Mexicolore replies: Being based in the UK we’re not able to help directly with this sort of enquiry. However we suggest you contact a good friend and very experienced musician who specialises in this whole area, Chris García. Here’s his main website - http://christophergarciamusic.com. The instrument names you give, BTW, are Aztec rather than Maya.
44 At 6.05pm on Saturday February 12 2022, Golden Skyy wrote:
Blessings,
My name is Golden Skyy I am Mayan/Aztec/Chichimeca.
I am aggressively seeking a Mayan Shaman Elder for my Shamanic Training. God & the ancestors have lead me to this page in hopes to find a Shaman Mayan Elder to have the formal training and Initiation. I am 41 years old and fully committed to my Shaman Mayan path as a healer. During my journey I have had PROFOUND experiences and unexplained spiritual phenomenon happen to me. A few years back I took a trip to the Mayan Ruins in Balize to “Altun ha” and captured a picture of Itzamna on my left arm. My whole life has been filled with unexplained events. I am also a Hybrid Arcturian & Alchemist. I am hoping someone on this platform can guide me to the right channels to start my journey.
I have so much to share and pictures of evidence of my extraordinary journey to share with whom ever can guide me.
Thank You for your time and love.
Golden Skyy
info@shamangoldenskyy.com
San Antonio, TX
Thank you all so much!
43 At 4.50pm on Sunday January 9 2022, Fred Sharpe wrote:
Question 1: After marriage, how did an Aztec woman’s name change? In the modern world the woman takes her husband’s surname, please tell me how an Aztec woman indicate her new life situation with her husband? I know that surnames weren’t assumed until the 11th century in the old world, is there any indication in the literature that the Aztec took a surname, and if so, did a wife assume the husband’s surname when they married. How many names, e.g., first, middle, and surname might an Aztec man take, or be given. I know that divorce was allowed by the Aztec, but please tell me if the wife, after divorce, took a new surname indicating her attachment to any new husband?
Question 2: When a word indicates that a tax is to be paid, i.e. Salt Breakers’ Tax is 1 tomin, can you please tell me if this is an annual tax, a tax per item sold or made, a lifetime one-time tax, a tax to be paid during the census (what would be the period, then)? I will appreciate any help you can provide.
Thank you.
Fred Sharpe
Greer, South Carolina
Email: fsharpeinc@gmail.com
Mexicolore replies: Thanks for writing in. We asked an academic who specialises in pre-Hispanic naming practices to answer (Dr. Anastasia Kalyuta). She generously answered both questions. Here’s her response:-
Q. Aztec naming patterns were totally different from modern European and American practices. People had a calendar name according to a cycle of 260 signs - for instance Ce Mazatl (One Deer), as well as a colloquial name for - example Tlohtli “hawk” for men or Eloxochitl (local variety of magnolia) for both men and women, often a nickname - for instance Xocuetl (lame one) and an honorific title in case of nobles like Chichimecatecuhtli (Chichimec lord). Before the Conquest the Aztecs had no surnames at all and didn’t change their names in case of marriage. A new life situation and change in social status were marked by a change of hairdo - e.g. married women used a distinctive two-horned hairstyle instead of loose long hair common for unmarried girls. Women of nobility could be referred to by the place of their origin, for example “Tollan cihuapilli” - “the lady of Tollan”.
Q2. This question isn’t clearly formulated. The tomin was the currency of the colonial period introduced by Spaniards. There were no coins before the Conquest. Some altepeme (city-states) paid Aztecs tribute in salt every 80 days but the colonial tax system was different. The viceroy could introduce a temporary tax for a particular period in extraordinary situations, for instance for market goods but generally it was the prerogative of Spanish kings who changed the tax system according to their needs. What stage in the colonial period are you thinking of?
42 At 5.49pm on Tuesday November 9 2021, Eduardo Serrano-Torres Jr wrote:
This site is undoubtedly a tremendous contribution towards helping people to keep culture close and appreciated.
Mexicolore replies: Thank you for your encouragement - this means a great deal to us.
41 At 8.32pm on Friday June 11 2021, ALEJANDRA TAPIA wrote:
Best educational resource on the topic! Lo recomiendo totalmente. Gracias.
Mexicolore replies: Many thanks, Alejandra, for your comments and encouragement.
