The ancient civilization of the Aztecs, ten facts from the life of the tribe. Achievements and inventions of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans Aztec myths in religious and cultural traditions

Introduction. 3

1. History of Aztec culture. 6

2. Masterpieces of Aztec art. 9

2.1 Mayan pyramids. 9

2.2 Aztec feather products. 9

2.3 Products made of gold and silver and pottery of the Incas. 10

Conclusion. 14

References.. 15

Introduction

In the Aztec world there was a special group of intellectuals who created sophisticated metaphors, poems and preserved ancient traditions. They were called “experts of things” - tlamatines.

The achievement of the Tlamatines was that they were able to oppose the cruel military, mystical-military way of serving the gods with their own path: comprehension of the hidden part of heaven through the creation of sublime poems and aesthetic works.

Tlamatines could be painters, sculptors who create images, and a philosopher who rises in spirit to the heavenly peak, and musicians who hear the melodies of the celestial spheres, and astrologers who know the ways of the gods - all those who seek truth in the Universe.

Among the tlamatines, Ashaya Katzin-Itzcoatl (1468-1481) - the sixth ruler of Tenochtitlan and Montezumo L Shocoitzin (tlacatecutli from the time of the Conquest) - stood out.

The Aztecs created a mature literature. Prose played the main role in Aztec literature. It is religious, the individual psychology of the author is poorly expressed, and there is practically no love theme.

The most common of the genres was historical prose: records of the wanderings of mythical ancestors, meetings and enumeration of places traversed, in which reality was intertwined with myths. Epic works were very popular: the epic about the origin of the Indians, world eras, floods and about Quetzalcoatl.

A type of prose were didactic treatises. They represented the edifications of the elders and generalized the experience of the Aztecs in various areas of life. These texts have strong moral standards and a desire to strengthen moral principles.

The philosophical genre was a real pearl of poetry. His main motive is the short duration of human life. The brightest star of Aztec poetry, the model of a ruler, man, legislator and philosopher is Fasting Coyote (Nezaucoyotl, 1418-1472). The Aztecs' speech was flowery and elegant, and their language was eloquent, metaphorical and rich in rhetorical devices.

There was a special concept - “ancient word”. It was a kind of cliche, a model for performances, specially remembered and dedicated to certain occasions and holidays. The purpose of the “ancient words” was to instruct the Aztecs in matters of behavior, learning and everyday life. By knowing the correct answer to them, it was possible to determine a person’s belonging to a certain social class.

“Ancient words” were written in a special script (a combination of pictographic and hieroglyphic elements) on tanned deerskin or on paper made from agave. The leaves were glued to each other, and “folding” books were obtained.

There were two types of public schools with the integrity of the pedagogical system. They were compulsory on a mass scale: everyone who had reached the age of 15 had to enter one or another educational institution, depending on their inclinations or the vow that was given at their birth.

The first type was called Telpochcalli. Here they were taught to fight and work. The main subjects are military affairs, the construction of canals, dams and fortifications.

The second type of school - Kalmecak - existed at the sanctuaries and provided a higher level of education; they paid more attention to intellectual development. The young men were given in-depth knowledge of mathematics, chronology, astronomy and astrology. They were taught rhetoric, versification, legislation and history. Students were instilled with a dual character of thinking: a strict mathematical mindset and a subtle sensory perception of the world. Boys and girls were raised separately and with great severity. The purpose of education and upbringing was to give them a wise mind and a strong heart. This was the Aztec ideal of a man whose actions were guided by his soul. Calmecac's students usually joined the ranks of the clergy.

All of the above factors determine relevance and the significance of the topic of work at the present stage, aimed at a deep and comprehensive study of the masterpieces of Aztec art.

The topic of essence and features has been poorly studied in our country, so it is relevant to devote work to systematizing, accumulating and consolidating knowledge about the masterpieces of Aztec art.

In this regard, the purpose of this work is to systematize, accumulate and consolidate knowledge about the masterpieces of Aztec art.

1. History of Aztec culture

The Aztec culture was the latest in a long line of advanced civilizations that flourished and declined in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The oldest of them, the Olmec culture, developed on the Gulf Coast in the 14th-3rd centuries. BC. The Olmecs paved the way for the formation of subsequent civilizations, which is why the era of their existence is called pre-classical. They had a developed mythology with an extensive pantheon of gods, erected massive stone structures, and were skilled in stone carving and pottery. Their society was hierarchical and narrowly professionalized; the latter was manifested, in particular, in the fact that religious, administrative and economic issues were dealt with by specially trained people.

