![]() But by then the vassal states had had enough with meekly giving tribute and prisoners to the empire and were willing to rise up against it. Eventually this had to end, and it did with the advent of the Europeans. In a closed system, nothing can grow forever. War and bloodshed became an integral part of Aztec life. This led to a spiraling cycle of violence-more wars to bring more prisoners to continually appease the Gods to give more and more. Note the hole on the back to hold the hearts. Jaguar-Cuauhxicalli, Aztec ceremonial stone vessel to hold hearts extracted during sacrifices. Their bellies were slit open by sharp obsidian knives, their still-beating-hearts ripped out by high-priests and put in specially designed stone vessels as offerings to please the Gods to ensure a good harvest and the next victory. They were sacrificed in large numbers, often by the thousands on important occasions. The prisoners became slaves, labored, added to the war efforts and were used in ritual sacrifices. The empire expanded by waging war, subjugating neighboring tribes, forcing them to pay tribute and taking prisoners. A group of them later became the Aztecs, a powerful empire that eventually stretched from coast to coast with its capital in Tenochtitlán (centered around the Zócalo in Mexico City). The Valley of Mexico around 1200 AD was settled by nomads who called themselves Mexica from which Mexico gets its name. Metate (quern) for grinding grain, Museum of Archeology, Mexico City. It struck me again how very similar ideas and shapes came to people on different continents seemingly without any communication between them. In my house in Kolkata, India, we have one that is almost identical to the one seen on the left. Even now in India similar implements are used to grind spices and have been used through the ages. They were used to grind corn and other grains in ancient Mesoamerica. The skull-like depiction of the face was emblematic of his role, it seemed. I started browsing through the exhibits and stopped in front of the Disc of Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec God of the Dead. Disc of Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec God of the Dead, Museum of Archeology, Mexico City. That should give me a good overview in the time I had, I thought. I chose to start with the section on Introduction to Anthropology (to get the basics) followed in order by Teotihuacán, the Toltecs, Mexica, and lastly, the Mayans. Suffice to say, even a full day cannot do justice to all the exhibits. Depending on the time available, visitors can opt to see the sections of most interest to them. It is divided into sections representing various time periods and cultures in Mexican history. The museum is a large, two-story quadrangle arranged around a rectangular courtyard with an ornamental pond in the center. I managed to get a map of the exhibits in English which was a big help in planning which ones to see in the limited time we had. Security was strict, almost airport-like. We waited as Pepe went to get our tickets. We see it also in the center of the Mexican flag. On top of the museum entrance was a large depiction of the Mexican emblem-an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its beak. ![]() Mexican emblem above the museum entrance, Museum of Archeology, Mexico City. Who knows! It is hard to divine ‘Divine Intentions’. ![]() Some thought it was a supernatural event-The Rain God’s blessings raining down! Others interpreted the storm as Tlaloc expressing anger at being moved. We were told that on the day the monolith arrived at that very spot, the skies opened up with a spectacular thunderstorm during an especially dry, winter season. It was brought here from Coatlinchen where it was unearthed, on a specially designed tractor-trailer that traveled very, very slowly over the distance of 29 miles carrying the 168-ton, 25 feet high stone statue. In Nahuatl (the language spoken by the Aztecs and other natives of Central America), it means: “He who makes things sprout”, a fitting description of the God of rain. We passed the gigantic Monolith of Tlaloc, the Aztec Rain God. Monolith of Tlaloc, the Aztec Rain God, Chapultepec Park, Mexico City. We got off the bus and made our way to the museum entrance. Mention of that name caught my attention. It is in Chapultepec Park between Paseo de la Reforma and Mahatma Gandhi Street. Continued from My Mexican Trip, Part 2: The Zócalo, Metropolitan Cathedral and Segrario Metropolitana.Īfter a very busy morning seeing Teotihuacán and the Zócalo followed by a much-needed lunch, we headed off to the National Museum of Archeology. ![]()
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