40 At 2.30pm on Thursday August 13 2020, Jules Janick wrote:
I am requesting permission to use figures for a scientific paper in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca from your wonderful website. I have acknowledged source. will send paper if you provide email address.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks. Providing the usage is educational and non-commercial, feel free to go ahead, within reason. Strictly we should ask you to indicate exactly which images you would like to use - we don’t have the copyright on all of them and so can only really give you permission to reproduce ones we’ve taken ourselves. Please use the email address info@mexicolore.co.uk. Good wishes.
39 At 8.35pm on Sunday June 7 2020, Lowell Bassi wrote:
Hi there. This website has been very useful in the study of the MesoAmerican people. Do you have any information on the Olmecs? Remember, they were the first meso-american civilisation.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks, and good point. Not a great deal! We have a few articles that draw on Olmec roots, eg this on sculpture: https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/deep-roots-of-aztec-sculpture; or this on ‘The Jaguar in Mexico’ - https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/flora-and-fauna/jaguar.
And in our Ritual Ballgame section (under ‘Maya’, above). We’ll try and add more...1
38 At 12.51pm on Tuesday March 31 2020, Jules Janick wrote:
Any information on date of stone sculpture of sunflower head from Anthropology Museum. Any confirmation it is sunflower? Important
Mexicolore replies: We can’t find details! We do know this is presented in the Museum as being a representation of the goddess Xochiquetzal...
37 At 3.50pm on Thursday March 19 2020, Jules Janick wrote:
Can you give details of stone sculpture of sunflower head. Your site was n sunflowers excellent.
Mexicolore replies: The photo of the stone sunflower sculpture shown in pic 1 on our Sunflower page (Flora & Fauna section) was taken in the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Anthropology Museum) in Mexico City. Hope that helps...
36 At 12.09am on Sunday March 8 2020, Teresa wrote:
Quisiera recibir informaciones de ustedes, me interésan muchos temas, si pudiese suscribirme a su página, le estaría muy agradecida.
Mexicolore replies: Muchas gracias por tu interés, Teresa. ¡No tenemos sistema de suscripción a la página! Perdónanos, no estamos tan organizados...
35 At 7.12pm on Monday September 11 2017, Joan Cline wrote:
Since bears - varieties of both black and Griz - are native to Northern Mexico and would seem to have thrived in the mountainous highlands I am hoping that you may be able to explain why they do not appear as one of the dominant species in the Aztec mythology or calendar. Page 5 of Earthly Things, Book 11, of the Florentine Codex addresses their possible presence in a footnote to the definition of the word “Cuitlachtli”.
Mexicolore replies: We’ve answered this question, as far as we can, in the ‘Ask Us’ section of the site (see l/h menu).
34 At 11.20am on Tuesday February 7 2017, Kyle wrote:
I was wondering in the codices, why are Emperors almost always depicted with something above their head attached with a line? Is there a significance to each object above them or is it just aesthetic?
Mexicolore replies: Most definitely! The symbols attached by a line depict the person’s name. For example, the first Aztec emperor Acamapichtli’s name means ‘Handful of Reeds’ and this symbol - a hand grasping a bundle of reeds - can be seen attached to his head by a black line.
33 At 11.38am on Monday September 26 2016, Edgar Rickets wrote:
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/images-7/727_01_2.jpg
This image.
Mexicolore replies: OK, we should be able to help with this one as it’s one of ours. You’ll need to let us know a bit more about your intended use of it. I suggest you email us directly...
32 At 5.41pm on Friday September 23 2016, Edgar Rickets wrote:
I am interesting in using one of your images in another piece of art. Where can this be approved?
Mexicolore replies: Happy to help if we can, though we only own the copyright on some of the images on our website. Please write to us specifying which image(s) you’re interested in and we’ll let you know how to proceed...
31 At 12.40pm on Wednesday June 1 2016, Juan Manuel Colín Monroy wrote:
¿What are the characteristics of the aztec ghosts?.
Mexicolore replies: We’ve no idea! Probably just like any other ghosts.....
30 At 7.02pm on Monday December 14 2015, andrea ramirez- wasson wrote:
how did Aztecs survived so many health hazards i.e. human blood and bodies?
