “Lord of the Smoking Mirror,” GUILHEM OLIVIER, TRANSLATED BY MICHEL BESSON Rabinal Achi: A Fifteenth-Century Maya Dynastic Drama, ALAIN BRETON, EDITOR; TRANSLATED BY TERESA LAVENDER FAGAN AND ROBERT SCHNEIDER Representing Aztec Ritual: Performance, Text, and Image in the Work of Sahagún, ELOISE QUIÑONES KEBER, EDITOR The Social Experience of Childhood in Mesoamerica, TRACI ARDREN AND SCOTT R. HUTSON, EDITORS Stone Houses and Earth Lords: Maya Religion in the Cave Context, KEITH M. -
Aztec Deities
A ztec Z T E C Deities E I T I E S Aztec Z T E C Deities E I T I Figurte 1 “Roland's Friend: 2002” E S Other Works ™ ramblin/rose publications My Father's Room The Four Season's of the Master Myth If Only…A collaboration with Bill Pearlman Mexican Vibrations, Vibraciones Méxicanas Mexican Secrets, Estrangement and Once Again…Alone; with poems by Bill Pearlman Twenty A Magical Number with Tonalphalli: The Count of Fate & Convergence: 2002 CD/DVD: Gods, Land & People of Mexico Con tu permiso: Dioes, Tierra y Gente de México CD/DVD: Work in Progress: The Four Seasons of the Master Myth Books can be downloaded free: www.salazargallery.com www.E-artbooks.com Aztec Z T E C Deities E I T I Figurte 1 “Roland's Friend: 2002” E S Roland Salazar Rose ™ PUBLISHED BY RAMBLIN/ROSE PUBLICATIONS Images Copyright Roland Salazar Rose 2000-2008 All content, identified in this book “Aztec Deities” published 2008, marked by this notice: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11” are “from Wikipedia®, the free encyclopedia and are considered “copyleft”; therefore the following copyright notice applies to each and every page of written text so identified by “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10&11”. “Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. -
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. -
“Processions, Causeways, and Vistas”
Processions and Aztec State Rituals in the Landscape of the Valley of Mexico Johanna Broda This article explores the dimensions of geography, territory and ritual landscapes in the Valley of Mexico during Aztec times (15th and 16th centuries AD). It applies an interdisciplinary perspective combining anthropology, ethnohistory, archaeology, cultural geography and archaeoastronomy to reconstruct Aztec vision of place that transformed the Basin of Mexico into a sacred geography where lakes and mountains, volcanic landscapes, rocks and boulders, temples as well as towns and settlements of other ethnic groups were reinterpreted by the Aztecs according to their cosmovisión. This geography was the stage for the performance of ritual dramas enacted by the Aztec state (Figure 1). Processions and other ritualized acts in the natural as well as the built environment formed an important part of the Aztec calendar festivals; they usually were integrated into larger rituals. By cosmovision, I mean the structured view by which ancient Mesoamericans combined their notions of cosmology into a coherent whole situating the life of man within this cosmic order. This view implied the observation of nature, but it also related the cosmos to society and to the state. Figure 1. Pathway of the priests after kindling New Fire at Huixachtecatl, Cerro de la Estrella (Codex Borbonicus, p. 34, detail). Broda, “Processions and Aztec State Rituals in the Landscape of the Valley of Mexico” Processions in the Ancient Americas, Penn State University Occasional Papers in Anthropology No. 33 (2016): 179 Ideology, on the other hand, denotes a establish a connection with their Chichimec system of symbolic representation that heritage, hunting and warfare. -
Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli The god of war, sacrifice and the sun. His name means ‘Hummingbird of the South’. He is always shown wearing a headdress made of large feathers and wielding the turquoise snake, Xiuhcoatl, as a weapon. visit twinkl.com Tlaloc The god of rain and water. Aztecs would pray to Tlaloc for rain to help their crops grow although he could also send storms if he was angry. He is often shown with fangs and large eyes. visit twinkl.com Tezcatlipoca The god of the night, magic and the earth. His name means ‘smoking mirror’. His sacred animal is the jaguar and he is usually shown with yellow and black stripes across his face. visit twinkl.com Chicomecoatl The goddess of agriculture, nourishment and corn. Her name means ‘seven snakes’. She is usually shown as a young girl carrying flowers. visit twinkl.com Quetzalcoatl The god of life and wind. His name means ‘feathered serpent’. Aztecs believe that Quetzalcoatl created mankind. He is often shown as a feathered serpent which could fly (similar to a dragon). visit twinkl.com Xochiquetzal The goddess of beauty and art. She is usually shown as a young, beautiful woman wearing fancy clothes. She looked after mothers and people who made beautiful things, such as craftspeople. visit twinkl.com Chalchiuhtlicue The goddess of rivers and lakes. Her name means ‘she of the jade skirt’. She is also sometimes seen as the protector of navigators. She is usually shown wearing a tasselled headdress and a skirt with a stream of water flowing out of it. visit twinkl.com Mixcoatl The god of the hunt and the stars. -
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 -
Aztec Deities
A ztec Z T E C Deities E I T I E S Introduction to Aztec Deities In 2000, I began a series entitled themselves at Tenochitlán (Mexico Aztec Deities. I chose eleven Aztec City); the emperor Montezuma gods' names for the series. welcomed him. This foolish move Interestingly, there was a god for by Montezuma allowed Cortéz to almost every purpose and aspect of make his headquarters in the life in the Aztec culture. I chose capitol. Later, he was informed that some of their most important gods other Aztecs had plundered and goddesses; others were a purely Veracruz and killed the contingent arbitrary choice on my part. I did of men he left there. He seized this series because I wanted to relate Montezuma and forced his as a 'gringo' and as contemporary surrender of his warriors; he then visual artist, on the subject of these executed the emperor. fascinating and important Aztec deities. Cortés and men were astonished at the incredibly advanced city-state of Tenochtitlán, which had been Extremely bloody religious rituals built on a large lake with irrigation. and internecine warfare dominated With a population of over 200,000 the Aztec empire (1427-1521) and people, larger than any European helped to finally result in its demise. city at that time, Tenochtitlán's At its apex it stretched across most markets brimmed with produce. of central Mesoamerica. Gold, silver and precious stones were displayed in abundance. The infamously indomitable Cortés realized that the Spanish Spanish conquistador Hernando crown would reward him for Cortés conquered it with a very finding gold and that he would small army after his landing on the become personally wealthy. -
Las Representaciones De Xipe Tótec En La Frontera Sur Mesoamericana
Mencos, Elisa 2010 Las representaciones de Xipe Totec en la frontera sur Mesoamericana. En XXIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2009 (editado por B. Arroyo, A. Linares y L. Paiz), pp.1259- 1266. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala (versión digital). 94 LAS REPRESENTACIONES DE XIPE TOTEC EN LA FRONTERA SUR MESOAMERICANA Elisa Mencos Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala PALABRAS CLAVE Iconografía, deidad, Xipe Totec, sacrificio ABSTRACT THE REPRESENTATIONS OF XIPE TOTEC IN THE SOUTHERN MESOAMERICAN BORDER Xipe Tótec is a god with origins in Preclassic times. Its cult expanded throughout the Classic period, and into the Postclassic, where it was lost with the arrival of the conquistadors. It is of special importance, since it is considered the god of spring, fertility, the renewal of vegetation, fertilizing rain, and goldsmiths. It is a multifaceted god, whose images have been found throughout the southern Mesoamerican border, the product of migrations by cultural groups to this area. The present work is focused on the compilation of representations of Xipe Tótec found in the Maya Lowlands, the South Coast of Guatemala, and El Salvador. Durante el Período Postclásico, tanto en el Área Maya como en el resto de Mesoamérica, la frecuencia de sacrificios humanos fue mayor, de acuerdo a la evidencia encontrada en los distintos sitios de esta época. La religión justificó el poder político y las guerras, dando como resultado las guerras rituales para obtener cautivos para el sacrificio, mientras que se continuaba rindiendo culto a diversos dioses. Existió un número superior de divinidades en tiempos pasados, debido a la llegada de los toltecas a la zona.