Mexicolore replies: • As far as we understand the Aztecs didn’t have a symbol for grandparents; the closest we get to them in Aztec iconography would be the depiction of the elderly in general with wrinkled faces...
• No, Guadalajara wouldn’t have been part of the Aztec empire: the most westerly outpost of the empire - in the direction of Guadalajara - would have been the shores of Lake Cuitzeo, near Morelia. Remember that the Aztecs never conquered the Tarascans, whose lands fell in between the Aztec territories and present-day Guadalajara.
17 At 1.55pm on Thursday August 25 2011, Michelle wrote:
Natalia, do you have google in brazil? if you do, you can follow the weblink below, try that first. Everything should be translated to portugese including links to visit other pages within this site.
If that does not work then go to google.com then select Language Tools next to the searchbar. Enter the url for the page you want to translate and then select From : English To: Portugese.
Hope this helps, Michelle.
Natalia, você tem Google no Brasil? se você fizer isso, você pode seguir o link abaixo, tente isso primeiro. Tudo deve ser traduzido para o português, incluindo nos links para visitar outras páginas dentro deste site.
Se isso não funcionar, então vá para google.com em seguida, selecione Ferramentas de idiomas ao lado da barra de procura. Digite o url da página que deseja traduzir e selecione De: Para Inglês: Português.
Espero que isso ajude, Michelle.
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mexicolore.co.uk%2Findex.php%3Fone%3Dazt%26two%3Dser&sl=en&tl=pt&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Mexicolore replies: MANY thanks, Michelle, for your help and support!
16 At 2.04pm on Thursday July 14 2011, nathalia wrote:
olá,sou do brasil e estou fazendo uma pesquisa sobre a civilização asteca e gostaria que vocês colocassem no site artigos em português o mais rápido possível para que eu
possa entender e concluir minha pesquisa.Desde já agradeço!Site muito bom, abraços do Brasil.
Mexicolore replies: Thank you for your interest in our work, Nathalia. Sadly at the present time we don’t have a staff member who can translate into Portuguese. Anyone out there willing/able to help Nathalia’s research on the Aztecs, but in Portuguese...?
15 At 11.33am on Monday July 11 2011, Judy wrote:
I have found a very interesting piece of a dagger/ax with a mans face with an eagle mask and precious stones... i would like to send you a photo of this and see who this represents ... is this possible? please send me an email..
Mexicolore replies: By all means. We will do our best to help. (Please note, generally, that most of these artefact-based queries we post on the ‘Can You Help?’ pages of the site).
14 At 3.34pm on Saturday March 19 2011, Alyssa I. wrote:
Did the Aztecs ever have more than 1 baby at a time like we do today?
Mexicolore replies: if you mean twins, triplets, etc. then yes, though these wouldn’t have been as common as today. In fact twins were thought to be particularly precious and ‘special’ in Aztec times.
13 At 3.33pm on Saturday March 19 2011, Alyssa I. wrote:
What was the most popular name that the Aztecs named their kids?
Mexicolore replies: We think it was Yaotl (warrior) for a boy and Teyacapan (‘First-born’) for a girl; but remember that ‘official’ names were based on the calendar (the day you were born on) and of course these were evenly distributed throughout the year, so we can only talk about most popular nicknames rather than names in Aztec times.
12 At 9.56am on Saturday February 19 2011, Graciela wrote:
I love the Web, I love Mexicolore.... and I love you!!!!!
Mexicolore replies: That makes two of us...!!! (Sorry, everyone else - just two of the Mexicolore team showing our feelings!)
11 At 7.37pm on Sunday December 19 2010, Rosa Hernández Martínez wrote:
Si están en la Ciudad de México y desean ver la siguiente presentación del grupo Amoxpoani pueden acudir al auditorio del museo del Templo Mayor y disfrutar el rescate de textos y música con instrumentos antiguos
Mexicolore replies: ¡Nos encantaría estar con Uds! Muchos saludos desde Londres - congelado de nieve y hielo...