Mexicolore replies: They faced no more ‘health hazards’ than any other people around the globe. Mexico suffers certainly from extremes of climate, so droughts, floods, earthquakes, plagues etc were a constant threat. But don’t be thinking there were heaps of dead bodies and buckets of blood around the place: there wasn’t! That’s a complete myth. On the contrary, by all accounts Tenochtitlan was a super clean city - they had an army of 1,000 people sweeping it clean every day...
29 At 6.49pm on Friday November 2 2012, John Riley wrote:
I am doing an essay on the weapons of the Aztecs, and this site is my biggest resource. Thank you so much.
p.s. You should add a weapons page to the green box on the top left of the Aztec page.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks, John. That’s a good idea. We’ll discuss it here as a team...
28 At 6.19am on Sunday September 16 2012, Andrea Ballesteros wrote:
Dear Ian and Graciela, What a wonderful website and project you have. I still remember when I first contacted you a few years ago. I was so impressed by your project and dedication, and being Mexican myself and so, so interested in my country’s history, I was wanting to get involved then and there! I am still based in Australia and studying archaeology now as a pathway to doing a PhD. I hope I can collaborate with you somehow in the near future based on my professional experience, be that as a translator, by contributing an article, as an historian, as a teacher or as a soon-to-be archaeologist. With kind regards,
Andrea
Mexicolore replies: ¡Adelante, Andrea! Thanks for your kind words. We’d be delighted if you could contribute, in any capacity. Being that far away the best option might be for you to write an article for Mexicolore. When you are a fully qualified archaeologist, and if you go to work in Mexico, then, wow, there will be plenty of new ways to collaborate... We hope to hear back from you!
27 At 8.25am on Sunday July 22 2012, Katia H wrote:
Is it possible to visit Mexicolore’s real-world address and meet the people who run this website? I adore your amazing website, but I’m not associated with any UK school.
Mexicolore replies: Yes you can! But this needs to be by prior appointment. The time to avoid visiting is during a school term, as we’re all usually out working in schools. Our address is on our Contact page.
26 At 8.08am on Tuesday June 19 2012, Louise Camprubi wrote:
Excellent. They came to my school when I was a child and I remembered them so vividly that I invited them into my class now that I’m a teacher. Now it’s even better! The children had a wonderful time and learnt so much! Such a great way to get them excited about History! Thank you!
Mexicolore replies: Thank YOU, Louise! (You can read more about this story on our ‘Getting Involved’ page...)
25 At 11.27am on Friday May 25 2012, Ewan wrote:
I loved you coming to winterslow
Mexicolore replies: A lovely school to visit, Ewan! Do you remember how we demonstrated the ‘atlatl’ (javelin-thrower) out on the school playground...?!
24 At 9.32pm on Wednesday April 11 2012, Rosa wrote:
Prezados senhores, é autorizado utilizar as imagens, fotografia ou ilustrações em um livro didático? Grata, Rosa
Mexicolore replies: In principle, yes, Rosa, but I’m afraid it depends which images you want to reproduce! We have the copyright on many, but not all... Please refer to specific pictures and we’ll let you know...
23 At 1.17pm on Thursday March 29 2012, zeki wrote:
mexicolore is great you get to dress up play instroments and much more
Mexicolore replies: Thanks, Zeki!
22 At 11.50am on Wednesday March 28 2012, marcus weston wrote:
Ian & Graciela you were verry good at doing the aztec show for st.peaters earl shillton class’s 3 & 4.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks, Marcus! We greatly enjoyed visiting St. Peter’s (March 2012) - a lovely atmosphere in your school...
21 At 1.46pm on Thursday January 19 2012, maisie wrote:
I really really like this page!!! It’s so amazing!!! It’s got lots off games on KIDS HOME!!!
20 At 8.18am on Tuesday January 17 2012, shawna wrote:
i love this sight it gave me an a on my progect.
19 At 9.13pm on Wednesday January 4 2012, Daniel wrote:
Me acaban de recomendar su página y quedé asombrado con su maravilloso contenido. Los felicito.
Mexicolore replies: ¡Muchas gracias, Daniel! Retroalimentación como la tuya nos anima cada vez más para seguir adelante con nuestro compromiso...
18 At 5.59pm on Thursday October 20 2011, Miguel wrote:
2 QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT IS THE AZTEC SYMBOL FOR GRANDFATHER?
2. IS GUADALAJARA IN/PART OF WHAT WAS THE AZTEC EMPIRE?
THANK YOU...
