Aztec artifacts
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/3318168.jpg)
Cacao Beans
These are cacao beans. The Aztecs valued these highly, as they used them as currency. They were fairly expensive; only the richest and most powerful people had drank hot chocolate, and 30 beans were needed to buy a rabbit. Moctezuma himself drank 50 cups of hot chocolate every day!
This artifact is a good example of how the Aztecs' culture survives today. The Spanish were so interested with Aztec inventions like these that they were hesitant to destroy Tenochtitlan. However, the Spanish apparently had better stuff than the Aztecs, and they decided that they needed to kill them all and destroy their civilization instead of taking and preserving their artifacts.
This relates to the Aztec's Worldview because cacao beans were very rare and extremely expensive. The Spanish felt that the Aztec's values were very strange because cacao beans were almost worthless to them. The Spanish were much more interested in gold and valuables that the Aztecs had. Different cultures value different things that mean more to them.
These are cacao beans. The Aztecs valued these highly, as they used them as currency. They were fairly expensive; only the richest and most powerful people had drank hot chocolate, and 30 beans were needed to buy a rabbit. Moctezuma himself drank 50 cups of hot chocolate every day!
This artifact is a good example of how the Aztecs' culture survives today. The Spanish were so interested with Aztec inventions like these that they were hesitant to destroy Tenochtitlan. However, the Spanish apparently had better stuff than the Aztecs, and they decided that they needed to kill them all and destroy their civilization instead of taking and preserving their artifacts.
This relates to the Aztec's Worldview because cacao beans were very rare and extremely expensive. The Spanish felt that the Aztec's values were very strange because cacao beans were almost worthless to them. The Spanish were much more interested in gold and valuables that the Aztecs had. Different cultures value different things that mean more to them.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/3686527.jpg?249)
Xiuhtecuhtli (she wa the KWA tle)
Xiuhtecuhtli is the Aztec god of heat, fire, and day. The cult of the fire god goes back many centuries before Mexica times and extended throughout Mesoamerica.
The Aztecs thought Xiutecuhtli as both the mother and father of all god believed he lived in the centre of the Earth as an old man hunched over a hearth.
This reflects the Aztec's religious worldview because the Aztecs valued gods greatly, to the point of sacrificing people to keep the world running. The Spanish found this very disgusting and unbelievable, which led to them being ethnocentric towards them.
Xiuhtecuhtli is the Aztec god of heat, fire, and day. The cult of the fire god goes back many centuries before Mexica times and extended throughout Mesoamerica.
The Aztecs thought Xiutecuhtli as both the mother and father of all god believed he lived in the centre of the Earth as an old man hunched over a hearth.
This reflects the Aztec's religious worldview because the Aztecs valued gods greatly, to the point of sacrificing people to keep the world running. The Spanish found this very disgusting and unbelievable, which led to them being ethnocentric towards them.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/8361897.jpg)
Aztec Atlatl
This Aztec spear thrower is called an atlatl in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztec. It is carved in wood and decorated with gold foil and was probably used for ceremonial purposes rather than in actual battle. At least 12 Aztec ceremonial spear throwers are known today.
Warfare played a central role in Aztec life and its importance was reinforced by myths. In the creation myth the gods sacrificed their blood to set the sun in motion. The continual offering of human blood was therefore necessary to maintain the momentum of the universe. The capture of prisoners during battle was essential for this purpose, although they were only sacrificed on special occasions. Self-sacrifice (bleeding several parts of the body) was a common practice among the Aztec and an alternative way for the offering of blood. The expansion of the Empire and the procurement of tribute from newly conquered lands were also fundamental reasons to engage in war.
This Aztec spear thrower is called an atlatl in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztec. It is carved in wood and decorated with gold foil and was probably used for ceremonial purposes rather than in actual battle. At least 12 Aztec ceremonial spear throwers are known today.
Warfare played a central role in Aztec life and its importance was reinforced by myths. In the creation myth the gods sacrificed their blood to set the sun in motion. The continual offering of human blood was therefore necessary to maintain the momentum of the universe. The capture of prisoners during battle was essential for this purpose, although they were only sacrificed on special occasions. Self-sacrifice (bleeding several parts of the body) was a common practice among the Aztec and an alternative way for the offering of blood. The expansion of the Empire and the procurement of tribute from newly conquered lands were also fundamental reasons to engage in war.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/411936864.jpg)
Aztec Ceremonial Shield
This is a mosaic covered wooden disc that was probably once a ceremonial shield for the Aztecs. It is worked in turquoise and shell with beads of pine resin covered with gold leaf. It is thought that the shield depicts the principal divisions of the Aztec universe. Around the edge of the shield are a series of regularly spaced holes, which were probably used to put feathers in. According to sixteenth-century descriptions, colored feathers were used to decorate the edges of mosaic shields.
