Aztecs Sense Of Time Flashcards
What was the name of the solar calendar? And how many days did it have?
Xiuhpohualli, this calendar had 365 days
What kind of activities did this calendar provide?
The calendar regulated agricultural activities, such as planting and harvesting, and determined market days.
What did each year begin with?
Each year began with a festival to honor the god of rain, Tlaloc.
Meztli
This festival was made up of 18 months (Meztli)
Veintena
They were 18 months, each had 20 days (Veintena).
Nemotemi
5 extra (or useless) days at the end of the year, referred to as Nemotemi.
What happens on the last day?
The last day of the last Veintena of the year gives its (tonalpohualli) Name to the Xihulti.
Tonalli
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.
Trecene
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
What was the name of the sacred calendar?
Tonalpohualli
What was the purpose of this calendar?
The Aztecs used this calendar to determine when many of their religious rituals and sacrifices should be performed.
What happened every 52 years?
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.
xiuhmolpilli
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.
Ceremony preparations - step 1
Preparation for the ceremony began with extinguishing all the fires of any kind.
Ceremony preparations - step 2
Next, they washed everything such as the streets, homes, clothes, and cooking stencils.
Ceremony preparations - step 3
Another ritual was to tie bundles of 52 reeds together, creating a xiuhmolpilli.
Ceremony preparations - step 4
Pregnant women were locked in granaries and their faces were painted blue so they would not turn monsters during the night.
Ceremony preparations - step 5
The kids painted their faces and they were not allowed to stay up all night to prevent them from turning into mice.
Ceremony preparations - step 5
The kids painted their faces and they were not allowed to stay up all night to prevent them from turning into mice.
Ceremony preparations - step 6
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.
What does the high priest have to do?
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.
Huitzilopochtli
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.
Tezcatlipoca
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
Quetzalcoatl
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
Tlaloc
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)
Rituals and Sacrifices
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
What the Gods want
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
Human sacrifice
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.
Non-Human Sacrifices
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.