These features of Olmec society were further developed in subsequent civilizations. In the tropical rainforests of southern Mesoamerica, the Mayan civilization flourished for a relatively short historical period, leaving behind vast cities and many magnificent works of art. Around the same time, a similar civilization of the classical era arose in the Valley of Mexico, in Teotihuacan, a huge city with an area of ​​26-28 square meters. km and with a population of up to 100 thousand people.

At the beginning of the 7th century. Teotihuacan was destroyed during the war. It was replaced by the Toltec culture, which flourished in the 9th–12th centuries. The Toltec and other late classical civilizations (including the Aztec) continued the trends established in the pre-classical and classical eras. Agricultural surpluses fueled population and urban growth, and wealth and power became increasingly concentrated at the top of society, leading to the formation of hereditary dynasties of city-state rulers. Religious rituals based on polytheism became more complex. Vast professional layers of people engaged in intellectual work and trade arose, and trade and conquests spread this culture over a vast territory and led to the formation of empires. The dominant position of individual cultural centers did not interfere with the existence of other cities and settlements. Such a complex system of social relationships was already firmly established throughout Mesoamerica by the time the Aztecs arrived here.

In 1495, when Spanish ships appeared off the coast of the New World, many Indian tribes and peoples with different levels of development lived on this large continent. Most of them were hunters, fishermen, and simple farmers. Only in two relatively small regions of the Western Hemisphere - in Mesoamerica (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras) and in the Andes (Bolivia, Peru) - did the Spaniards encounter a high-level Indian civilization. The highest achievements of pre-Columbian American culture were born on their territory.

This is how potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, corn, cocoa, as well as quinine, rubber, etc. came to Europe. The Incas, before meeting the Europeans, used bronze weapons and tools. And in Mesoamerica, metals (excluding iron) were found at the beginning of the 1st millennium and were used for decoration and the production of religious needs.

The Indians of Peru did not have their own written language (this is not known for sure), and in Central America, perhaps 3 thousand years ago, a local Indian written language was created, as well as an original way of writing down dates. The Maya and Aztecs left codices that contain information from the Mexican state in the pre-Columbian period. In the Nazca Desert (Peru), huge drawings were found (for example, a 120-meter bird, a 200-meter lizard, and in another place a giant monkey).

2. Masterpieces of Aztec art

2.1 Mayan pyramids

Mayan culture is based on knowledge of the laws of the seasons and the movements of the planets. Based on this knowledge, they determined the location for their religious centers, which sometimes turned into real observatories, consisting of several pyramids connected by passages. In pre-Columbian America, the Mayans were undoubtedly the most skilled architects and masons. They mastered two basic techniques of construction art: the construction of vaults, which made it possible to create ceilings of a very large area, and the use of cement, which made it possible to build strong walls even from small stones. Beginning in the 9th century, the Mayans overcame the dominance of the Toltecs, but continued to build huge structures, such as the pyramid temple of Chichen Itza.

2.2 Aztec feather crafts

By the 15th century, the Aztecs had conquered all the peoples of Central America and shamelessly plundered them in every way, including in terms of cultural wealth. They borrowed monumental sculptural forms from the Mayans and Toltecs, but unlike them, they paid special attention to the individual appearance of the characters, which is noticeable in the example of the statues of the god Quetzalcoatl, carved from red porphyry stone. Courageous warriors and builders of huge cities with palaces, temples, gardens, canals, the Aztecs were at the same time good artists and craftsmen who made amazingly beautiful things even from such strange materials as bird feathers. In 1519, during the first landing of the Spaniards, Emperor Montezuma, trying to establish trade relations with them, presented Hernando Cortes with amazing crowns and feather shields.

Ceremonial knife, Chimu art, ca. 1000-1400, gold and silver, turquoise inlay. Peruvian Gold Museum, Lima.

2.3 Gold and silver objects and Inca pottery

At the head of the Inca empire was a ruler revered under the name Son of the Sun. Several cities built in inaccessible places, such as the sacred secret citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes, confirm the Incas' gift for overcoming natural obstacles and the mountains of Peru. Crafts also reached a high level of technology, for example in works made of gold, silver or bronze. Potters made filigree products, mostly geometric shapes.