This shield is very symbolic to the Aztecs because religion was a huge part of their society, and ceremonies were very important to their society. There were sacrifices made every day or almost every day in Tenochtitlan. This was a large factor that set the Aztecs and Spanish apart. The Aztecs believed that their ceremonies and sacrifices kept the world in existence, but the Spanish believed in personal wealth, greed, and converting societies to their religion.
This is a mosaic covered wooden disc that was probably once a ceremonial shield for the Aztecs. It is worked in turquoise and shell with beads of pine resin covered with gold leaf. It is thought that the shield depicts the principal divisions of the Aztec universe. Around the edge of the shield are a series of regularly spaced holes, which were probably used to put feathers in. According to sixteenth-century descriptions, colored feathers were used to decorate the edges of mosaic shields.
This shield is very symbolic to the Aztecs because religion was a huge part of their society, and ceremonies were very important to their society. There were sacrifices made every day or almost every day in Tenochtitlan. This was a large factor that set the Aztecs and Spanish apart. The Aztecs believed that their ceremonies and sacrifices kept the world in existence, but the Spanish believed in personal wealth, greed, and converting societies to their religion.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/608215597.jpg)
Aztec War Knife
This knife is carved from a single piece of wood and consists of a crouching man wearing the clothing of an eagle warrior. The eagle represented the power of day in Aztec mythology and was believed to carry the sun into the sky from the underworld each morning. This knife was probably used for things like hunting, food preparation and warfare. Some knives that were more decorated may have been used for ritual sacrifice. Only a few of these knives have survived into the modern day and they are a great representation of how the Aztecs used their resources to make things that had multiple uses.
This knife is carved from a single piece of wood and consists of a crouching man wearing the clothing of an eagle warrior. The eagle represented the power of day in Aztec mythology and was believed to carry the sun into the sky from the underworld each morning. This knife was probably used for things like hunting, food preparation and warfare. Some knives that were more decorated may have been used for ritual sacrifice. Only a few of these knives have survived into the modern day and they are a great representation of how the Aztecs used their resources to make things that had multiple uses.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/712217704.jpg?296)
Aztec Serpent Carving
This is a granite carving of a serpent. The serpent played a very important role in Mexica religion and was represented in a variety of forms. Many superb examples, carved in stone, have survived. Some were very realistic, while others were blended with fantastic elements, as in representations of Xiuhcoatl, the Fire Serpent. The thirteen segments of the tail can be clearly distinguished, one for each year in the life of the serpent, since a new rattle is formed when it sheds its skin. Thirteen was a significant number among the Mexica, related to their concept of the world. The Mexica universe was organized in three levels: a celestial realm, a terrestrial one, and the underworld. There were thirteen levels in the celestial realm, each one inhabited by different gods. In the Mexica sacred calendar (of 260 days) there was a 20-day cycle that was combined with thirteen numbers. The same combination ( for example, 1 Alligator) did not repeat itself until the full cycle of 260 days was completed.
This is a granite carving of a serpent. The serpent played a very important role in Mexica religion and was represented in a variety of forms. Many superb examples, carved in stone, have survived. Some were very realistic, while others were blended with fantastic elements, as in representations of Xiuhcoatl, the Fire Serpent. The thirteen segments of the tail can be clearly distinguished, one for each year in the life of the serpent, since a new rattle is formed when it sheds its skin. Thirteen was a significant number among the Mexica, related to their concept of the world. The Mexica universe was organized in three levels: a celestial realm, a terrestrial one, and the underworld. There were thirteen levels in the celestial realm, each one inhabited by different gods. In the Mexica sacred calendar (of 260 days) there was a 20-day cycle that was combined with thirteen numbers. The same combination ( for example, 1 Alligator) did not repeat itself until the full cycle of 260 days was completed.
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/7/4/16743530/588293121.jpg?303)
Aztec Obsidian Mirror
The Aztec people made mirrors of varying sizes with cut iron, pyrites and obsidian (a volcanic glass). Obsidian, ranging in colour from almost black (as here) to translucent green, came from various sources in Mesoamerica. At least six major sources are known in Central Mexico, in the states of Mexico, Hidalgo, Puebla and Michoacan. The most important source before European contact was Pachuca, in Hidalgo, which produced a beautiful green obsidian. Obsidian was also used for scraping and cutting tools, as well as for ornaments and carvings. This simply shows how resourceful the Aztecs were with what they knew as they lacked knowledge of the world around us.
The Aztec people made mirrors of varying sizes with cut iron, pyrites and obsidian (a volcanic glass). Obsidian, ranging in colour from almost black (as here) to translucent green, came from various sources in Mesoamerica. At least six major sources are known in Central Mexico, in the states of Mexico, Hidalgo, Puebla and Michoacan. The most important source before European contact was Pachuca, in Hidalgo, which produced a beautiful green obsidian. Obsidian was also used for scraping and cutting tools, as well as for ornaments and carvings. This simply shows how resourceful the Aztecs were with what they knew as they lacked knowledge of the world around us.
At the website listed in sources, you will find even more artifacts about the Aztecs to enhance your knowledge of their rich history!