Stereotypes in Aztec Culture
November 26th, 2009 Posted in Aztec Civilization
Aztec Culture Stereotypes
Just about any race, culture or sub-group of people has a few stereotypes assigned to them by other races and cultural. For example, “all black people are good dancers”, “all Americans are obese”, and “all Italians are good lovers”. Even some of the ancient races have their own assigned stereotypes. For example, it is assumed “all Australian aborigines can throw a boomerang” and “all Vikings wore helmets with horns”. The same can is true for the Aztec people. Aztec culture stereotypes exist today mostly due to the reports of the conquering Spaniards to their homeland.
Human Sacrifice
On of the most well known Aztec culture stereotypes is the obscene numbers of human sacrifices the priests of these people made. Per reports from the ancient conquering Spaniards upwards of 50,000 people were sacrificed in a few days. Thinking logically about this fact, it would be nearly impossible to sacrifice so many people in such a short time. However because of these over-exaggerated reports, the Aztec people are considered barbarians who conducted untold numbers of human sacrifices. In the end, executions for criminal offences were confused for sacrifices by the Church.
Cannibalism
One of the other popular Aztec culture stereotypes is the act of cannibalism. After the human sacrifices were completed the bodies were prepared, cooked and eaten by the Aztec people. While there have been some skeletons found with tooth marks on their bones to lend credence to this stereotype it probably did not happen as claimed by the Spaniards. New research shows it was invented by the Inquisition.
Intelligence
Thanks to the incredible intricacy of the famous Aztec calendar, it is assumed that the Aztec people were brilliant in astronomy, math, and science. While the calendar is a work of both art and science, its author is unproven. It could be the work of one man or several women. To generalize a group of people based on one artifact is very stereotypical.
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ancient Mexican Culture | ancient mexican cultures | ancient culture stereotypes
Tags: aztec, aztec cultural stereotypes, aztec culture, chicano civil rights movement
7 Responses to “Stereotypes in Aztec Culture”
By friendsfan22 on Nov 24, 2009
The aztecs are the ones who believed their gods inhabited a world of their own and that the sacrifices they made strengthened their gods against the powers of darkness, right?
By Sarah on Nov 24, 2009
cortes in 1519.
By questions from chris on Nov 24, 2009
For warship and sacrifice. They would take the youngest girl. And then literally rip her heart out and give it to the gods as a sacrifice.
By jessy on Nov 25, 2009
Some interesting metaphors about it:
"It is important to note that Alma Lopez stages the sacrificial pieta across the ancient Aztec stone sculpture that depicts the goddess Coyolxauhqui. (11) Since the 1980s, Chicana artists, writers, and critics have emphasized Coyolxauhqui as the symbol of identity reclamation. For feminists, she represents recovery of the physical and intellectual body, earlier mutilated by sexist attitudes against women's pleasure and power. For Mexicanas and Chicanas, she embodies the Indigenous concept of spirituality dismembered by colonizing powers. According to ancient Aztec mythology, Coyolxauhqui was daughter of the earth goddess Coatlique and sister of Huitzilopochtli, the sun warrior with whom she was to share power. Unwilling to share his power, Huitzilopochtli mutilated his sister Coyolxauhqui and threw her body to the base of Coatlique's temple at Coatepec. As depicted in the Mexica sculpture, Coyolxauhqui's body has been mutilated by her brother and torn asunder. In Lopez's image, her body becomes a space re-membered as a site for the testing of desire's limits, a terrain for sacrifice and re-making, a place of empathetic engagement.
Alma Lopez and the other artists of the collective known as L.A. Coyotas developed from their collective research an in-depth understanding of Chicana theorist Gloria Anzaldua's call to re-member the body. Anzaldua's symbolic reconstitution of the female body seeks to heal the wounds of degradation wrought by racist and sexist actions. In numerous writings, Anzaldua urges Chicanas to bring forth the memory of the fragmented body of Coyolxauhqui, which serves as a metaphor for the historical indigena/mestiza body. Anzaldua refers to personal struggles undertaken through the creative process of self-reflection as a kind of dismemberment, or fragmentation of the body that can prompt new introspection and renewed awareness. The writer asserts that only after a stage of breaking apart or of alienation can the artist enter into a new consciousness and experience life differently. Empathy, an empowering tool for social change, can be wrought out of experiences of marginalization. Anzaldua "urges us to piece together the corpse and give it life, to demand that the 'exiled body and exiled emotions be re-membered.'" (12)"
By Michael K on Nov 25, 2009
to get aztec you have to beat every mission in secret agent, but if you still think you are somewhat good compare to what you used to be you may as well beat everything in 00 agent and get it as well. There was a great video on youtube of this guy that beat the whole game in 00 agent in 64 minutes! pretty cool I'd say ha ha.
By Colt on Nov 26, 2009
u could use pieces of wood in different sizes.
By Ashley T on Nov 27, 2009
Highly satanic and bloody pagans.
1 Corinthians 10:20