Numerous Inca gold objects, mainly jewelry and religious paraphernalia, aroused the greed of the Spaniards who captured Peru around 1530. Decorated with stones (here turquoise), they were sometimes created using the casting technique and were very weighty solid metal objects. They were also made using the “blown gold” forging technique and were then hollow and light.

Statue of the god Quetzalcoatl, Aztec art, early 16th century, red porphyry, 44 cm (height), Museum of Man, Paris.

The Aztecs adopted from the Toltecs not only technology and art form, but also gods. So Quetzalcoatl, the god of vegetation and the return of spring, became among the Aztecs the god of priests, religious thought and art.

Bell in the form of an eagle warrior. Aztecs. Origin unknown.

The bell pendant is made in the form of a half-man - half-eagle. The hollow body of the pendant is pear-shaped, inside of which there is a copper bead. At the slightest movement, the bead hits the walls and rings. That is why such pendants are called bells. The two halves of the eagle's beak form a kind of helmet, from which a stern face looks out with well-modeled features, despite its miniature size. There are large round inserts in the ears, and a feather headdress is depicted on the top of the helmet. The master placed an oval pectoral on the warrior’s chest. In life, such jewelry was worn on a rope: its knotted ends are depicted on the reverse side of the figure. The warrior's hands are covered with feathers, in one of them he holds a scepter, in the other - three darts and a small round shield. The scepter and shield are also decorated with feathers. Clawed eagle paws are visible at the bottom of the figure. The entire composition is enclosed in a rectangular frame composed of wavy lines. Two massive loops at the back of the head indicate that the bell was worn on a chain or rope. Many of the details of this pendant give the impression of gold wires soldered onto the surface of the piece, but in reality the bell is cast entirely using the lost wax technique common in Mexico. Sometimes, due to the deceptive resemblance of such parts to separately manufactured wires, they are called “false filigree”. The idea of ​​such jewelry was apparently borrowed by the Aztecs from the Mixtecs, famous for their goldsmiths. Mixtec pendants are known that resemble the Hermitage bell. Having fallen under the rule of the Aztecs, the Mixtec masters continued to work, creating masterpieces for the new rulers.

In Aztec art, there were often images of warriors dressed as an eagle or a jaguar, or less often a snake. Among the most outstanding monuments are the human-sized terracotta eagle warrior figures from the Main Temple in Mexico City. The works of chroniclers mention certain associations of eagle warriors, which included representatives of aristocratic Aztec families. Perhaps it was they who wore similar golden bells on their chests. Today only one such pendant is known. The uniqueness of the Hermitage monument is also in the fact that only a small number of gold items from Mexico have reached us: they learned to process metals in this region shortly before the arrival of the conquistadors, and most importantly, many gold items were sent by the Spaniards to be melted down.

Conclusion

The Aztecs had a cyclical account of time. They combined the solar 365-day calendar with the ritual 260-day calendar. According to the first, the year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each, to which 5 so-called were added at the end. unlucky days. The solar calendar was applied to the agricultural cycle and major religious practices. The ritual calendar, used for prophecies and predictions of human fate, contained 20 names of the days of the month (“rabbit”, “rain”, etc.) in combination with numbers from 1 to 13. The newborn, along with the name of the day of his birth (like “Two Deer" or "Ten Eagle") also received a prediction of his fate. Thus, it was believed that Two Rabbit would be a drunkard, and One Snake would earn fame and wealth. Both calendars were connected into a 52-year cycle, at the end of which the past years disappeared, just as the wind carries away a bundle of 52 reeds, and a new cycle began. The end of each 52-year cycle threatened the death of the Universe.

The Aztecs created an extensive corpus of oral literature, represented by the genres of epic, hymn and lyric poetry, religious chants, drama, legends and tales. This literature is also very diverse in tone and theme and ranges from glorifying military valor and the exploits of ancestors to contemplation and reflection on the essence of life and human destiny. Poetic exercises and debates were constantly practiced among the nobility.

