Lecture Notes: Mesoamerica and South America

Overview

• Discussion on Mesoamerican cultures and their interactions and influences.
• Importance of overlap and interaction between cultures.
• Mention of the Popol Vuh document, available at the Newbery in Chicago or online scans.

Aztec Culture

Significance of Sacrifice

• Sacrifice by gods during creation signifies their care for humanity.
• Sacrifice is a reflection of Aztec religious life, believed to quench earth goddess's hunger and ensure cosmic order.
• Creation stories involving dismemberment and sacrifice, such as the tearing apart of a monster to create the earth.

Quetzalcoatl

• Represented in stone and drawings.
• Myth of Quetzalcoatl may reject human sacrifice due to Spanish influence in record-keeping.
• Ambiguity in the end of Quetzalcoatl’s story offers hope for return.

Notable Artifacts

• Double-headed snake mosaic in the British Museum.
• Codex or painted screen-fold book, produced without Spanish influence, read from right to left.
• Ceremonial shield depicting Aztec universe structure.

Maya Culture

Hero Twins

• Common motif seen in various cultures, linked to creation and trickster roles.
• Story features a virgin birth motif and follows the hero's journey.
• Twins become celestial bodies (sun and moon).

Maya Art

• Sophisticated and recorded events like birth dates, alliances, and wars.
• Lintels depicting bloodletting rituals, marking significant historical events.

Common Motifs Across Cultures

• Fire theft stories, such as the possum tale "How Fire Came into the World."
• Underworld journey motif in Quetzalcoatl and Hero Twins stories.
• Repeated attempts at creation, use of natural substances, and flood narratives.

Artistic and Cultural Insights

• Aztec and Maya art and artifacts reflect deep cultural significance.
• Bloodletting rituals depicted in Maya lintels, showing contact with spirits.
• Influence of Spanish recorders may have altered original cultural narratives.

Conclusion

• Emphasis on common motifs across cultures and possible external influences.
• Transition to next section of study.