Mexicolore replies: • As far as we understand the Aztecs didn’t have a symbol for grandparents; the closest we get to them in Aztec iconography would be the depiction of the elderly in general with wrinkled faces...
• No, Guadalajara wouldn’t have been part of the Aztec empire: the most westerly outpost of the empire - in the direction of Guadalajara - would have been the shores of Lake Cuitzeo, near Morelia. Remember that the Aztecs never conquered the Tarascans, whose lands fell in between the Aztec territories and present-day Guadalajara.
17 At 1.55pm on Thursday August 25 2011, Michelle wrote:
Natalia, do you have google in brazil? if you do, you can follow the weblink below, try that first. Everything should be translated to portugese including links to visit other pages within this site.
If that does not work then go to google.com then select Language Tools next to the searchbar. Enter the url for the page you want to translate and then select From : English To: Portugese.
Hope this helps, Michelle.
Natalia, você tem Google no Brasil? se você fizer isso, você pode seguir o link abaixo, tente isso primeiro. Tudo deve ser traduzido para o português, incluindo nos links para visitar outras páginas dentro deste site.
Se isso não funcionar, então vá para google.com em seguida, selecione Ferramentas de idiomas ao lado da barra de procura. Digite o url da página que deseja traduzir e selecione De: Para Inglês: Português.
Espero que isso ajude, Michelle.
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mexicolore.co.uk%2Findex.php%3Fone%3Dazt%26two%3Dser&sl=en&tl=pt&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Mexicolore replies: MANY thanks, Michelle, for your help and support!
16 At 2.04pm on Thursday July 14 2011, nathalia wrote:
olá,sou do brasil e estou fazendo uma pesquisa sobre a civilização asteca e gostaria que vocês colocassem no site artigos em português o mais rápido possível para que eu
possa entender e concluir minha pesquisa.Desde já agradeço!Site muito bom, abraços do Brasil.
Mexicolore replies: Thank you for your interest in our work, Nathalia. Sadly at the present time we don’t have a staff member who can translate into Portuguese. Anyone out there willing/able to help Nathalia’s research on the Aztecs, but in Portuguese...?
15 At 11.33am on Monday July 11 2011, Judy wrote:
I have found a very interesting piece of a dagger/ax with a mans face with an eagle mask and precious stones... i would like to send you a photo of this and see who this represents ... is this possible? please send me an email..
Mexicolore replies: By all means. We will do our best to help. (Please note, generally, that most of these artefact-based queries we post on the ‘Can You Help?’ pages of the site).
14 At 3.34pm on Saturday March 19 2011, Alyssa I. wrote:
Did the Aztecs ever have more than 1 baby at a time like we do today?
Mexicolore replies: if you mean twins, triplets, etc. then yes, though these wouldn’t have been as common as today. In fact twins were thought to be particularly precious and ‘special’ in Aztec times.
13 At 3.33pm on Saturday March 19 2011, Alyssa I. wrote:
What was the most popular name that the Aztecs named their kids?
Mexicolore replies: We think it was Yaotl (warrior) for a boy and Teyacapan (‘First-born’) for a girl; but remember that ‘official’ names were based on the calendar (the day you were born on) and of course these were evenly distributed throughout the year, so we can only talk about most popular nicknames rather than names in Aztec times.
12 At 9.56am on Saturday February 19 2011, Graciela wrote:
I love the Web, I love Mexicolore.... and I love you!!!!!
Mexicolore replies: That makes two of us...!!! (Sorry, everyone else - just two of the Mexicolore team showing our feelings!)
11 At 7.37pm on Sunday December 19 2010, Rosa Hernández Martínez wrote:
Si están en la Ciudad de México y desean ver la siguiente presentación del grupo Amoxpoani pueden acudir al auditorio del museo del Templo Mayor y disfrutar el rescate de textos y música con instrumentos antiguos
Mexicolore replies: ¡Nos encantaría estar con Uds! Muchos saludos desde Londres - congelado de nieve y hielo...
10 At 8.58pm on Thursday December 9 2010, Patrick wrote:
Thank you all so much this site, helped me greatly in my history report
9 At 6.16pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Miss. Ide wrote:
How many knives do you think that people found today in Mexico City? thanks once again sorry to be a bother!