The Aztecs proved themselves to be skilled builders, sculptors, stone carvers, potters, jewelers, and weavers. The art of making products from the bright feathers of tropical birds was especially revered. Feathers were used to decorate warriors' shields, clothes, standards, and headdresses. Jewelers worked in gold, jadeite, rock crystal and turquoise, showing extraordinary skill in creating mosaics and ornaments.

Bibliography

1. Vaian J. History of the Aztecs. M., 1949

2. History of the Literatures of Latin America, vol. 1. M., 1985

3. Kinzhalov R. The Art of Ancient America. M., 1962

4. Kinzhalov R. Eagle, quetzal and cross. M., 1991

5. Leon-Portilla M. Nagua Philosophy. M., 1961

6. Sodi D. Great cultures of Mesoamerica. M., 1985

There were two main calendars: Tzolkin - “year of the Moon” - 260 days and Haab - “year of the Sun” - 365 days. Scientist L. Schulze-Jena suggested that the duration of Tzolkin was determined by the period of pregnancy and birth of a person. The third element of the calendar system was the “calendar circle”, consisting of 18,980 days, and the fourth was the long count of “katuns” of 20 years from the original date of 3113 BC. e. The end of each cycle was celebrated with grandiose holidays. The months in the calendar consisted of 20 days, the year had 18 months and 5 unnamed days. The year began on December 23, and every fourth year was considered unlucky or a leap year because it had an “extra” month.

The sacred numbers in the Mayan calendar and science were 13, 20, etc. There was a base-2 system of calculations using the concept of zero. When recording, numbers were indicated by dots and dashes. Counting boards were used for calculations. Special signs recorded numbers in tens and hundreds of millions. Why they needed such complex calculations is another cultural mystery. There are more than 400 known types of medicine used by the Mayans, many of which are used in modern medicine. The study of anatomy made it possible to widely use surgical operations and treat tumors. Struggle

With paganism of the Indians, which contributed to the destruction of their books, led

To oblivion of many scientific achievements. They are being revived and rethought in our time.

5.3. Aztec culture

The Aztecs (or Tenochki) came to the territory of modern Mexico along with other warring tribes. From a nomadic lifestyle they switched to a settled way of life, settling in the Valley of Mexico in the 13th century, and became rulers, creating in 1427 the union of city-states “Triple League”. It was a slave-owning empire, and the name "Aztec" spread to

Section II HISTORY OF WORLD CULTURE

all carriers of the culture of their state. However, the development of their civilization was interrupted during the conquest. In 1519, the Spaniard E. Cortes led a military expedition to the area where the Aztecs lived and was received like a god. This mission ended with the ruin of their empire. In 1521 The Spaniards executed the last ruler of the country and plundered the capital and other cities. A new European-style city of Mexico City was built from stone blocks removed from Indian buildings.

Amazed by the new world that appeared before them, the Spaniards preserved information about it in historical works and ethnographic descriptions, such as “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain” (12 books) by the monk B. de Saahun. This was information about the daily life of the Indians, cults and rituals, describing them from the point of view of a Christian of European civilization.

The pagan mythology of the Aztecs represented the whole world as a struggle between two opposite principles: light - darkness, heat - cold, etc. From the two parts of the god - the monster Tlaltecuhtli, a Universe emerged, where numerous deities ruled. The Aztec pantheon consisted of various groups of gods: the elements and rain; the sun, the night sky and the creator of the world; astral gods, as well as the deity of the sacred drink octli; death and the underworld, and this system is completed by the fifth group of gods - the creators.

The main one in the pantheon was the sun god Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs themselves were called “children of the Sun”, to whom human hearts were brought to the altar. The fire deity Huehueteotl demanded the burning of victims, the fertility god Tlaloc was given the lives of children, and women were sacrificed to the Earth goddess. Millions of people were sacrificed to the altar of the Aztec gods. The Indians constantly fought for the benefit of their gods, who needed human blood - “divine moisture.” This food supported divine life.

Mythology, like the entire Aztec culture, was formed under the influence of the Toltecs. This became their common god Quetzalcoatl or the “Feathered Serpent.” He

Section II HISTORY OF WORLD CULTURE

was a hero, ruler, priest and god. The unusual, according to legend, image of this light-skinned god became the reason for the special attitude of the Aztecs towards the Spaniard Hernan Cortez.

