Maya And Aztec
Plundering and carnage were the overlying
results of the Spanish conquest of
MesoAmerica beginning in 1519. The ensuing
years brought many new
"visitors," mostly laymen or officials in search of
wealth, though the
Christianity toting priest was ever present.
Occasionally a man from any of
these classes, though mainly priests would be
so in awe of the civilization they
were single handedly massacring that they
began to observe and document things
such as everyday life, religious
rituals, economic goings on, and architecture,
which was the biggest
achievement in the eyes of the Spaniards. That is how the
accounts of Friar
Diego de Landa, a priest, were created, giving us rare first
per-son
historical accounts of the conquest and the people it effected.
To
archaeologists monumental architecture is more important than an
inscribed
stelae listing names and dates. There is so much more to learn from
a building
than a slab of stone usually seething with propaganda. In most
societies they
are what remains after conquest, usually for their beauty or
ability to
withstand the elements. Landa was amazed by what he found. "There
are in
Yucatan many edifices of great beauty, this be-ing the most
outstanding of all
things discovered in the Indies; they are all build of
stone finely
ornamented..." (Landa, 8). If it were a commoners domestic
dwelling we
would learn through the study of remaining artifacts and middens
what objects
were used on a daily basis and also the standard of living,
helping us to
construct an accurate view of the long neglected commoner.
According to Landa
steepled roofs covered with thatch or palm leaves
protected the habitat from
rain. Homes were often divided into two sections,
a living section, customarily
whitewashed, and a domestic area where food was
prepared and inhabitants slept (Landa,
32). In Aztec societies commoners
often lived in calpolli, a residential area
segregated by occupation, usually
surrounded by walls for protection (Smith,
145). If it were a domestic
dwelling for a noble it would be larger than a com-moner's
dwelling, and
usually consisted of more than one large structures occasionally
located on a
platform near the center of the town. The high status is obvious by
the
in-clusion of more elaborate and ornamental objects and frequently
frescos
adorned the walls. Monumental Architecture of public and private
buildings are
one of the best indi-cators of the size and importance of a
site. The size of
the structure has direct corrolation to the power held by
the leader, in his
ability to conduct peasants to construct the build-ing.
Temples and plazas were
the main objects of monumental construction and often
rival the pyramids of
Egypt in quality and size. Temples were often
pyramid like struc-tures that were
built, facing east, over the cremated
remains of a priest or ruler. With each
acceding ruler the temple was made
larger by building over the previous, thus
the layering effect so often
uncovered. Different styles of decoration and
construction were used by each
culture during different periods. "In
contrast to earlier Mesoamerican
pyramids with a single temple built on top and
a single stairway up the side,
the pyramids built by the Early Aztec peoples had
twin temples and double
stairways" (Smith, 43). "There are several
complexes of Esperanza
architecture at Kaminaljuyu...these are stepped temple
platforms with the
typical Teotihuacan talud-tablero motif..." (Coe, 84).
Then in less than
three hundred years there was a completely different style of
architec-ture
in the area, "Characteristic of Puuk buildings are facings of
very thin
squares of limestone veneer over the cement-and-rubble core;
boot-shaped
vault stones...and the exuberant use of stone mosaics on upper
facades,
emphasizing the usual monster-masks with long, hook-shaped snouts, as
well as
frets and lattice-like designs of criss-crossed elements" (Coe,
157).
Mesoamerican architecture has withstood the test of time, many of
the
structures not destroyed during the conquest still stand today, whereas
numerous
Spanish buildings do not. In pre-modern history, throughout the
world burials
have been customarily simi-lar, irregardless the distance.
Whether this is
coincidence or not will be determined at some point in the
future, but for now I
am of the opinion that since many cultures wor-shipped
similar gods many of
their customs will be comparable. For example many
cul-tures, including the
Aztecs and the Maya buried bodies in the fetal
position facing east. More often
than not various foods and goods were placed
in the grave to accompany the
deceased in the next life. Burials usually
followed some ritual and occurred
near the home, which would be abandoned
soon after (Landa, 57). If they were not
cremated the body would be wrapped
in a shroud and buried in the temple (Coe,
76). It is believed that many
Aztec adults, though commoners, were cremated,
mainly because of the lack of
adult burials found (Smith, 142). Nobles and
priests were cremated and placed
in an urn or hollow statue and if the person
was of great importance they
would be buried in a tem-ple or have a temple
erected over their burial site.
"Foreign lords of the Esperanza phase chose
the temple platforms themselves
as their final resting-places. As with the
earlier Miraflores people, each
platform was actually built to enclose the
ruler's tomb, a log-roofed chamber
usually placed beneath the frontal staircase,
successive burials and their
platforms being placed over older
ones...Surrounding him were rich funerary
vessels, undoubtedly containing food
and drink for his own use..." (Coe,
84-85). Unlike the Maya who believed
that everyone went to Xibalba, the cold
Maya un-derworld, the Aztec believed
there were several underworlds depending
on the method of death. "Soldiers
who died in battle and sacrificial victims
went to an eastern solar
realm...women who died in childbirth went to a
western solar realm...people who
died by drowning or other causes related to
the rain god went to the earthly
paradise of Tlalo-can. Most people, however
went to one of the nine levels of
Mictlan, the underground realm of
death" (Smith, 141-142). Funerals of
Aztec nobles were often attended by
peo-ple of importance throughout the empire,
usually bringing jewels or other
gifts such as slaves. Although a Spaniard,
Landa was one of the most
important historians of his time in regards to
Mesoamerica. His accounts
may be less than scientific and a bit biased to-wards
his own culture but at
the same time show an awe of the "primitive"
societies they were attempting
to civilize in the name of Christ. He was
ignorant and therefore in my mind
is not to be blamed much, at least he tried to
preserve information on their
culture, though he did burn most manuscripts
written by the
natives.
Bibliography
Landa, Diego de. Yucatan Before and After
the Conquest. Dover Publications
Inc. New York City, New York, 1978.
Smith, Michael E. The Aztecs. Blackwell
Publishers. Oxford, UK, 1996.
Coe, Michael D. The Maya. Thames and Hudson Ltd.
London, 1999. Works
Cited Landa, Diego de. Yucatan Before and After the
Conquest. Dover
Publications Inc. New York City, New York, 1978. Smith, Michael
E. The
Aztecs. Blackwell Publishers. Oxford, UK, 1996. Coe, Michael D. The
Maya.
Thames and Hudson Ltd. London, 1999.