México - The Life and Death of the ‘Aztecs’

 July 1-6

Hello everyone!

Europeans believed that they were the first to discover the Americas towards the end of the 15th century. We are now aware, of course, that life was very much vibrant before the Spanish arrived in the ‘New World’. Though their resultant conquest destroyed a lot, Mexico City still has plenty of examples of the life and times of the civilisations which came before.

A scary pre-Hispanic skull

Serpents were an important feature of Aztec/Mexica culture

Two places in the capital city are great museums which help to unravel the pre-Hispanic past of the region. Templo Mayor and the Museum of Anthropology are two places which demonstrate the creativity, productivity and prowess of the many, many civilisations which existed in the time before 1519.

The beautiful fountain at the Museum of Anthropolgy 

The ruins of Templo Mayor

The Museum of Anthropology is a fantastic, if a little overwhelming, museum which charts the history of the Mexica and the groups found before. One of the early successful civilisations was the Olmec tribe, before the creation of larger settlements at places such as Cacaxtla and Tula. Each burned briefly before collapsing for differing reasons, ranging from fighting to drought.

There were many major settlements in the area before the 16th century

Art from Cacaxtla

This sculptor was known as 'the creator' and has fangs

The most famous civilisation is that of the Aztecs. At the peak of their powers, at the beginning of the 16th century, the Aztecs controlled a vast amount of territory containing 400 to 500 states which paid them tributes. The enmity which developed from this cost them dear later on, but for a while they were the predominant force in most of the land we now know as Mexico. 

The poses of the serpents are said to portray power and strength

This cay sculpture from Oaxaca, to the
south, is a deity showing summer and love

Aztecs was a term actually adopted in later centuries, with it actually referring to the Mexica people from the capital: Tenochtitlan. Not to be confused with Teotihuacan, which is about 50 km to the north, this capital was where the historic centre of Mexico City lies today.

A painting of a Mexica leader called Cuauhtemoc

Jaguars were considered owerful animals of the
night - this one has a hole in its back to contain
the blood and hearts of captive warriors. Delightful.

The legend is that Mexicas headed to the place they had been promised by their God Huitzilopochtli at the beginning of the 14th century. They had settled in Chapultepec (later the site of a castle) before finding their ‘promised land’ a little bit further east. Tenochtitlan was built in 1325. By 1428, Tenochtitlan was consolidated as a lake city and the preeminent political centre in the wider region. 

It was known as a lake city as it sat on a small islet in the Basin of Mexico

A reconstruction and painting of what Tenochtitlan
would have loked like at its peak

The Mexica civilisation claimed that they were descendents from previous successful civilisations such as the Tula, allowing them to create their version of a royal family. The noble class, or pipiltin, had relative luxuries compared to the plebs known as the macehualtin.

Eleven tlatoanis, or governors, ruled Tenochtitlan over its 200 year existence

According to Cortes, over 30,000 people met daily at the market to
exchange goods, with currency taking the form of things
such as beans, copper tomahawks and 'gold dust'

I didn’t realise that the Mexica were quite a brutal group. This is evident in their warmongering and forcing of tributes to be paid. It is also evident in one of their sporting activities, called ‘ball game’. To quote the museum, “When a play was made that went against the movement of the sun, a decapitation was carried out and the blood vitalised the earth and the sun.” I enjoyed listening to a mum reading the larger text to her little son, then pausing when getting to that line.

Some of the Mexica weaponry. Their lack of guns would haunt them at the end.

Gods uch as Quetzalcoatl were often represented with many feathers

They think ball game involved the heavy use of hips to move the ball

They really loved the sun, the Mexica. They saw the light and warmth of the star to be equal to life itself. They also saw maize as being important and six months of their eighteen-month calendar were dedicated to water gods.

The Stone of the Sun was discovered in 1790  

This creation is carrying maize in his hand

Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, the two water gods

All good things come to an end, however, and Mexica’s crowning city had been conquered by 1521. The Spanish used the materials found in Tenochtitlan to build their churches, houses and public buildings. This also had the effect of helping to eradicate the previous religion. As a result, any finds have been down to archaeology. 

This jar and turtle shell were recovered during a repaving of the Cathedral in the early 1990s

A stone's throw away from the Zocalo, the main square in Mexico City

Tenochtitlan’s crown jewel was probably its ‘Great Temple’, or Templo Mayor. Thanks to digs started in the 1970s, significant findings have been made at this temple complex. What makes it even more incredible is that these are found right next to the main square, the Zocalo, and the prides of Spanish colonial life such as the Palacio Nacional and the Cathedral.

The digging only started because some workers accidentally found a stone with pre-hispanic reliefs

What they’d found was this enormous circular monolith of the goddess Coyolxauhqui

From the outside, you can see different aspects of the complex and start to get an understanding of life before the Spanish invasion of the Mexican landmass in 1519. You can almost imagine the large pyramid, almost the same size as Rome’s Colosseum at 45m tall, dominating the skyline.

There were 78 buildings in and around the great plaza - can you see the skulls on the side of this one?

The two shrines on the to would have been for the gods Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli

It is inside the complex and specifically the museum, however, where you find many jewels from this kingdom. The innumerable finds within the ground have helped historians piece together more detail about more aspects of Mexica life. One room helps us learn more about the rituals and sacrifices which would have taken place near or atop the temple. Another provides evidence of trade and the paying of tributes from other tribes in different settlements, helping to reassert Mexica dominance.

Some of the colours are incredible

Tecalli is a white stone which came from the province of Tepeaca

There was a lot to like in the Templo Mayor Museum, which I visited before the Museum of Anthropology. The room which fascinated me the most showed evidence of animal life. How they found - then identified - these bones is beyond me. Brilliant science.

Face knives, something I feel my class could make!

Puma skeleton parts found and reconstructed at Templo Mayor

There is so much history within the boundaries of modern México. It’s probably too much to take in and appreciate in one visit. What both the Museum of Anthropology and the Templo Mayor Museum have done for me is to add flesh to the bones of my knowledge of the Mexica/Aztec civilisation, and what incredible feats it achieved both in terms of its power and its creativity. The fact that we know so much is a testament to archaeological innovation. I wonder what else they’ll find in the heart of Mexico City…

The absorbing Anthropolgy Museum also has Mayan sections

Mexica art and scultpures are so interesing!

Love you all,

Matt