The central part of Aztec cities were the pyramid complexes. Their temples, lower than those of the Mayans, stand on massive pyramids. On the land of the Aztecs, there once stood a temple in the city of Cholula, the pyramid of which was larger than the famous Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. Sacred military rituals took place in the unique temple of Malinalco, carved into the rock over a period of 14 years. It is known that the Aztecs completed the construction of their temples in accordance with 52-year cycles that had mystical significance.

The most significant temple buildings were in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The main temple of the city had a height of 46 m, and on its top there were two sanctuaries - the gods of the Sun and Rain. There are legends about the emergence of the main city of the Aztecs. They tell about the wanderings of this people and the prophecies of the high priest, about the sign that became a symbol of the founding of the capital. It was an eagle sitting on a cactus and holding a snake in its talons. This sign led the Aztecs to a valley with a network of lakes, the area of ​​which was 6500 square meters. km. On the island of Lake Texcoco, an amazing city was built in 1325 with four quarters, artificial islands and dams. Subsequently, it was given the name “American Venice.” The one-story palace of the rulers of the empire, built of wood, had 300 rooms and was distinguished by comfort and luxury. In one of these secret rooms, the soldiers of E. Cortes discovered the treasury of the empire.

In 1972–1982 Archaeological excavations were carried out in the capital of Mexico, which made it possible to discover and study more than 7,000 objects of Aztec material culture. Similar studies were carried out on sensational finds, such as the “Sun Stone” with a diameter of 3.5 m and a weight

Section II HISTORY OF WORLD CULTURE

24 tons, discovered in 1790. On this once colored disk, the astronomical and astrological ideas of the Aztecs were recorded.

The cult calendar of the Indians largely replicates the Mayan calendar. It was based on a 52-year cycle, ending with the holiday of the “New Fire”. The number of days in a year was divided into four periods in accordance with the cardinal points. A special understanding of the calendar cycles of time and space influenced the worldview of the Aztecs. There were four kingdoms in the world of the living and in the abode of the dead. Warriors, merchants, sacrifices to the gods were sent to the eastern world, those who died during childbirth were sent to the western kingdom. The northern land was called Mictlan - here the souls of the dead wandered through the nine “circles of hell” for four years.

The Aztecs associated special festivals with the worship of the gods, “flower wars”, similar to modern military exercises, as well as a cult ball game. The Aztecs considered war to be one of the types of service to the gods, and prisoners brought from the battlefields were doomed to become victims of the Aztec gods.

The Aztecs divided the history of mankind into periods or eras: the first was the kingdom of the jaguars, who destroyed the giants; the second - the era of wind, ended with hurricanes, the period of fire ended with a worldwide fire. The era of water was destroyed by a flood, and the last, modern era will disappear as a result of a giant earthquake.

Such ideas of the Indians were inextricably linked with their religion, which served as the basis of education and upbringing in society. In schools at temples there was co-education of girls and boys. The priests taught the children of the aristocracy history, military affairs, astronomy, the basics of state and government, grammar and various writing systems.

Aztec pictographic writing relied on phonetic, hieroglyphic symbols and icons to convey the sound of words. The color of the drawing, which carried a semantic load, was of great importance. When recording

The Incas, Aztecs and Mayans are mysterious tribes that disappeared from the face of the earth. Scientific excavations and all kinds of research are still being conducted to study their life and the reasons for their disappearance. In this article we will talk about one interesting tribe. The Aztecs lived in the 14th century in the territory that now belongs to Mexico City.

Where did they come from

The number of this Indian people was about 1.3 million people. According to legend, the homeland of the Aztecs was the island of Aztlan (translated as “land of herons”). Initially, the members of this tribe were hunters, but then, having settled on the land, they began to engage in agricultural and handicraft work, although it was a rather warlike tribe. The Aztecs, in order to begin to lead, were looking for suitable lands for quite a long time. They did not act at random, but in accordance with the instructions of their god Huitzilopochtli. In his opinion, the Aztecs should have seen an eagle sitting on a cactus and devouring the earth.

This happened

Despite the strangeness of this sign, after 165 years of wandering through Mexican soil, the Aztecs still managed to meet this mysterious bird with unusual behavior. At the place where this happened, the tribe began to settle down. The Aztecs named their first settlement Tenochtitlan (translated as “fruit tree growing from stone”). Another name for these lands is Mexico City. Interestingly, the Aztec civilization was created by several tribes. Scientists believe that at least seven tribes took part in this, speaking related languages, the most common of which was Nahuatl. Now it and similar dialects are spoken by more than 1 million people.

