Aztec Society and Culture PDF

Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No...

Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  54 l'R E- COLD 111 AN M.EXI CO A tcmp bu~. thls. lndla:n painting, Jgnifyi:ng th Tel eriano-Rmlensts.. Aztecs feared that the sun might not rise to make: its way across the sky. Of course. the need acri 1blood ed mfftant ·om m. Human sacrifice was not the sole p ~ e of Me:soameriraru as many ancient rultu.res of the Old World had also practi. earlier. Sacrifice was to the.Aztecs a so,lemn. and nec- essary, religiou cu mony for th p rp of providing th nourbhm nt and e:newa] that enabled the: gods to maintain balance in the: cosmos. The offering itse:lf berame a living god in th ufonna c of the rite. Lil-rewi occasi nal indu.lg n in ·tuaJ ,cannibali m a. means of.acquiring the: attributes of the rnemy was not an Aztec novelty. l Frank t.euringan._m1i Is (.Berk cy, Cl\, 1997), ex min th llnivcull or rUicu:nd nn balLm in 1eal and symboHc forms, in.duding the EucharisL "The atent to which cannibalism was pra.aticai is a topic that continues to acile debate among scholars. The argument lh.lt it atisfied :& dietai:y need fo rolein has Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  Am?C Sacicty and CuihlTe 55 Aztec New Ceremony fmm the Codex Borbonkus. 'ritu fol o d trictly. cri p , cedur in comp] mon m. The most fumiliar sacrificial ceremony took place awp a high temple, where the VJctim was pre d-eagl d over ton his b ck a '. Whil hi limb wett he]d by fi assi tants. dte p riest ,-.rent in under the rib ra e wilh an obs·dfan knife w remove the heart. There were v.u::iations. according to die god to honored. Those dispatched for the god of fertility were bo ,nd and ho ful of n falling drop ·of bl od symboliz"n faffng of p,·ng rain. Those honoring the fire god were drugged and then plac,ed in fire. Me,taphors of ,van.are and saorifke perva e-d Aztec thought, 1 The Aztecs perceived th mse:lve:s as iving in 3Ln ins ~ orld, in a. conflict between order and chao~. at the mercy of the elements and at the edge of doom. am.ral calamities in th i fragiJ. were o on d by th ' ' d pl ure. ost M o meric b ieved themselves surrounded by strange and h armful foroes: as human brings were at one -th natllrl, a pason could suddenly be transfmmed into a hawk, a coyote. a fish, or ,e vm a tree or _ rock. The · oub of th dead ,could h _ n or inspire dte I.Mng. Sinre individuals were at the ete)T of the gods, their best saf~was,to take no chances and adhere to ,carefuly rul and rituals. Huii!:Zilopochtli was the pr,edominam gpd, but many others were paid homage. The an- cient deitie--S, of Tialoc (rain) Tezcatl" poca (the favorite of the warriors), and Qu.etzakoatl (rever d by the intel c aJ pri ) repr, t. on ·~few o th more promin nt gods wor- shipped fm their spedaJ benefactions. Favored gods of conquered peoples were readily incor- porated in - sweJJ in Azte panth n of d iti. Among th Tlazolte tl 1 th d ity of filth, who ~ presented a , of beliefs and ritual pramces that Un~ed.the earth, fertility, sexual th!tt It con ~ltuted n ffidcnt nd practl I Wll' of dl.ing of the bodies of sacrilidal victims_ Shawn. Miller. An ft1 vironmental Histmy of.Lrilin America ( e.w Yo[k:, 2007), 0. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  5,6 l'R E- COLD 11 1 AN M.EXI CO Th godd.- Tiazol1«>tl i Ii wn h givin - bin t the god ofm ize. £clarions, waste (excrement), undeanlin~ and irndulgenre She could~ absolution for &eXUaJ ttan Gl' -- ion but.mo - m ortantly erved to moderat - ce- There was a l'CISlon o afterlife. but it was not the same for all. others who died in childbirth went to asp heav;en. Warrio,s who fe11 in battle or h-, were sacrificed by the en my ent. to p di with perlu ed douds, to omp un in ·u daily pas or they could find a new life as a hnmmm~ird, destined o spend eternity among fragrant blossorM. but o t w m to Mialan; which :required th soul to take an arduous journey th:roug nine d ward leve]s. In the Aztec.sacred smo the home seNe:d a place of power in which. women's ro]es in childbinh wae compa.ra.b e to men's as warriors. t n piritualitypervad d Ton chtitl ,n, reU ·ous observances occurr d d Uy rorn binh to death. They had many holy days during which celebrations, both solemn an joyful. t pl - Som fi stivities indud d ·- ng and danci~ along with children parading mn garlan of fil.OW&s. Ritua] ac "!Viti incl ded feaistin,g, fasting, blood euing, an human saaifme- all pan of Aztec be.Lids m~t con·oined ife and death in a continuous cyde. It is difticu t fo m dem. ob rs to und mand ho th elab rati ritual compl reco,nciJed die patterns of dai]y life with the violence of bloodshed implicated in Aztec beliefs. AZTEC SOCI ET'Y' Whil. Aztecs w re nomad· and relatively few ·n num er, th ir od I structu , wu impl ; d.te majority were peasants mr warriors, and the handful of priests and war leadc.rs e.njoyed romparatively few perquisites. fol owing the settlement ,o f Tenochtitlan. howevet ai rapidly Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  Am?C Sacicty and CuihlTe S7 expanding population, a ,diversified economy, and the m:ganizational deman.ds of the impe- -a1 system led to ai more complex class