Mesoamerican epic poetry and saga: What is epic?
To what extent Nahuatl epic corresponds to this type of epic literature remains to be seen. read more
Mexico City's Templo Mayor connects Mexicans with their past
Despite years living in Mexico City, I had never been to the archeological zone of Templo Mayor — once the heart of the Aztec empire of Tenochtitlan, now located in the heart of the Historic Centre n...
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An ancient Aztec betrayal Biblical style
That is not to say that historical accounts did not exist before the Conquest. read more
Aztec poets or ghost riders?
Translation, evangelism and Mexico's Classical Aztec literature
Was the Aztec's Nahuatl literature a Spanish invention? Translation and evangelism
Aztec Hamlet: the tragedy of Moctezuma 2
In history, there are innumerable cases of dynasties toppling because of the weakness of incumbents. The incompetence of do-nothing rulers had much to do with the fall of the late Roman Empire. In Fran...
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Aztec, Mexica, or Alien?
Are you an illegal alien? If you are white and of European ancestry, however remote, the California-based Mexica Movement says that you have no right to be on this continent. These people, who call the...
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Did You Know? The oldest ballgame in the Americas
Baseball is not the oldest ballgame in the Americas
Forget modern "traditions" like the World Series! Forget soccer, tennis and golf! By far the oldest ballgame in the Americas is the little known ga...
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Did you know? Mexico's Domesday Book
Mexico's equivalent of the Domesday book was compiled in the sixteenth century.
History shows that conquerors often have very little idea of what they have really acquired until it is firmly within th...
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Mesoamerican religious concepts: Aztec symbolism, part III
The Aztec Calendar Stone is one of the most important monumental works of art left to us by the Aztecs. Since its discovery in what is now the main zocalo of Mexico City, it has been studied in minute ...
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Early pictorial and written sources of Aztec history
The pre-Hispanic history of Mexico is contained in the numerous pictorial codices or painted hieroglyphic books produced by the Aztecs, the Maya, the Mixtecs, and others. Unfortunately, very few pre-Co...
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Aztec symbolism: part two
The Internet is an invaluable source of information but it can also be a source of misinformation and great confusion. Recently I was accused of "plagiarizing" some of my material from the Internet. Th...
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Reinventing the Aztecs, part one
Perhaps no people on earth have been so maligned on the one hand and so highly praised on the other as the ancient Aztecs of Mexico-Tenochtitlán. You don't have to be a Mesoamerican scholar to have he...
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Reinventing the Aztecs - part two Mexican history
In Part One we looked at a new interpretation of ancient Aztec literature, which, if correct, calls into question, perhaps even invalidates, much of the previous research. To recapitulate: the current ...
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Primary sources
The Maya, Aztecs, and other peoples of ancient Mexico had a very strong sense of their own history, which they went to great lengths to preserve. But in some ways, their concept of history differed rad...
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Reinventing the Aztecs - part three Mexican history
In previous articles we looked at some Aztec lyric poems contained in the Cantares Mexicanos and other manuscript collections. The current controversy over the correct translation and interpreta...
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Mesoamerican Religions and Multiverses: Part Two
It is generally assumed that the idea of other universes is the unique product of "post-modern" thinking based on the Theory of Relativity and quantum mechanics. But the ancient Aztecs and Maya probabl...
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Aztec Sunstone or Aztec Calendar, Mexico
Aztec calendar stone
Related articles and Links: Ancient History of Mexico Mexica/Aztec Calendar Systems - Dale Hoyte Palfrey (detailed explanation of the symbols) Mysteries of the Fifth Sun - Dale...
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Aztec by Gary Jennings
I found this novel to be a total winner. In fact, it just kept on getting better and better and I can’t recommend it highly enough. A couple of people described it as "that gory book" when I mentioned I was reading it. Yes, it’s gory, because it describes a society that was rather big on human sacrifice and a people who were rather beastly to neighboring tribes. But they had worthy things going for them, too. They built a wonderful city and produced great artists and created a viable civilization. My hat is off to Gary Jennings.
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Mexico by James Michener
The good thing about "Mexico" is that Michener has done enormous research in order to write it.
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The Aztecs speak - part 4
The Spanish returned.
With Cuitlahuac, the brother of Moctezuma who had advised against welcoming the Conquistadors, now elected as their king, the Aztecs were confident that any attempted return woul...
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The Aztecs speak - part 3
Quetzalcoatl was coming. Moctezuma had already sent wizards, magicians and seers, to cast spells that would destroy or at least deter the Spaniards from continuing toward his capital. Their failure had...
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Part 2 - the Aztecs speak
Perhaps the most startling thing revealed by the Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico, is that unknowingly, the Conquistadors had invaded the country at a perfect time. Superstition had produ...
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The Aztecs speak - an Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico
An Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico? Preposterous.
It is common knowledge that those manuscripts that escaped destruction by the Conquistadors were gathered up under the direction of the first ...
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