Bottoms and tops

Can the Aztec civilization serve as an example for modern social organization? Fighters for equality probably would not have liked the Aztec division into aristocrats and plebeians. Moreover, members of high society had all the best. They lived in luxurious palaces, wore magnificent clothes, ate delicious food, had many privileges, and held high positions. Plebeians worked on the land, traded, hunted, fished and lived modestly in special quarters. But after death, everyone received an equal chance to go to the underworld, the abode of the goddess of death Mictlan, or to go to a better world. Since warriors in the Aztec world were especially respected, those who died on the battlefield could accompany the sun from sunrise to zenith, just like those who were sacrificed. Women who died in childbirth received the honor of accompanying the sun from zenith to sunset. Those who were killed by lightning or drowned can also be considered “lucky”. They found themselves in a heavenly place where Tlalocan lived.

Fathers and Sons

The tribe discussed in this article placed great emphasis on the education of children. Until the age of 1, they were raised at home, and after that they had to attend special schools. Moreover, both boys and girls, although the latter, most often, after getting married, sat at home and looked after the household and children. Commoners learned craft skills and military affairs. Aristocrats studied history, astronomy, social studies, rituals, and government. The children of members of high society were not white-handed. They worked in public works, cleaned churches, and participated in rituals. Old people were treated to honor, respect and various privileges.

Aztec culture

It is not for nothing that this lost civilization attracts attention today. The Aztecs were excellent craftsmen, so buildings, sculptures, stone and clay products, fabrics, and jewelry were of high quality. The Aztecs were especially distinguished by their ability to make a variety of products from the bright feathers of tropical birds. Aztec mosaics and ornaments are also famous. Aristocrats were fond of literature. Many of them could compose a poem or write an oral work. Legends, stories, poems, and descriptions of the rituals of this people have survived to this day. Book paper was made from bark. The calendars that this tribe created are also interesting. The Aztecs used a solar and ritual calendar. Agricultural work and religious work were carried out in accordance with the solar calendar. It consisted of 365 days. The second calendar, which included 260 days, was used for predictions. A person's fate was judged by the day he was born. Until now, many treasure hunters dream of finding Aztec gold. And they lived very richly at one time. This is evidenced by the stories of the Spanish conquerors. They say that the wealthy Aztecs, especially in the capital Tenochtitlan, ate and slept on gold. They installed golden thrones for their gods, at the foot of which gold bars also lay.

Aztec religion

People from this tribe believed that there were several gods who controlled the forces of nature and the destinies of people. They had gods of water, maize, rain, sun, war and many others. The Aztecs built huge, richly decorated temples. The largest was dedicated to the main deity Tenochtitlan and was 46 meters high. Rituals and sacrifices were held in temples. The Aztecs also had an idea of ​​the soul. They believed that its habitat in humans is the heart and blood vessels. The beating of the pulse was taken as its manifestation. According to the Aztecs, the soul was put into the human body by the gods while he was in the womb. They also believed that objects and animals had a soul. The Aztecs imagined that there was a special connection between them that allowed them to interact on an intangible level. The Aztecs also thought that every person had a magical double. His death led to the death of a person. The Aztecs offered their own blood as a sacrifice to their idols. To do this, they performed the ritual of bloodletting. In general, the Aztecs made human sacrifices in huge quantities. It is a known fact that 2,000 people were sacrificed during the illumination of the Great Temple. The Aztecs thought about the end of the world and believed that a large amount of blood could appease the gods and maintain world balance.

The Aztec civilization died due to the greed of the Spaniards. This happened at the beginning of the 16th century, but the imagination is still excited by the story of the life of a tribe that disappeared from the face of the earth. Whether Aztec gold brings happiness is something everyone can decide for themselves.

The Aztecs are usually presented to us as harsh warriors who constantly seized foreign territories and practiced cruel rituals with human sacrifice. However, the Aztec culture left humanity with interesting developments in the field of agriculture and applied arts. We still use some of them now.

The Aztec language (“Nahuatl”) is still spoken by about a million people. Cochineal, "floating gardens" and many recipes using medicinal plants are also a legacy of the Aztecs. As for the cruel and strange customs adopted in Aztec society, they can only be understood in the context of history.

