Mexicolore

'The balanced composition of this image and the symmetry in the presence and number of men and women reveal the parallel and complementary organising principles of indigenous [#Mexica/#Aztec/#Nahua] social and gender relations' mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztec-l… Pic: Florentine Codex Bk II

The evidence for #Aztec cannibalism may actually be weaker than you thought... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/di… Image (spot the human arm on a bowl!) from the Codex Ixtlilxochitl

Q. Did women play the ritual #Mesoamerican ballgame? We think they did. These Huastec ceramic figurines suggest so, but the issue is highly controversial. Some (male) scholars call such figurines 'symbolic' or fake, and even refer to 'woke' theories... mexicolore.co.uk/maya/ballgame/…

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! We know that women were active musicians in ancient #Mesoamerica. Here's a ceramic figure of a female drummer from Western Mexico (Tumbas de Tiro culture), 200-600 CE, from the Museo Regional de Guadalajara. More here - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/music/w…

Which caption is right - 'Two women busy making a papyrus’ or ‘Couple playing a teponaztli’?! The 1st is from a 1978 book on the #Aztecs, the 2nd from the exhibition ‘La mitad del mundo. La mujer en el México Indígena’ currently in Madrid. Learn more - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/music/w…

100 years ago TODAY Mexico's great historian of the #Aztecs/#Mexica/#Nahua Miguel León-Portilla was born (d. 2019). In 2010 he generously agreed to be Honorary President of our Panel of Experts. Pic: with Mexicolore director Ian Mursell, and a selection of his best known books.

This month we celebrate the 250th entry in our 'Ask the Experts' service for young school pupils on the #Aztecs and the #Maya. Dr. Elizabeth Baquedano answered the first question back in 2004 and she's done the honours again this month... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-exp…

The #Mexica/#Aztecs were 'a chosen people who believed their mission was to side with the sun in the cosmic struggle, with goodness over evil, to give all of humanity the benefits of victory of the forces of light over the powers of night' (Alfonso Caso) mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefac…

More on 4 in #Mexica/#Aztec/#Nahua/#Mesoamerica worldview: It was said that a #nahualli at birth would repeatedly emerge from & retreat into the womb, leaving the womb 4 times’ (Bernard Ortiz de Montellano, Aztec Medicine, Health and Nutrition). More - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefac…

GUESS how the #Aztecs described the work of an astronomer? The #Mexica used the #Nahuatl term ‘inematacachóliz’, which translates as ‘he places his hand upon the flight of the sky’, or ‘he measures with his hand the flight or the crossing of the stars’ - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/ho…

To strengthen legs and build endurance, trainee #Mexica/#Aztec couriers were required to run up the Templo Mayor, a total of 113 steps. To encourage them and provide incentive prizes were given to the winners of these sprints. Learn more here - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztec-l…

#Imperialism, #invasion, #conquest: a spot of topical humour, thanks to Viv Quillin. Learn more - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/spanish…

Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! One positive news item to start the year - @mexicolore.co.uk&redirect_to=https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/chiapas-gets-a-new-state-shield/?utm_source=newsletter_paid&utm_campaign=daily_digest&utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">mexiconewsdaily.com/news/chiapas-g…

Talk about a literal eye-opener...!! This isn't a torture scene, it's 'ritual animation', referring to 'the #Aztec understanding that humans were animated by having been breathed and bored by the creator couple’ (Elizabeth Hill Boone). Learn more - mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/tec-a-g…

Good question from a 10-year-old pupil: 'Did the #Aztecs torture people?' Thanks to Professor Molly Bassett for providing a wise and balanced answer... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/home/di… Pic: ‘A Common Sacrifice’- from Francisco Clavijero, 1780, La Historia Antigua de México.

See and hear our Mexican 'crying boy' whistling jug youtu.be/lKybEMBnFT8?si… via @YouTube Whistling jugs have a long history in #Mesoamerica though only a few dozen have ever been found... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/music/w…

In one of our recent primary school history workshops on the #Mexica/#Aztecs here in London, we were shown this amazing model of the Sunstone made by a 7-year-old! How impressive is that... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/display…

#Maya midwives were using birthing ropes a millennium or so ago. It's much healthier/safer/more natural than the 'modern' method. Read Prof Pamela Geller's detailed study on our website - mexicolore.co.uk/maya/home/maya… Illustration (Steve Radzi) & photo (Justin Kerr) both © with thanks.

Fun to think the #Mixtec people of #Mesoamerica may have invented Rubik's Cube 1,000 years before the Hungarian professor of architecture did in 1974!😆 Intriguing image from the c9-c10 Codex Vindobonensis. Follow the link to learn the real context... mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/tec-a-g…

@MexicaPodcast @AztecEmpire1520 I'm afraid we're in the same boat (sorry!). I would recommend contacting Barbara Mundy or Alexandra Biar to see if they know... Good wishes.

Curious - One source notes Cortes dug canals in Texcoco from the site where the brigantines were constructed to the lake. These boats were used in the final siege of Tenochtitlan. Are there any location notes or archeology around this? @AztecEmpire1520 @Mexicolore