Mayan culture

3. Cultural life and education of the Aztecs

The society of the Aztecs is often associated with its sacrificial and warrior-like aspects. However, many people would perhaps be surprised at the loving relationship Aztec parents had with their children. This relationship began before birth and continued throughout life. The best description we have of parents and children in Aztec society are the pictographs that have been included in the Codex Mendoza. 1 This was a manuscript compiled at the request of the first Spanish viceroy in New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza. Sacrifice was an inherent part of Aztec society and did at times include the sacrifice of children. This paper will focus on the relationship between parents and children, and the various rituals, including those of sacrifice, that were a part of the Aztec life cycle. To understand the relationship between parent and child, it is important to remember that in Aztec society infants were seen as a raw material in need of formation into a specific form. The raw materials that adults associated with children were many times maize or jewels. Throughout one’s life, the refinement and development of a child continued with various lifecycle rituals. From birth to death, rituals and ceremonies enabled a person to grow with both human and divine help. Rituals, in fact, began before a child was born. From the moment a woman was found to be pregnant, the families of both mother and father commemorated the good news. A celebration took place in which the families and the important elders of the area gathered to celebrate the upcoming birth. After a feast, there would be many speeches, beginning with the most important elder. Deceased ancestors would be called upon to protect mother and child. Each person at the celebration spoke; many times reminding the woman that the child she was carrying was a gift from the gods. The expectant mother was the last to speak, and she thanked all those who had come, and stated publicly the happiness that the pregnancy had brought to her. However, she also expressed The society of the Aztecs is often associated with its sacrificial and warrior-like aspects. However, many people would perhaps be surprised at the loving relationship Aztec parents had with their children. This relationship began before birth and continued throughout life. The best description we have of parents and children in Aztec society are the pictographs that have been included in the Codex Mendoza. 1 This was a manuscript compiled at the request of the first Spanish viceroy in New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza. Sacrifice was an inherent part of Aztec society and did at times include the sacrifice of children. This paper will focus on the relationship between parents and children, and the various rituals, including those of sacrifice, that were a part of the Aztec life cycle. To understand the relationship between parent and child, it is important to remember that in Aztec society infants were seen as a raw material in need of formation into a specific form. The raw materials that adults associated with children were many times maize or jewels. Throughout one’s life, the refinement and development of a child continued with various lifecycle rituals. From birth to death, rituals and ceremonies enabled a person to grow with both human and divine help. Rituals, in fact, began before a child was born. From the moment a woman was found to be pregnant, the families of both mother and father commemorated the good news. A celebration took place in which the families and the important elders of the area gathered to celebrate the upcoming birth. After a feast, there would be many speeches, beginning with the most important elder. Deceased ancestors would be called upon to protect mother and child. Each person at the celebration spoke; many times reminding the woman that the child she was carrying was a gift from the gods. The expectant mother was the last to speak, and she thanked all those who had come, and stated publicly the happiness that the pregnancy had brought to her. However, she also expressed cleansed and dressed in her finest garments. Her husband then carried the woman on his back to the place of burial. The elderly women of the community gave cries like that of warriors on the path to the burial sight, in an attempt to protect the body. It was believed that the body of a woman who died in childbirth was divine. Therefore young men would try to cut off a finger or the hair of the deceased woman. If they succeeded, these accoutrements were placed on the young men’s’ shields during battle to give them courage and valor. The woman’s remains were buried at sunset. It would be guarded for four nights in an attempt to protect anyone from stealing the body.7 Four days after the birth of a child, the midwife came again, this time for a ritualistic cleansing and naming ceremony. The baby was brought into a courtyard where many formal procedures were performed. The midwife breathed upon the water, and then gently bathed the child, saying: My youngest one, my beloved youth…Enter, descend into the blue water, the yellow water…Approach thy mother Chalchiuhtlicue, Chalchiuhtlatonac! May she receive thee…May she cleanse thy heart; may she make it fine, good. May she give thee fine, good conduct!”8 The midwife placed a symbol for what the child would become into the baby’s hands. If a boy, a shield and arrows would be placed in his hands signifying that he would become a warrior. Other objects scattered about were a loincloth and cape. For a baby girl, objects included a broom, spindle, bowl, skirt, and shift. These were much-needed items in a female’s life, as the ritual of sweeping was important in Aztec culture. Therefore, the gender differences began immediately after birth. After the midwife had bathed the child, she held it up to the sky declaring that the baby had been created to provide food and drink. If the infant was a boy, she also included the hope that he would become a courageous warrior. The midwife had three young boys who assisted her, and they called out the baby’s name. It was then their duty to bury the umbilical cord. A baby boy’s umbilicus and symbolic objects were buried in a field, representative of battle. The little girl’s umbilical cord and a female symbol were buried in a corner of the house. Each of these spaces was indicativeof where the child would be most productive in life.9 Beautiful metaphors for children indicate the Aztecs high regard for the new life that was brought forth. Mother, father, and midwife all referred to the babies as precious feather, precious green stone, precious bracelet, etc.; all lovely references to how much this child was valued in the Aztec society. However, it was a parent’s most important job to ensure that their children did not become “fruitless trees,” as referred to in an Aztec saying10. The fruitless tree is again a reference to a raw material that was a metaphor of the child. The name of a child was dependent upon the moment of birth. A wise man (tonalpoulqui) was summoned from the temple soon after an infant was born, who correlated the time of birth to spiritual forces of the day using a horoscope. This could also determine a child’s destiny, for if it were a negative sign, it could perhaps be concluded the child would become a thief or a person who performed ill deeds. If the child were born on an unlucky day, the tonalpoulqui would wait for a better day to name the child, thus giving it a chance for a better lot in life. Boys were named after a male family member, while girls were given names relating to flowers, stars, birds, etc.11 A ceremony was held twenty days after the birth in which parents chose the type of education they wanted for their child. If the priesthood was desired, the parents took the child to the calmecac, a temple school that educated future priests. It was generally children of dignitaries who were admitted to the calmecac, however children of various families were sometimes permitted to attend.12 Pacts were sealed when the infant had incisions made in the body. Boys had their lower lips cut by an obsidian knife, and a jewel was inserted into the incision. Girls had cuts made in the hips and breasts.13 These incisions indicated that the child was entering into a lifetime educational process, which was crucial to their lives. The other educational option was the telpochcalli, which generally produced ordinary citizens and warriors. Children lived with their parents until the age of fifteen before beginning their formal education.