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Mexica
Márcio Padilha
Universidad de Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Gto., México
The Mexica:
Basic Concepts
  One of the great
  Mesoamerican Civilizations.

  Inhabited the Valley of Mexico
  circa 1325 AD-1521 AD


  Polytheistic
“Mesoamerica:” what is that?

   It is a cultural region in the
    Americas where a number
   of pre-Columbian societies
       flourished before the
   Spanish colonization of the
    Americas in the 15th and
           16th centuries.
“Mesoamerica:” Where is that?
Valley of Mexico


                    • Roughly where
       Highlands      the Federal
                      District and
       plateau in     eastern half of
     central Mexico the State of
                      Mexico are

     It was a center • Teotihuacan
     for several pre- • The Toltec
       Columbian      • The Aztec
       civilizations
Polytheism?

Polytheistic…          Polytheism




                poly                theos




                many                god
Terminology Interrelation


                  Mexica



          Aztec        Náhuatl
Terminology Interrelation
Mexica              Náhuatl              Aztec

   • Demonym:          • Language:          • Origin:
     • The               • Group of           • The
       indigenous          related              Náhuatl
       people              languages            word for
                           and                  "people
       of the              dialects of          from
       Valley of           the Uto-             Aztlán,”
       Mexico,             Aztecan              the
       who lived           language             mythical
       in Aztlán.          family,              ancestral
                           spoken by            home of
                           the                  the Mexica
                           Mexicas.             people.
So, in comparison…

         Aztlán/     Mexica/
          USA        Idahoan




         Aztec/      Náhuatl/
        American     English
Uto-Aztecan Languages


                        Uto


                        Utah
Mexico, Land of the Mexica!

At first, “Mexico” referred to
the settlements in the valley
which became the site of
what is now Mexico City.
• Hot Summers
• Cool Winters
Foods


                  • maize
        Staple
        Foods:    • beans
                  • squash

                  • chilis
    Condiments:
                  • tomatoes
Drinks

        Different     •   maize
        alcoholic     •   honey
     beverages were
       made from      •   pineapple
       fermented:     •   cactus fruit


         Xocolatl
                      • Yes,
                        chocolate!
Cannibalism
The Aztecs practiced ritualistic cannibalism.


Victims, usually prisoners of war, were sacrificed
in public on top of temples and pyramids by
cutting out their hearts.


The bodies were then thrown down to the
ground where they were dismembered.


The pieces were then distributed to the
elite, which were mostly warriors and priests.

The meat was consumed in the form of stews
flavored only with salt and eaten with maize
tortillas, but without the otherwise ubiquitous
chili.
Chinampas

Often referred to as "floating
gardens"



Created by staking out the shallow
lake bed and then fencing in the
rectangle with wattle.


The fenced-off area was then layered
with mud, lake sediment, and
decaying vegetation, eventually
bringing it above the level of the lake.
Chinampas

Often trees were planted at the
corners to secure the chinampa.



Chinampas were separated by
channels wide enough for a canoe to
pass.



These "islands" had very high crop
yields with up to seven crops a year.
Aztec Empire
Aztec Education
    Mandatory
universal education
of children until 14
     yrs of age.

   Parental          Involved
  obligation,      learning the
supervised by     huēhuetlàtolli
      the             which
authorities of    embodied the
 their calpōlli   Aztecs' ideals.
Types of School



                               Calmecac:

          Telpochcalli:     Advanced Learning
                               in Writing,
                               Astronomy,
          Practical and      Statesmanship,
         Military Studies   Theology and other
                                  areas.
Náhuatl System of Writing
                   Aztec Years had 260 days. Their weeks
                       had 20 days, as shown below:




  The Náhuatl
System employs
 glyphs instead
    of letters.
Religion
           Referred to God as “Teotl.”

           Divided the world into upper and nether worlds, each
           associated with a specific set of deities and
           astronomical objects.

           Had a large and ever increasing pantheon.