structure. aturaU'y, th royal fami y was th. mos nobl of all, and it was lac; group. Whil th supreme ruJer m emperor had one principal wife. he had many others as wdl. The numerous royal offspring proliferated greatly. Et 's said that ezahuaJpilli ,o f.excoco had two thousand wives and 144 childr:en. oct,ezuma 11, with one thousand women, once ha one hundrnd fifty prl;gnaillt at the same time:. The Aztec syslenil of pot'ygyny appL" ed only to the noble d. lt has b en argued th t th incorporat' on of women fr.om ,other _ 1 , wh th as slaves, concubines, or 'Wiv;es, was.a n important factor in er-eating a more flmble.society that attenuated the d,e wfo,pmmt of a rigid d.lSS struawe. Ait the sam tim~ the: lived experience ofdi.ese women has been shown to, hav been fraught with tensm , jealousy; and concern ovu the fate of their children. Kings were chosen from the mya] family but,. in the complex potygynou system, th h ·r appM nt was n ·t d d co 1d on, b, oth n ph , or other male relativ:e· of dte previous king.. ob cwomcn enjoyed varying degrees of status and respect, related to their imponance mfurgm_g po]itirali ianClCS and strengthening royal egjtimacy. Although theyw re increasin,gly denied t d Mp rol as th ,empire expanded, Aztec women of all classes should be viewed through the lens of ai compfe.mentaiy gendu tern in wh ch m nd fi ale roles wer apprec'ated differ nt ut e enti J to th functioniing of society, and whercin women had property.a nd othe:r legal rights, In addirtion to royal rarnm. others o noble status (pipdtin) could include h priests. prominen military officers. an _ mflu ndal government eaders ch as judg s-and tax col- ectors. Sons of nobles enjoyed an advantageous position to achieve their the:r.;,' rank, but 1 nobility (outsi.d - of the - al f ~) was not an inh --·1.ed righ On d to distingui-h oneself ·n seJVi.ce in ord to enjoy the privileges of the aristocracy. Gonside:rable variation in wealth and p tige amo g the nobility could be o bsaved in e range of ]wruries they enjoy d, for examp in clothing, j w lry, housing. fi odstuffi , mian [nth lat t c period, an eUte class wi1th landed estates. a kind of indpien: rud.aJ aristocracy, was appar- ently in the pro --. of formation. Abl bodied mat.es were expeCll:e to bear arm. As Inga Clendinnen made dear: "To be born a e in Tenochtitlan was lo be designated ar J,Varrior.... What compelled die Mexican ima on we the men who w , pi:: p ,Rd pl ty th end sarne. to ~pt and mbra.ce dtat fi al ritual of violent death. 1 Distincri o in battle was one way in which a mmmona t rise to, high status. In ord to a C the cherished rank of warrior. a youth had 10, i - ta _ a prisoner. If he succeeded.in _p ~ ·ng or killing four of the enemy, he was entitled to sh.are in the booty.. Perhaps more i.m]J§)rum-, he,vas allowed to dress in the distinctive adom- m nts ohh milirwy lit Conceivably, h could becom a. m mber of th pr tigiou mili- 1ary orders-the Eag]e Knights or Jaguar Knights-and thus enjoy the luxuries of nob.le status. Another avenue for mobility came through tra e. The merchani o f Tenochtitlan ranged far and ,e. Th Jo,n -dinanc trad rs, th po hteca, organiz d and led caravans s far as Central America, often passing th:mugh hostile cmmtry. The pochteca were as brave as they e hrewd and. ,often dep nded on oth their wiui and coura to eva dan. ome 2 Inga Clmdinne.n, kl£e:i: An Intetpmali t ( ew York, 1991 ), U , I 9. Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  58 l'R E- COLD 11 1 AN M.EXI CO of them knew foreign an,guages aind OIStoms and served as diplomats and spies. for the Aztec militarists. The pochteca imported to the ,rapirtal a.oric and. profitable goods, iadud- ·ng la di played in the markets along with many tribute commoditi d manded by th Aztecs. The)T livoo in their mm district and forrned a separate gt0up affltogetber. They had their own guild- ike associations, their special deity. and their own coun:s. Within chei r s - - don of the city they frequently gave sumptuous banquets and enjoyed other luxuries. No of die nobilliey-, they nevertheless carried influence and commanded respect long with the n11ing nobili, , pri ch lan,, ani ,n d sai J d high status as pan of an educated dite that nurtured literary traditions within the altepetl. They kept historical annal-, genealogies of rulers. writings on philosophy and astronomy. and trib- ute records in th ·r pktoria.l books. The s.1c:erdotal lifu began wuh trainm.g young boys (or ,girls. destined to be priestesses) m a monastery school, OJ calmeaic. Priests wcre expectoo to lead placy Uv , and th p nt long hours in prayer, g. and p nanoe. M t of d.te priests Jed modest lives of service; those who advanc through the hierarchy, howeva. enjoyed the status of nobles and many ofits perquisites. Aside from routine ndigious,duties. each pri t had a specialty, such as music, painting. t· a in,g, dandng, o:r assisting tsacrifi- dall rites. Some priests were also ,varriors. Priests ex the guardians of morality, and some of th ir admonitions u not unl scripturaJ injunctions, uch a man. who 1 00.ks too ruriousfy on a woman. commits a uhery with his eyes. The great majority of the people (about 90 perc:ent) formed the