This is a presentation I did to discuss the Aztec culture, specifically their food, gods, and symbols. These are things I'm very interested in and I wanted to share them with you all!
2. food
Of all the foods the Aztecs ate, the most
important part of their cuisine was corn,
which they called maize.
maize was so important to the Aztecs that it
actually played a role in their mythology.
The importance of maize to the Aztecs was
equal to the importance that rice played to
the Asian cultures
It should first be noted that maize came in
a number of different varieties. These
varieties would be based on size, color, and
its texture.
It would also be eaten in a number of
different ways, and these included tamales
and tortillas. In addition to maize, there
were a number of other foods that played
an important role in the Aztec diet.
3. food
Some other important foods were salt, as well as chilies.
During fasting, the Aztecs would refrain from eating either one of these
things.
Beans were also very important to the Aztecs, and also enjoyed eating
pigweed as well as chia.
When these foods were combined with maize, it would have given the typical
Aztec a very healthy diet, which contained all the nutrients they needed.
Nixtamalization is the method in which maize would be processed, and the
maize would often be cooked in an alkaline substance. When this was done,
it greatly enhanced its nutritional value.
Aztecs enjoyed turkey, various types of fowl, and they also feasted on
iguanas and gophers. Shrimp and fish was an important part of their diet
they also enjoyed both insects and their eggs as a part of their Aztec food.
4. drinks
water played an important role
among the Aztecs
In addition to this, the Aztecs also
drunk the fermented juice which
comes from the century plant, and
they also enjoy drinking pulque.
there were a number of alcoholic
beverages available which were made
from fuits, cacti, and honey.
Intoxication was not admired by the
Aztecs, and with the exception of
seniors, anyone else who became
drunk could be subjected to harsh
punishments.
5. drinks
the Aztec nobility had strict rules
which stopped them from drinking.
If they became drunk, the
punishment could be as severe as
execution.
The nobility also didn't drink
pulque, as they considered this to
be a drink of the common man.
They elite instead liked to drink
anything which came from cacao..
They would often ad chili peppers
to it to give it a bit of flavor. Honey
was often used in cacao as well, but
the list of herbs that could be used
are very numerous.
6. gods
The Aztecs named and worshiped
nearly 1000 Aztec gods.
Two the most important gods in
Aztec religion were Aztec Gods
called tēōtl and tēixiptla.
Tēōtl represented the so called
"Aztec God", the impersonal force,
the power behind the world.
Tēixiptla was a pysical
manifestation of Aztec God. For
instance - Tēixiptla would be a
statue of the tēōtl.
7. gods
The main god of the Aztecs was Huizilopochtlid.
This was the sun and war god - the
personification of the sun and of war.
Huitzilopochtli was a center of the Aztec
religious practices.
Aztec God of Huitzilopochtli became the main
deity in Aztec religion after the founding of
Tenochtitlan in the 14th century.
Before Huitzilopochtli was a "only" a hunting
deity. We say only because hunting was one of
the main Aztec activities.
8. gods
The story goes that Huitzilopochtli
directed the Aztec people when they
were looking for a place to settle.
They founded the city of
Tenochtitlan where they would see
an eagle devouring a snake. The
snake was perched on a cactus. This
was a sign.
The legend goes that Huitzilopochtli
killed his nephew, Cópil, and threw
his heart on the lake, then made a
cactus grow out of his heart. This
was the same cactus that appeared to
the Aztec people together with the
snake and the eagle and was the site
on which Aztecs built their capital
city.
A picture of this event is also
present on the Mexican Coat of Arms.
9. gods
Another important
Aztec god was
named Tlaloc.
Tlaloc was the god
of rain. Especially
farmers were very
careful to praise
this god so that
could grow good
crops and not
experience drought.
10. symbols
The principal god of
maize was Cinteotl.
Originally, it was a
goddess that
represented maize
rather than a god, but
this was changed over
time. The male version
was named
Chicomecoatl.
11. symbols
The Earth is an important symbol
to the Aztecs
In Aztec mythology, the Earth is
divided in three parts, the
surface, where humans live, the
underworld, which was the
domain of the dead, and the sky.
According to Aztec mythology,
humans could only dwell in
either the surface world or
underworld, while the sky was
reserved for the gods.