           Had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a
           large number of religious festivals which were held
           according to patterns of the Aztec calendar.
Aztec Calendar   Mrs. Padilha by the Aztec Calendar in the National
                     Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
Tezcatlipoca




 Quetzalcoatl




    Tlaloc
                  Pantheon: Cultural Gods




   Mixcoatl




Huitzilopochtli
Tonatiuh



    Metztli



  Tlaltecuhtli



Chalchiuhtlicue
                  Pantheon: Nature Gods




  Centzon
 Huitznahua



    Ehecatl
Ometeotl



Huehueteotl



 Coatlicue
              Pantheon: Gods of Creation
Tlazolteotl



Tepoztecatl



Xochiquetzal



 Mayahuel
               Pantheon: Gods of Pulque




Ometochtli
Aztec Pantheon:
Gods of Maize and Fertility




                                Chicomecoatl
        Xipe Totec




                                               Xochipilli
                     Cinteotl
Aztec Pantheon:
Gods of Death and the Underworld




                           Mictlancihuatl
          Mictlantecutli




                                            Xolotl
Human Sacrifices

Aztecs practiced human sacrifice on a
large scale


Offering to Huitzilopochtli; to restore
the blood he lost to create the Sun.


To prevent the end of the world that
could happen on each cycle of 52 years.

In the 1487 re-consecration of the Great
Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, some estimate
that 80,400 prisoners were sacrificed.
Social Stratitication
                                National Museum of Anthropology
                                          in Mexico City.




               Priest


               Nobels


        Craftsmen & Merchants


              Farmers


               Slaves
Aztec Architecture: Temples
Scaled Model of the Templo Mayor at the   Mr. and Mrs.. Padilha at the entrance of the
 Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City.       Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City.
Aztec Architecture: Pyramids
  Aztec Pyramid in Tlalnepantla   Aztec Pyramid in Malinalco,
      de Baz, Mexico State.              Mexico State.
Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire
    Hérnan Cortés        Moctezuma II
Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire


        In 1518, Cortéz is put in
      command of an expedition to
     explore and secure the interior
       of Mexico for colonization.

     Accompanied by about 11 ships,
     500 men, 13 horses and a small
       number of cannons, Cortés
         landed in the Yucatan
      Peninsula in Mayan territory.
Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire



     In March 1519, Cortés formally claimed
         the land for the Spanish crown.



     Then he proceeded to Tabasco and won
     a battle against the natives, who did not
     want to welcome the Spaniards, during
         which time he received from the
      vanquished twenty young indigenous
        women and he converted them all.
Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire


     Among these women was La
     Malinche, his future mistress
       and mother of his child
               Martín.

       Malinche knew both the
     Nahuatl language and Maya,
     thus enabling Hernán Cortés
       to communicate in both.

