Aztecs Sense Of Time

Question 1

What was the name of the solar calendar? And how many days did it have?

Answer 1

Xiuhpohualli, this calendar had 365 days

Question 2

What kind of activities did this calendar provide?

Answer 2

The calendar regulated agricultural activities, such as planting and harvesting, and determined market days.

Question 3

What did each year begin with?

Answer 3

Each year began with a festival to honor the god of rain, Tlaloc.

Question 4

Meztli

Answer 4

This festival was made up of 18 months (Meztli)

Question 5

Veintena

Answer 5

They were 18 months, each had 20 days (Veintena).

Question 6

Nemotemi

Answer 6

5 extra (or useless) days at the end of the year, referred to as Nemotemi.

Question 7

What happens on the last day?

Answer 7

The last day of the last Veintena of the year gives its (tonalpohualli) Name to the Xihulti.

Question 8

Tonalli

Answer 8

A day (Tonalli) in the tonalpohualli consists of a number and a symbol or daysign. Each daysign is dedicated to a god or elemental force, the provider of tonalli life energy for the day.

Question 9

Trecene

Answer 9

A trecene is similar to what we call a week. The nature of a day is also influenced by a force related to its number

Question 10

What was the name of the sacred calendar?

Answer 10

Tonalpohualli

Question 11

What was the purpose of this calendar?

Answer 11

The Aztecs used this calendar to determine when many of their religious rituals and sacrifices should be performed.

Question 12

What happened every 52 years?

Answer 12

Every 52 years, 2 calendars line up. This was a time of terrifying uncertainty for the Aztecs. It was marked with a New Fire ceremony.

Question 13

xiuhmolpilli

Answer 13

The xiuhmolpilli, meaning “year bundle”. Is a stone monument created to commemorate a New Fire Ceremony. It represents a bundle of 52 reeds, tied with rope and covered with a symbol of a final year. During the ceremony, 52 of these bundles were burned.

Question 14

Ceremony preparations - step 1

Answer 14

Preparation for the ceremony began with extinguishing all the fires of any kind.

Question 15

Ceremony preparations - step 2

Answer 15

Next, they washed everything such as the streets, homes, clothes, and cooking stencils.

Question 16

Ceremony preparations - step 3

Answer 16

Another ritual was to tie bundles of 52 reeds together, creating a xiuhmolpilli.

Question 17

Ceremony preparations - step 4

Answer 17

Pregnant women were locked in granaries and their faces were painted blue so they would not turn monsters during the night.

Question 18

Ceremony preparations - step 5

Answer 18

The kids painted their faces and they were not allowed to stay up all night to prevent them from turning into mice.

Question 19

Ceremony preparations - step 5

Answer 19

The kids painted their faces and they were not allowed to stay up all night to prevent them from turning into mice.

Question 20

Ceremony preparations - step 6

Answer 20

Now the night is coming, they stop all activities and they climb up to their roof and hold breath and watch and wait to see if the ritual worked.

Question 21

What does the high priest have to do?

Answer 21

The high priest would walk up the mountain in his finest clothes. The priest would wear a fine cloak, mask, and feather headdress led by the figure of Quetzalcoatl.

Question 22

Huitzilopochtli

Answer 22

He was known as the sun god, the “H” God. The animal is a hummingbird. If you wanted to make a sacrifice, you would have to speak to this god. He told the Aztecs about the snake eating an eagle on a cactus. He had a temple about him decorated with skulls and sacrifices.

Question 23

Tezcatlipoca

Answer 23

Smoking mirror, which had the evil power, associated with death and cold he was also the Patron of night, of the north, and the twin of his brother Quetzalcoatl

Question 24

Quetzalcoatl

Answer 24

The “Q” God, the Feathered serpent, is shared with most Mexican culture. He was the good twin. He was the god of creativity, knowledge, and learning. The last Aztec emperor had a strong connection with this god

Question 25

Tlaloc

Answer 25

The rain god, god of fertility and agriculture. His origins can be traced back to Tenochtitlan, the Olmec, and Maya Civilizations he had the second biggest temple His shrine was decorated with blue bands representing rain and water. Gave the tears of the baby to this god (sacrifice the baby)

Question 26

Rituals and Sacrifices

Answer 26

In the Aztec worldview, humans played a small role in the world. Their job was to fight and die for the gods and to keep the world order in balance

Question 27

What the Gods want

Answer 27

According to Aztec beliefs, their world, the 5th era of the sun, occurred when a god sacrifice himself to change into the sun to keep the world alive. They believed if there was no sacrifice, then the world would end

Question 28

Human sacrifice

Answer 28

Human sacrifices were performed on altars at the top of their temples. Most important were the sacrifices at the main temple in Tenochtitlan, the heart of the empire. People had to be alive in order to sacrifice.

Question 29

Non-Human Sacrifices

Answer 29

Blood - Letting and self-harm with sharp bones or maguey spines were also seen as a sacrifice to the gods. The burning of blood-soaked paper strips were a common form of sacrifice, as was the burning of tobacco and incense.