Mexicolore replies: Many! The museum of the Templo Mayor (main Aztec temple) in Mexico City is full of sacrifice flints/obsidian blades, and they’re finding new ones all the time. Many ‘ofrendas’ (ritual offerings) include knives, as indications that the individuals themselves had been sacrificed to the gods. But many others are found with faces depicted on them: these represent the calendar/day sign ‘Tecpatl’, which is no. 18 in the calendar cycle of 20 signs. And yet others are undecorated and represent the black, dry, cold northern region of the universe, ravaged by fierce winds, ruled by the god Black Tezcatlipoca, one of whose characteristics was an obsidian blade symbolizing black wind.
8 At 6.15pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Brea L. wrote:
What was the whole purpose of the ball game? Thanks again Brea L.
Mexicolore replies: It was a sacred and ritual game that to a large extent represented the forces of the universe: the ball itself represented the movement of the Sun during the day in the sky. You can learn more about the meaning of the game in our ‘Aztefacts’ section - the article called ‘Oh balls!’
7 At 6.05pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Brea L. wrote:
After they got the heart out why did they push the people down the steps?
Mexicolore replies: After the heart was removed and burnt in the sacred bowl (the smoke would carry the heart’s ‘fuel’ up to the Sun God), the rest of the body was disposed of - not by being thrown away as rubbish, but by being thrown down the temple steps and then ceremoniously cut up and distributed, though not just to anyone - usually to the family of the warrior who had captured the victim (in battle) in the first place.
6 At 6.04pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Miss. Ide wrote:
Hello! How did the aztecs know what to name their kids?
Mexicolore replies: There are two points here: the Aztecs would name a child ‘officially’ in the days following his/her birth, according to the sacred calendar (by consulting a soothsayer trained to read and interpret the day signs), but they would also (later) give the child a nickname, often linked to their features, looks or personality. You can see some examples of these on our website - go to the ‘Aztec Life’ section and click on ‘Tiger Top’.
5 At 1.31pm on Friday November 19 2010, Sra. Smith wrote:
Hello, again. This time 5W was wondering if anyone still played the ritual ball game today (other than women)? If the pyramids had guards?
Mexicolore replies: The game is still played, though nothing like on the scale in ancient times. Where it’s still played, it’s often just for tourists - very much like the ‘Voladores’ pole-flying ceremony from Papantla. There are a few regional variations, and one researcher (Professor Manuel Aguilar-Moreno) has studied a version that’s still played today at night (and they set fire to the ball!) - in olden days this would have represented the belief in the night-time Sun God who descends every day to illuminate the world of spirits in the underworld before being born again the next morning.
We’d be very surprised if the temple-pyramids didn’t have guards in ancient times, though we can’t think of a source of evidence for this right now...
4 At 2.24am on Friday March 12 2010, jose luis wrote:
well the page is great and all of the information as well but i think it is time to let people know that we did not have gods. since you well know that this word was brouht by the spaniars.and what we have were representations of the nature forces. but well that is up to you ..4 the rest congratulations for the job you are doing.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks for your comments, Jose Luis. To be really honest, we feel life is too short to be too ‘hung up’ about whether we should talk about ‘gods’ or ‘representations of the forces of nature’. Human beings have surely got into enough trouble as it is over the centuries for inventing and arguing over God and gods...
3 At 2.30pm on Monday March 30 2009, francisco javier vidal romero wrote:
hola un saludo, me gustaria enterarme de todo lo q dicen y hacen en este lugar, yo soy mexicano pero vivo en españa, pero me gustaria q mis hijos q viven en mexico sepan de todas estas actividades y en lo personal enterarme mas de mi cultura, espero q en un futuro escriban en español para q mas gente se interese en este sitio, y como una peticion muy reiterativa les solicito q hagan una pagina en español para muchos aztecas q no sepan ingles, gracias.
Mexicolore replies: Gracias Francisco; estamos totalmente de acuerdo. Vamos a hacer todo lo posible para preparar cada vez más páginas en español, empezando (abril de 2009) con un artículo acerca de las enfermedades mentales prehispánicas por Patricia Landa Durán...
2 At 5.12pm on Wednesday February 11 2009, millie wrote:
this page is great and would be perfect for my teacher
1 At 8.40pm on Wednesday March 26 2008, diana wrote:
cool that is all i can say