The wars waged by the Aztecs were necessary in some respects. The ancestors of the Aztecs ("Chichimecas") began to settle in southern Mexico in the early 12th century. When they arrived in the Valley of Mexico, several city-states already existed there. For more than half a century, the Chichimec tribes avoided other peoples and settled on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. It was there, as legend has it, that they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus - a sign that promised them the protection of the God Huitzilopochtli. In 1325 AD. The Aztecs created their city of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) and began a war to seize neighboring lands. In 1430, an alliance was concluded with two large settlements. This was the birth of the Aztec Empire, which flourished for almost 100 years until the arrival of Cortez.

Europeans, getting acquainted with the culture and life of the Aztecs, were surprised at how developed the system of government and education in the state turned out to be. Farming methods also generated a lot of interest.

1. Floating gardens.

The lands that the Aztecs received were not very suitable for growing garden crops, and there was practically no good soil on the island. This did not stop the Aztecs from producing enough food. One of the most interesting inventions was the “floating gardens” (chinampas). On the lake they made platforms from reeds and branches (about 27x2 m in size). These “islands” were filled with dirt and compost, and willows were planted around them to anchor the floating area. Human manure was used as fertilizer, thereby keeping the city clean and providing nutrition to the plants.

Thanks to this technology, the Aztecs could feed the entire population, and the residents of Tenochtitlan alone required up to 40 thousand tons of corn per year. Along with corn, they grew beans, pumpkins, and kept domestic animals (turkeys).

2. Universal education.

The Aztecs had a strict law requiring education. Education began at home: girls were shown how to run a household, boys mastered the professions of their fathers. The upbringing was very harsh. Young children were given little food so that they could learn to suppress their appetite. Boys had the hardest time: they were exposed to extreme temperatures to develop resilience and the “heart of stone of a warrior.” Punishment for disobedience was even more severe: at the age of 9, boys could be beaten with thorny cacti; at age 10 forced to inhale smoke from burning chili; at the age of 12, they were tied up and left to lie on a cold, wet mat. Girls, if they did not work well, were beaten with a stick.

At the age of 12-15, all children went to the “cuicacalli” (house of song) school, where they were taught the ritual chants and religion of their people. The path to school was under the supervision of an elder so that no one would truant.

From the age of 15, girls no longer attended school, and boys from commoner families went to the “telpochcalli” (military school), where they stayed overnight. Rich teenagers were sent to other schools called "calmécac". There, in addition to military training, they were taught architecture, mathematics, painting and history. All priests and officials were graduates of this school.

3. Sports games.

The game "ollama" or "tlachtli" (after the name of the field) is somewhat similar to basketball and football. Walls were erected around the field, which were 3 times higher than the height of men. Stone rings were attached to the top of the wall, into which you had to hit with a rubber ball using your hips, knees or elbows.

Only noble people could participate in the game, and if they won, the team was allowed to try to rob those present. Sometimes human sacrifices were performed on the field.

Spectators often placed bets on one team or another, despite the fact that children were prohibited from doing so from a very young age. The loser was sometimes forced to be sold into slavery because he could not pay the debt.

Ollama was not the only dangerous sport played by the Aztecs. For example, in a village they installed a large pole with ropes tied at the top. The men put on “wings”, wrapped a rope around their waists and jumped down. The platform located on top began to rotate, and people had to make 13 revolutions before landing. The Spanish called it "Volador".

4. Traditional medicine.

Doctors in Aztec society were called "tictil". They treated with the help of herbal decoctions, extracts and various magical remedies. Aztec manuscripts record 1,550 recipes and characteristics of 180 medicinal herbs and trees.

The recipe for “pain and heat in the heart” included ingredients such as gold, turquoise, red coral and burnt deer heart. Headaches were treated by making an incision in the skull with an obsidian blade.

Agave juice was widely used as a disinfectant, and the chicalote plant was widely used to relieve severe pain. Agave juice is still used against food poisoning and Staphylococcus aureus.

The Spaniards discovered among the Aztecs "passiflora" - a creeping vine that reminded them of Christ's crown of thorns. The Aztecs used this plant as a sedative. It has also become widespread in Europe.

