#Mexica

[illustratus]

[tlatollotl]

Why do some people rage against using the term Aztec, but say nothing when someone uses Maya (multiple cultures), Zapotec (Bën Za), Mixtec (Ñuu Savi Sukun, Ñuu I'ni, Ñuu Andivi), Tarascan (Purépecha), Huichol (Wixárika), Cora (Náayerite), Huastec (Téenek), or any other indigenous groups? Especially when discussing archaeologically defined groups/cultures that may be quite distinct from their contemporary descendants?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't use better terms. We most definitely should. Anasazi, for example, should never be used beyond a single sentence saying it is no longer an acceptable label when reviewing and discussing the historiography of the Puebloan peoples.

But that doesn't mean some terms should be abandoned in lieu of another term that is no way better. Replacing Aztec with Mexica ignores the two other ethnic groups/city-states that made up the Triple Alliance. I want you to stop and think And see if you can recall what those two groups were. I'll give you a hint, Nezahualcóyotl was from one of those groups.

Give up? They were the Acolhua and Tepanec. So, if you want to stop using Aztec, that's fine. But you have to replace it with Mexica, Acolhua, and Tepanec every time. However, that replacement is only limited to talking about Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Why? Because there were more ethnic groups within the Basin of Mexico, not to mention outside the Basin of Mexico, that were under control of the Triple Alliance and were distinct from being Mexica, Acolhua, or Tepanec. You could, of course, replace Aztec with Triple Alliance, or Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān in Classic Nahuatl. Totally fine if a little unwieldy. Though you may run into issues with people confusing the Triple Alliance of Mesoamerica with several Triple Alliances in European history.

But what really is the issue with using Aztec to refer to the multitude of ethnicities and cultures that made up the Triple Alliance? It isn't derogatory or insulting. The term is based on the semi-mythical homeland of numerous groups that occupied Central Mexico and made up a large part of the Triple Alliance (the Tlaxcalteca were from Aztlan, as well). In fact, Aztec is a handy term to refer to the collection of all these groups despite the polity not being a monocultural entity because these groups did share many cultural features, histories, and/or languages.

You could compare the term Aztec to Roman. A broad term that encompasses many peoples. But when necessary, you can discuss individual or small groups of ethnicities/cultures within the broader polity. And that includes the people of Rome itself which you could refer to as Romani, which they called themselves, to be distinct from the larger broader socio-political Roman label for the people of the Republic/Empire outside of Rome proper.

It's an issue of scale, I think. But that's why we have multiple terms available to use when the context and need arises. And if better terms come along, by all means replace the previous terms.

If you disagree, I would like to know why. This was sort of a rant into the void from seeing other online discourse. I really would welcome a good explanation as to why we should replace Aztec with Mexica at the expense of all the other groups that made up the Triple Alliance.

[sealhaus]

Dog gods

Half of my illustration and design final

[hygalax]

Xochipilli the prince of flowers, patron of two spirits

[eduseyes]

Teotihiacán, City of the Gods

2024.02.25

[satellites-halo]

mexica Miku (mexiku)

(she's lightskinned bc I am as well 🫶)

[butch-reidentified]

would anyone be interested in me posting regular/semiregular tidbits/fun facts about Nahuatl as I work on learning the language of my people? there's a lot of really cool things I've learned and would love to share, and it would help keep me accountable to keep learning too!

edit: update here

[ynotvida]

Milwaukee, WI

2024

[nadiezda]

Mi ilustración para la exposición “El Mictlán” en la que participé

El mictlán es el inframundo en la mitología Mexica y Nahua.

Al Mictlán sólo iban aquellos que morían de muerte natural, sin distinción de rango ni riquezas, o de enfermedades que no tenían un carácter sagrado. Para los mexicas, el muerto debería de atravesar nueve regiones.

Las regiones del inframundo formaban la travesía dentro del submundo con obstáculos específicos que expresan niveles de putrefacción y tormentos tanatomórficos que padecen los muertos en su regresión orgánica después de 4 años, y ya cuando los muertos alcanzaban lograr atravesar los infiernos, si es que lo lograban, estos podrían liberar su alma, logrando así el descanso ante la presencia de Mictlantecuhtli y Mictecacíhuatl, el señor y la señora de la muerte, los regidores del inframundo.

[illustratus]

[sealhaus]

Character + pet (I guess former pet) assignment for school

Reclusive Museum archivist scarifies dead dog to a dead god as a lest resort, dead god is so delighted by this that he decides to use the dog as a vessel and torment the poor guy for offerings. So he ends up having to go on some wacky adventure through the underworld to get his dog back.

[hygalax]

Xochiquetzal the god of love, patron of mothers, and Tezcatlipoca the god of darkness, chaos, and the gruesomeness of war.

this painting is based on the mythology of Tezcatlipoca kidnapping Xochiquetzal, and making her his wife. Yikes.

I took a lot of inspiration from woodland native art

[finsterwalds]

Drew some Mexica Gods because I find their depictions fascinating... Mictlantecuhtli, Tezcatlipoca and of course Quetzalcoatl :)

[bastardangel408]

The 5 fallow days at the end of the Mexica year are almost up. Time is renewing before the year 12 Tecpatl begins tomorrow

[butch-reidentified]

there's no such thing as Aztecs...

or rather, there were never a people who called themselves Aztecs, per se. the dominant ethnic group of the "Aztec Empire" were the Mexica (x in Nahuatl/Nawat being pronounced "sh") - a group who had migrated from the north and would eventually form the altepetl (essentially "city-state") of Tenochtitlan, upon which Mexico City was later built. when they arrived in the valley, the Mexica spoke of their ancestral home as "Aztlan," whose location remains uncertain - if it was ever more than myth. "Aztec" is, as I'm sure is obvious at this point, derived from "Aztlan," referring to the people who came from this now-mythologized land.

Despite the word's Nahuatl formation, it almost certainly came to exist only in the colonial era, and in fact was not formally introduced to refer to the people of the Triple Alliance - its current use - until the early 19th century by a German explorer, then made standard shortly after by a USAmerican "historian." If anything, the term Azteca may have existed in some variations of Nahua mythology, where it would have referred to a group of oppressors from which the Mexica and other tribes were fleeing by leaving Aztlan (the story of why the Mexica left Aztlan has several versions), which would make it downright disrespectful to call the Mexica by this term.

That said, it is commonplace in modern times, and I have not (as of yet!) encountered much sentiment against its use within the community. Please bear in mind that there are MANY people alive today who are descended from these groups, and opinions/preferences are sure to vary. Remember that I am making these posts to share my own journey with you, to bring an understanding and appreciation of Nahua culture/history/language, and even sort of just as journaling for myself. I have spent quite some time internally wrestling with this side of my ancestry, and externalizing that process for the first time is not always going to be a smooth road.

Much much love to you gyns as always ❤️‍🔥