This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“The deity Coatlicue has both female and male qualities, which is often the case in the Aztec cosmology. As the decapitated Aztec goddess of the earth, she wore a skirt made of snakes and a necklace of severed human hands and excised human hearts. Her role as both creator and destroyer of life has been emphasized in interpretations and also symbolizes the ambivalence of nature.” – Henry Freeman, Page 9
“In adopting the Toltec form of ruling with different ruling “houses,” their system was not really a true fit to the European notion of empire, but more like a confederate system of allied lineage and calpulli clan structures. This allowed for autonomous home rulers when they conquered areas and a system of tribute collection that enforced their dominance and gave them economic control over conquered populations. Calpullis are considered the fundamental unit in the social pecking order of Aztec society.” – Henry Freeman, Page 14
“Theirs was an anthropomorphic world, and the sacrifice of
the two gods meant that there was a cosmic responsibility to sacrifice to
continue the new age. Scholars do not
think that the Aztecs tolerated challenges to the established social
order. Priests, shaman, and magicians
gained immense status, as they were able to use scientific knowledge,
astrology, and religious beliefs that they coveted to support their
authoritative predictions.” – Henry Freeman, Page 24
Is This An Overview?
Through their belief system, Aztecs valued life as they
understood life to be transient. That
nature was cyclical, that nature could give life and take life away. Sacrificing to their deities was part of
their code for living, for the deities sacrificed, and the people needed to
continue the practice. Status affected
what was to be sacrificed, but none could escape the inevitable
catastrophes. Science and religion were
intertwined, and reinforced each other.
They had techniques for hydraulic engineering, which were used to
reclaim swamp territory. The political
system was based on an alliance of clans, a decentralized network. Geopolitics caused tension between different
groups, with alliances forming to overcome tyranny of another. Trade existed along with a tribute
system. An Aztec market was part of the
culture, which had various guilds that held enough power and authority to
enforce behavior.
Caveats?
This is an introductory book. To understand more about the Aztecs would
require more research. This book
provides various sources for learning about the complexity of Aztec society.
