Does anyone have any intesting facts about Aztec or Mayan histoy, mythologhy, etc......?

Question

I'm Cherokee and Apache Indian and love American Indian history.............so any facts are good to me.

Answer 1

There are some pretty funky factoids in the first two websites below. Unfortunately, the site wouldn't let me do a copy/paste. Oh, well...:-)

There some really interesting bits of Aztec trivia at: http://www.funtrivia.com/en/History/Aztecs-14294.html

Now for the Mayan trivia:
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/History/Maya-14296.html

Throughout history, the thought of finding treasure has driven men to travel around the world. A good example of this was Hernando Cortez, the conquer of the Aztec Empire. Cortez had gone to school to become a lawyer but dropped out after a couple of years and became a soldier and farmer. When he joined the army he was under the command of Diego Velazquez who became the governor of Cuba. When Mexico was discovered, Velazquez decided to send Cortez there to establish a colony. Cortez was the wrong person for the job because he was really a treasure hunter. Valazquez discovered this too late and the rest is history. The treasure of the Aztecs was looted and the Aztec people were murdered, subject to disease and their rulers slaughtered.
Source: http://aboutfacts.net/Things20.htm

Answer 2

1. There was no such thing as the Aztec Empire. What we today call the Aztec Empire was an alliance of three city-states ruled by Nahuatl speaking peoples who had entered what is now called the Valley of Mexico from somewhere to the north of Mexico (perhaps the American Southwest). The three cities were Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan.

2. The people we call Aztecs came from a semi-legendary area known as the land of Aztlan (the Land of Herons). The dominate tribe of the Aztecs were a people known as the Mexica. They spent their early years as nomadic mercenary soldiers guided by Huitzilopochtli a prophet later deified as the god of war and the sun. The Mexica had a prophecy that they would become a settled city dwelling people when they saw a certain omen : an eagle sitting on a cactus holding a snake. This omen was sighted in the middle of an island in the middle of a vast lake. The Mexica settled this island and built their capital Tenochtitlan.

3. Although each of the city-states that made up the Alliance had its own government and king, Tenochtitlan was the largest and the de facto capital. The Hueyi Tlatoani (Great Speaker) of Tenochtitlan was the de facto ruler of the entire alliance.

4. Tenochtitlan was the largest, cleanest, and best planned city of its day. Even the wordily Spaniards were awed by its size and complexity, they thought it was a dream.

5. The Aztecs were polytheists with many gods representing the many forces of nature. They were a dualistic society and believed that the harmony of the universe came from the constant struggles between the gods. Unlike other polytheistic societies in Europe or Asia there was no "king of the gods" but rather each god and goddess took turns exerting his or her influence over the cosmos. This can be seen in the myth of the 5 Suns. The Aztecs believed that the Earth was created and destroyed multiple times with a different god dominating the universe as the sun.

The heart of Aztec thought and philosophy was Ollin -- the movement principle. It was believed if Ollin ever ceased the Universe would stagnate and die. This was symbolized by the movement of the sun. The Aztecs offered blood sacrifice and hearts to the god of the sun in order to maintain his movement, if they didn't perform enough sacrifices it was feared that Ollin would stop and the universe would end. This gave a fatalistic quality to their world outlook. At the same time, the Aztecs were religious fanatics who believed they held a special partnership role with the gods in preventing the end of the world.

6. Like other societies, the Aztecs had a highly stratified society. At the top was the Hueyi Tlatoani (sometimes translated as Emperor) this was not a hereditary title but an elected official chosen from the ranks of the nobles. Beneath the Hueyi Tlatoani were the pilli, the nobles. Nobility was not hereditary but children of nobles had more access to education and resources that made it easier to enter the upper ranks of society. Priests, military commanders, and government officials were mostly chosen from the ranks of the nobility. The majority of Aztecs were peasants. About 20% were engaged in farming, the rest were warriors, artisans, and merchants. The merchant class was a small but important part of society. They carried on commerce, carried news, and acted as spies for the government. At the bottom of Aztec society were the slaves. Aztecs could be enslaved to pay off debts, as a punishment for a crime, or as prisoners of war. Aztec slaves could own property, even other slaves, and could buy their freedom. On the death of the master, slaves who had performed well could be freed, the others were passed on as inheritance. All men, regardless of rank were required to train for and fight wars. Wars were fought to exact tribute, enforce boundaries with neighboring states, and capture enemy soldiers for sacrifices. A warrior who captured enough enemies could enter one of the elite warrior societies as the Jaguars and Eagles. These were a step towards the nobility.

Answer 3

For a different twist, consider reading the Book of Mormon. In it is the history of the ancestors of some of today's American Indians, which include the ancestors of the Maya, the Toltec, the Aztec, and others.

Answer 4

I went to Chitzen itza last year and did the tour. The civilization was so advanced in many ways. The Mayan calendar was so brilliant. At the equinox the pyramid is erected so the light hits it and a shadow of a snake winds up the side of the pyramid. They managed to build the pyramid acoustically so they could mimic the sound of the bird they worshiped. Really impressive.

Answer 5

MAYAN culture is very much 'alive' and one would suggest

the following links

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/mesoamerica/maya.html

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/mesoamerica/maya.html

http://www.jaguar-sun.com/mayanow.html

The Mayans tended to be and today most definitely are a peaceful pastoral people while The Aztecs were (are) quite different .- - - - earning their bloody reputation (by Western standards filtered through 21st Century eyes)

My favorite 'fun' fact about 'ancient Mayans' would freak you but here goes // // well to do parents would often give their adolescent boys a boy-slave for a sex toy while they were in that awkward teen age state of horny-ness - - -

But the most fun thing about The Mayans is that they are still very much alive !


Peace...

Answer 6

Mythology:

(I think Zeuses wife was named Hera)

One day Zeus was cheating on Hera with a woman. Some Hera came down to earth and came towards a group of woman, one of them was the one Zeus cheated her on. A woman named Eco knew this and she distracted Hera with talking while the woman who was with Zeus ran away with her friends.
When Hera figured this out she zippered Eco's lips together and told her "You always enjoyed having the last word, but now you cannot have the first." She turned Eco into a rock and now whenever you scream out someones name in Canyons- a eco replies, giving the last word.