Aztefacts

The Mexica may have believed that jadewas the bogies of the earth monster...

Divine forces come downfrom the four trees at the earth’s edge...

From the earth goddess’s haircame trees, flowers and herbs

The weaving equipment of female sacrificial victimswas burnt for their use in the afterlife...

Every altepetl had a neighbouringguardian mountain...

‘Five is all the handof the cosmos can hold...’

‘The place of the seven caves’has parallels with the human body...

Mexica women who died in childbirthwere likened to ‘spinners who had woven nothing’

Throwing victims’ bodies down temple stepswas a ritual reenactment of a Mexica myth

To the Mexica a tobacco smoking tubealso denoted a warrior’s spear...

Some Aztec lime plaster remainsas hard as modern concrete...

The glyph for Tenochtitlan citywas a shield and set of arrows

In the Nahua cosmovision, everythingthat exists has a spirit/energy inside

Mesoamericans identified quetzal featherswith the leaves of the maize/corn plant

In the codices rain deities can be seenbringing life and death to crops...

Life’s meaningcame with weaning...

A jade bead in the mouth of the deceasedhelped protect their spirit in the afterlife...

The Mexica cosmos- ‘a house writ large’...

Reach 52 and you’d made a ‘century’ -reach 104 and respect turned to fear...

Sacred geometry - at the FOURfrontof the Aztec landscape and world...

Mirrors could be used by rulersto deter citizens from lying...

A slave’s freedom could dependon ritually stepping on human poo...

The body’s left-hand side containsmore ‘vital force’...

Class struggle: Chonchayotl - an annual mock battlebetween Aztec students...

‘Unclean teeth are to be polishedvery diligently...’

What was the fate ofyour tonalli after death?

How the Mexica discovered a new herbal medicine- thanks to the animal world...

Jaguar knights did NOT wearreal animal skins as uniforms...

Thank and bless your work tools once a year- the Aztecs did!

In Aztec times, pee and poowere put to very good use...

Lighting a ritual fire atop a sacred mountaingave out ancient signals in four directions

Small drums were carried and playedby Mexica warriors to give signals in battle

Tenochtitlan, ‘The Great City of Mexico’was the centre of the Aztec World...

Guess who traditionally spoke first- host or guest...?

The Aztecs spoke of stringing togetherthe 20 day signs as a ‘precious necklace’...

The noise of the great market at Tlatelolcocould be heard ‘a league off...’

An Aztec baby was given a naming ceremony gift- that pointed to his or her future career...

Every 8 years the Mexica danced with snakesand raced to be the first to swallow them...!

Aztec ‘rain gold’ was actuallya rare crystal-filled meteorite!

Jaguar and Eagle Warriors were NOTthe highest rank in the Aztec army...

Ancient Mexican gods playedout ‘Snakes and Ladders’...

Winner takes all inthe Mexica straw poll game!

For the Mexica, heavens and ringof celestial water meet on the horizon

Did blood coursing in Mexica veinsmatch the coursing of stars above?

The Aztecs wouldn’t ‘rat’ on youbut you could get ‘moused’...!

Aztec/Mexica parents taught and‘grew’ their children a bit like plants...

There was a close personal bondbetween Aztec captor and captive...

The matted, tangled hair of Mexica priests symbolized the ‘disordered filaments of the underworld’

Were human sacrificesperformed by 5 priests... or 6?

The world’s first botanic gardensmay well have been Aztec...

The awesome Aztec pinauhuiztli beetlehas just been identified as the ‘deer-killer’!

The Aztec Water-Doghas been positively identified...!

The aquatic quadruped that made a real name for itself:The deadly Ahuizotl...

There are 5 basic ways to design clothes- and the Mexica wore them all...

Each bowl of gold dust tribute had to fill‘the hollow of both hands placed together’

At the heart of every meal- a tortilla!

See you later Alligator!- death was a final homecoming...

Was every woman’s day in Aztec timesjust one long GRIND...?

‘Our father’ -- the cypress tree...

Shoes off before the Emperor?Not me

The Aztecs encouraged parents to stretch their children- literally!

Smoke signals gave the game awayto something precious underneath...

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli- The god with the longest name?

A nose plugfit for a water goddess

Did the modern piñata...... evolve from Aztec rain-god pots?

I can’t ‘handle’ life on my own...... I just need to get a grip!

For the Aztecs if you'd 'made it' in life...... you were compared to a ripe ear of corn

The ultimate in headwear...... but isn’t the original in the wrong place?

No time for leisure?Ancient Mexican life had a real swing to it...

Strictly they didn’t float...... and they were rich enough to feed thousands of Aztecs

How come a heron...... was a special symbol for the Aztecs?

1 petate .. 2 petate .. 3 petateThe Aztecs slept fitfully...

The wheel -Did the Aztecs just ‘toy’ with the idea?

Dark materials indeedWhere did Phillip Pullman get his ‘daemon’ idea from?

The Aztec recipe for hiccups...... was used in Europe for 200 years

UltrarunningFresh fish from the coast daily ... on foot!

Guide dogs -- for all?

Because of its lunar connections...... the rabbit was an important day and year-bearer sign

SuperfoodDid the Aztecs eat nutritious green goo?

Playing ‘ullamaliztli’...... required an awful lot of balls!

The Aztecs gave themselves...... a healthy thwacking!

Aztec life checkDo you give as much as you receive?

We all mellow to yellow...... with age

What does the Aztec language(Náhuatl) MEAN?