Alcohol was prohibited throughout the empire. Only old people over 70 years of age could drink it. Wealthy Aztecs drank hot chocolate "cacahuatl", the recipe of which was inherited from the Mayans.

5. Cochineal.

Before the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, Europeans obtained the red hue using a plant extract called "crazy red." It was paler than what the Aztecs made. Their secret ingredient is a tiny cochineal beetle that lives on prickly pear cacti. A quarter of the beetle's body consists of carminic acid. To obtain 450 g of extract, 70,000 insects are required. The Spanish exported cochineal to Europe for more than 300 years until a synthetic substitute was invented in the late 19th century. Cochineal is now used in the production of some food products.

Skillful farming, sports games, medicine, the education system and even “war paint” - everything was aimed at strengthening the spirit and body of a warrior in every possible way. Some achievements of the Aztecs turned out to be so useful that they “migrated” to Europe and are still used today.

A brief historical excursion. The Middle Ages, which will be discussed in the article, occupied a period in human history from the 10th to the 16th centuries. They began with the collapse of the most powerful world empire in Europe - the Western Roman. And the end of the 14th century was marked by the domination of a significant part of Mesoamerica by the Aztec Empire, or, as neighboring tribes called them, the Tenochek.

The toponymy of the Aztecs often changed, because due to their militant aggressiveness they did not get along with neighboring tribes and peoples. They had to wander from place to place. What were the achievements of the Aztec civilization in the Middle Ages?

"Made in" in pre-Columbian America

The level of development of this America cannot be compared with the European level of the same time. At best, comparable to the Ancient East - Babylon or Egypt. Similar labor was carried out by slaves, although there were more free farmers, artisans, and the unification of the population into communities. The influence of rulers and religious figures represented by priests increased. True, the civilizations of Mesoamerica were built more on the labor of tireless tribes than on their seizure of foreign material assets. This can also be said about the very warlike Aztecs.

Lake Xochimilco in the former capital of the Aztecs is the only one still preserved, later called the Venice of the New World. A network of artificial islands, multiple canals - all this was created by the hands of artisans and slaves. So these tribes, between raids on foreign lands for slaves, tried to arrange their lives in a civilized manner. And now the Mexicans protect it as a protected area with an area of ​​12 million square meters.

Incas, Aztecs, Mayans: achievements and inventions of the ancients

So the whole world should know what the Incas, Mayans, Aztecs and other Indian civilizations of the central and southern part of the American continent gave it. When Europeans buy pure chocolate or chocolate candies, potatoes, corn, sunflower oil and dozens of other items, they must remember: all this came to them from Indian Latin America.

One day, ancient tribes tasted cocoa fruits and appreciated their taste. Cocoa gave the body strength and improved mood. Entire plantations began to be planted, and for years the quality of the beans was improved. The beans were used to make “chocolatl”. This is how the future chocolate was born.

Soon cocoa beans rose in price, which began to serve as money. For them you could buy both an animal and a slave. They became export goods - ships carried cocoa grains on ships, filling all the holds with them. The Mayans grew huge plantations of these trees, which bear fruit twice a year for eighty years. But the Aztecs decided differently: they imposed tribute on cocoa bean producers in the occupied territories. Pay in beans!

It was to the Indians what bread was to the Europeans. New World explorers have found the oldest ear of corn, establishing its age at 7,000 years. Since then, the length of the cob has grown 10 - 15 times!

But today, in most cases, it serves as feed for livestock and poultry. For food, grains are processed into popcorn or corn sticks.

From there sunflower came to Europe. But its removal from the wild environment and domestication took place closer to our times - only 2500 years. But complex selection aimed at improving the quality of seeds and increasing yields is carried out without stopping in time.

Of course, smokers are grateful to the Indians for tobacco. It grew on its own for six thousand years until the aborigines understood its significance for humans.

No one had previously analyzed how the Indians lived among tobacco plants and did not attach much importance to it. But after some hundred years, Indians from other territories learned about it, and the Spanish conquerors brought it to the Old World.

Tequila

Today, the strong alcoholic drink tequila has conquered, if not the whole world, then many territories. Tequila in its modern sense was not invented by the Mayans or Aztecs. From the pulque agave, the Indians initially obtained fermented juice with a strength of four to six degrees of alcohol. In our opinion, it was mash, which they called “a gift from the gods.”