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Mexicas

  • 1. Mexica Márcio Padilha Universidad de Guanajuato Guanajuato, Gto., México
  • 2. The Mexica: Basic Concepts One of the great Mesoamerican Civilizations. Inhabited the Valley of Mexico circa 1325 AD-1521 AD Polytheistic
  • 3. “Mesoamerica:” what is that? It is a cultural region in the Americas where a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • 5. Valley of Mexico • Roughly where Highlands the Federal District and plateau in eastern half of central Mexico the State of Mexico are It was a center • Teotihuacan for several pre- • The Toltec Columbian • The Aztec civilizations
  • 6. Polytheism? Polytheistic… Polytheism poly theos many god
  • 7. Terminology Interrelation Mexica Aztec Náhuatl
  • 8. Terminology Interrelation Mexica Náhuatl Aztec • Demonym: • Language: • Origin: • The • Group of • The indigenous related Náhuatl people languages word for and "people of the dialects of from Valley of the Uto- Aztlán,” Mexico, Aztecan the who lived language mythical in Aztlán. family, ancestral spoken by home of the the Mexica Mexicas. people.
  • 9. So, in comparison… Aztlán/ Mexica/ USA Idahoan Aztec/ Náhuatl/ American English
  • 11. Mexico, Land of the Mexica! At first, “Mexico” referred to the settlements in the valley which became the site of what is now Mexico City. • Hot Summers • Cool Winters
  • 12. Foods • maize Staple Foods: • beans • squash • chilis Condiments: • tomatoes
  • 13. Drinks Different • maize alcoholic • honey beverages were made from • pineapple fermented: • cactus fruit Xocolatl • Yes, chocolate!
  • 14. Cannibalism The Aztecs practiced ritualistic cannibalism. Victims, usually prisoners of war, were sacrificed in public on top of temples and pyramids by cutting out their hearts. The bodies were then thrown down to the ground where they were dismembered. The pieces were then distributed to the elite, which were mostly warriors and priests. The meat was consumed in the form of stews flavored only with salt and eaten with maize tortillas, but without the otherwise ubiquitous chili.
  • 15. Chinampas Often referred to as "floating gardens" Created by staking out the shallow lake bed and then fencing in the rectangle with wattle. The fenced-off area was then layered with mud, lake sediment, and decaying vegetation, eventually bringing it above the level of the lake.
  • 16. Chinampas Often trees were planted at the corners to secure the chinampa. Chinampas were separated by channels wide enough for a canoe to pass. These "islands" had very high crop yields with up to seven crops a year.
  • 18. Aztec Education Mandatory universal education of children until 14 yrs of age. Parental Involved obligation, learning the supervised by huēhuetlàtolli the which authorities of embodied the their calpōlli Aztecs' ideals.
  • 19. Types of School Calmecac: Telpochcalli: Advanced Learning in Writing, Astronomy, Practical and Statesmanship, Military Studies Theology and other areas.
  • 20. Náhuatl System of Writing Aztec Years had 260 days. Their weeks had 20 days, as shown below: The Náhuatl System employs glyphs instead of letters.
  • 21. Religion Referred to God as “Teotl.” Divided the world into upper and nether worlds, each associated with a specific set of deities and astronomical objects. Had a large and ever increasing pantheon. Had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large number of religious festivals which were held according to patterns of the Aztec calendar.
  • 22. Aztec Calendar Mrs. Padilha by the Aztec Calendar in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
  • 23. Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Pantheon: Cultural Gods Mixcoatl Huitzilopochtli
  • 24. Tonatiuh Metztli Tlaltecuhtli Chalchiuhtlicue Pantheon: Nature Gods Centzon Huitznahua Ehecatl
  • 25. Ometeotl Huehueteotl Coatlicue Pantheon: Gods of Creation
  • 26. Tlazolteotl Tepoztecatl Xochiquetzal Mayahuel Pantheon: Gods of Pulque Ometochtli
  • 27. Aztec Pantheon: Gods of Maize and Fertility Chicomecoatl Xipe Totec Xochipilli Cinteotl
  • 28. Aztec Pantheon: Gods of Death and the Underworld Mictlancihuatl Mictlantecutli Xolotl
  • 29. Human Sacrifices Aztecs practiced human sacrifice on a large scale Offering to Huitzilopochtli; to restore the blood he lost to create the Sun. To prevent the end of the world that could happen on each cycle of 52 years. In the 1487 re-consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, some estimate that 80,400 prisoners were sacrificed.
  • 30. Social Stratitication National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Priest Nobels Craftsmen & Merchants Farmers Slaves
  • 31. Aztec Architecture: Temples Scaled Model of the Templo Mayor at the Mr. and Mrs.. Padilha at the entrance of the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City. Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City.
  • 32. Aztec Architecture: Pyramids Aztec Pyramid in Tlalnepantla Aztec Pyramid in Malinalco, de Baz, Mexico State. Mexico State.
  • 33. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire Hérnan Cortés Moctezuma II
  • 34. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire In 1518, Cortéz is put in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization. Accompanied by about 11 ships, 500 men, 13 horses and a small number of cannons, Cortés landed in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mayan territory.
  • 35. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire In March 1519, Cortés formally claimed the land for the Spanish crown. Then he proceeded to Tabasco and won a battle against the natives, who did not want to welcome the Spaniards, during which time he received from the vanquished twenty young indigenous women and he converted them all.
  • 36. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire Among these women was La Malinche, his future mistress and mother of his child Martín. Malinche knew both the Nahuatl language and Maya, thus enabling Hernán Cortés to communicate in both.