Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Aztec Indians 2 - Term Papers

Aztec Indians 2


Introduction to the People of the Sun
The sun is a visible, astronomical fact - "the one immutable fact of existence, the source of all life on earth." It journeys overhead from east to west by day, dips into darkness, and by night travels underground west to east to rise triumphantly again at dawn - the start of a new day (Waters 203). The sun has been the focal point of energy and worship in many cultures throughout the world. The Aztecs were one culture that used the light of the sun to triumph over the Central Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs were indeed "the people of the sun". The Aztecs rotated their lives and structured their society around the spirit of the sun.
In respect of ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

necessary to look at the role myths played in developing and maintaining the Aztec way of life. Myths are a mixture of historical fact and fiction which can be used to explain the structure of social and political organization, and the significance of warfare and human sacrifice among the Aztecs. Myths will provide a gateway into the complexities of the Aztec way of life.
Smith raises an important point in that the Aztecs had a number of different, even contradictory, myths describing the creation of the world, the gods, and it's people (205). There are indeed numerous myths that can be interpreted as being the reason why the Aztecs lived the life that they did. The fact of the matter is that no one myth or combination of beliefs can truly explain the complexities of a society that existed centuries ago. The way of life of the Aztecs was culturally constructed and anyone outside of that culture can only unravel interpretations. This paper will center interpretations around ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login

seeds. They were turned into fish in a great flood. (Smith 205)
This cycle of creation and destruction brings us to the present reigning fifth sun. It's governing deity is Tonatiuh and its people are maize-eaters. According to Aztec myth, this world too will be destroyed, by earthquakes, and its people will be devoured by sky monsters. The destruction of a world age or sun can only come at the end of a 52- year cycle known as the calendar round, but the number of cycles that will pass before the apocalypse is unknown.

This belief that the Aztec leader, the sun, would be defeated must have placed a feeling of fear and pessimism deep in the souls of the Aztec people. "This ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.


CITE THIS PAGE:

Aztec Indians 2. (2006, January 14). Retrieved March 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aztec-Indians-2/39630
"Aztec Indians 2." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 14 Jan. 2006. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aztec-Indians-2/39630>
"Aztec Indians 2." Essayworld.com. January 14, 2006. Accessed March 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aztec-Indians-2/39630.
"Aztec Indians 2." Essayworld.com. January 14, 2006. Accessed March 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aztec-Indians-2/39630.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 1/14/2006 07:16:42 PM
Category: World History
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 4180
Pages: 16

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» The Aztec Indians
» The Aztec Empire History
» The Aztec Empire History
» Mexico City
» Mexico
» AZTECS
» Religions
» Crash Course In History Notes
» Manifest Destiny: A God Given R...
» Mexico
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved