FOOD, MUSIC, AND GAMES - THE RICH LIVES OF THE AZTEC PEOPLE

THE LIVES OF THE AZTECS

The Aztec people enjoyed a rich life of food, music, and especially games. Many delicious mexican foods came from the Aztecs. They enjoyed lives full of art, music, food, and games.

ART

A fresco of a snake.    

Aztec art was highly influenced by the history of the Aztecs and other tribes. The Aztecs called their artwork toltecat which derived from the tribe of the Toltecs(made the statues shown in the article The Beginning of the  Aztecs).

Aztec art showed a deep appreciation for nature. Animals all played a major       part in their paintings and sculptures.

Much of the clothing and head dresses of the Aztecs were very beautiful and artistic. Jewels and feathers adorned them. Though they did not have as many paintings and sculptures as other ancient civilizations, they definitely had style.



An Aztec head dress and dagger.

A big part of Aztec culture was story telling, which was often done through art. The Aztecs frescos and mosaics were used almost as storyboards, telling legends and tales, and sometimes just daily life.

Masks were often covered in turqouise mosaic. This was a very common form of Aztec artwork.




FOOD

The Aztec staple was a mealy corn that they called maize. This was and still is one of the most common foods in Mexico.



The maize was used much in their food; they made tortillas, bread, and tamales from it.

An Aztec woman making tortillas over a stone griddle.

Aztecs also ate a lot of beans. They ate beans mainly because it was harder for them to hunt meat. Though they were experienced hunters, the Aztecs relied mostly on their agricultural skills. The Aztecs ate food high on protein and energy, like cashews, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and especially chocolate. The Aztecs not only domesticated bees for honey, they also raised turkeys. Meat played a minor part in the Aztec society, but they would hunt for deer, rabbits, and even iguana! They also were skilled fishers and the lake surrounding Tenochtitlan was rich with shrimp.

Chocolate is the greatest gift of the Aztec civilization. The word chocolate actually comes from the Aztec word chocolatl.

 The cocoa bean was so highly valued, it was used as currency! The Aztecs first used used the cocoa bean to make a rich chocolaty drink, in which they used pepper and spices to flavor rather then milk and sugar. To learn how to make a similar drink, called atole, go here; http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/atole-recipe.html

Chocolate was brought to Europe by Columbus, but did not gain popularity until Hernan Cortes used the cocoa beans with milk and sugar.

MUSIC

"Each lord had in his house a chapel with composer-singers of dances and songs, and these were thought to be ingenious in knowing how to compose the songs in their manner of meter and the couplets that they had. Ordinarily they sang and danced in the principal festivities that were every twenty days, and also on other less principal occasions..."(Geronimo de Mendieta)

The above quote came from a Spanish friar describing he music of the Aztecs and the influence it had. Like I said before, a big part of Aztec culture was storytelling. Music was not only used for enjoyment, but to pass on important cultural influences to younger generations, and connecting to life.

During their career in school many children learned music. These musicians often stayed in the quarters of nobles as their own personal band in their own personal studio, described above.

The Aztecs sang many sacred hymns to honor their Gods. The hymns usually told tales of the Gods. The hymns would also be used to pray to the Gods for rain or victory in battle.

Another form of Aztec song is known as cantares. Better known as "Ghost Songs", these songs would be sung before battle along with mystical dances. They were eerie and tribal, recounting the times of the past when previous warriors had gained success over their adversaries. The Aztecs believed they could channel their ancestors and the spirit world through these songs and chants. To your right you can listen to a beautiful song in the style of a cantare.

The Aztecs used very tribal instruments 

GAMES

Many Aztec games and sports are still played today. Most Aztec games would have some sort of religious significance. A good example would be the game of ullamaliztli.

A tlachti.(Ball court)

Ullamaliztli was a very important part of Aztec society. Every time they began a new settlement, they built two things; a shrine to the god Huitzilopochtli, and a court for ullamaliztli. 

The game was played with two teams. The teams would begin at each side of the court. The point of the game was to get the ball through either of the holes. However, it was so difficult to put the ball through the hole, that once it was accomplished the game would be over. The game was so extremely difficult; it was played with a hard rubber ball weighing about 9 pounds which was not allowed to touch the ground, and could not be touched by the hands. Since it was so hard to put the ball through the hole, there were substitute objectives. A player could aim to hit any of the six markers along the side of the court. Players could also be awarded points for making a skillful play.

The game of ullamaliztli. 

During the game, gambling was very common among the spectators. Gambling is very prevalent in Aztec society; almost anything you owned could be gambled.

Politically, this game was very important. Because each team would play neighboring city states or tribes, and a win would be used to establish dominance or settle a dispute. As you can see it was a very important game to the Aztecs

The game was very important to the Aztec religion as well. It symbolized the battle between the day and the night as well as mirrored the ball court of the heavens. The ball represented the head of the victim, and the court lay at the end of the steps to the sacrificial table. It is said that in some of the most ritualistic matches, the losing team would be sacrificed.

A form of this ball game is still played today and goes by the name of ulama. To get a glimpse of what it was like, watch he video on the right.





Ullamaliztli was certainly the most important game played by the Aztecs. However, it was not the only one. Patolli was a very beloved board game of the Aztecs.




Patolli was popular with both the nobles and the commoners. The main point of the game was betting; Aztecs would bet precious stones or feathers as they played the game. The game was so common, that people often walked around with their game mats in case a challenge arouse. To see how to play patolli,  go here; http://www.ehow.com/how_5108184_play-patolli.html

As you can see the Aztecs had very rich and harmonious lives when they were not fighting. The Aztecs were very advanced in their art and culture, even if they were not technologically advanced.