10 At 8.58pm on Thursday December 9 2010, Patrick wrote:
Thank you all so much this site, helped me greatly in my history report
9 At 6.16pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Miss. Ide wrote:
How many knives do you think that people found today in Mexico City? thanks once again sorry to be a bother!
Mexicolore replies: Many! The museum of the Templo Mayor (main Aztec temple) in Mexico City is full of sacrifice flints/obsidian blades, and they’re finding new ones all the time. Many ‘ofrendas’ (ritual offerings) include knives, as indications that the individuals themselves had been sacrificed to the gods. But many others are found with faces depicted on them: these represent the calendar/day sign ‘Tecpatl’, which is no. 18 in the calendar cycle of 20 signs. And yet others are undecorated and represent the black, dry, cold northern region of the universe, ravaged by fierce winds, ruled by the god Black Tezcatlipoca, one of whose characteristics was an obsidian blade symbolizing black wind.
8 At 6.15pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Brea L. wrote:
What was the whole purpose of the ball game? Thanks again Brea L.
Mexicolore replies: It was a sacred and ritual game that to a large extent represented the forces of the universe: the ball itself represented the movement of the Sun during the day in the sky. You can learn more about the meaning of the game in our ‘Aztefacts’ section - the article called ‘Oh balls!’
7 At 6.05pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Brea L. wrote:
After they got the heart out why did they push the people down the steps?
Mexicolore replies: After the heart was removed and burnt in the sacred bowl (the smoke would carry the heart’s ‘fuel’ up to the Sun God), the rest of the body was disposed of - not by being thrown away as rubbish, but by being thrown down the temple steps and then ceremoniously cut up and distributed, though not just to anyone - usually to the family of the warrior who had captured the victim (in battle) in the first place.
6 At 6.04pm on Saturday November 20 2010, Miss. Ide wrote:
Hello! How did the aztecs know what to name their kids?
Mexicolore replies: There are two points here: the Aztecs would name a child ‘officially’ in the days following his/her birth, according to the sacred calendar (by consulting a soothsayer trained to read and interpret the day signs), but they would also (later) give the child a nickname, often linked to their features, looks or personality. You can see some examples of these on our website - go to the ‘Aztec Life’ section and click on ‘Tiger Top’.
5 At 1.31pm on Friday November 19 2010, Sra. Smith wrote:
Hello, again. This time 5W was wondering if anyone still played the ritual ball game today (other than women)? If the pyramids had guards?
Mexicolore replies: The game is still played, though nothing like on the scale in ancient times. Where it’s still played, it’s often just for tourists - very much like the ‘Voladores’ pole-flying ceremony from Papantla. There are a few regional variations, and one researcher (Professor Manuel Aguilar-Moreno) has studied a version that’s still played today at night (and they set fire to the ball!) - in olden days this would have represented the belief in the night-time Sun God who descends every day to illuminate the world of spirits in the underworld before being born again the next morning.
We’d be very surprised if the temple-pyramids didn’t have guards in ancient times, though we can’t think of a source of evidence for this right now...
4 At 2.24am on Friday March 12 2010, jose luis wrote:
well the page is great and all of the information as well but i think it is time to let people know that we did not have gods. since you well know that this word was brouht by the spaniars.and what we have were representations of the nature forces. but well that is up to you ..4 the rest congratulations for the job you are doing.
Mexicolore replies: Thanks for your comments, Jose Luis. To be really honest, we feel life is too short to be too ‘hung up’ about whether we should talk about ‘gods’ or ‘representations of the forces of nature’. Human beings have surely got into enough trouble as it is over the centuries for inventing and arguing over God and gods...
3 At 2.30pm on Monday March 30 2009, francisco javier vidal romero wrote:
hola un saludo, me gustaria enterarme de todo lo q dicen y hacen en este lugar, yo soy mexicano pero vivo en españa, pero me gustaria q mis hijos q viven en mexico sepan de todas estas actividades y en lo personal enterarme mas de mi cultura, espero q en un futuro escriban en español para q mas gente se interese en este sitio, y como una peticion muy reiterativa les solicito q hagan una pagina en español para muchos aztecas q no sepan ingles, gracias.
Mexicolore replies: Gracias Francisco; estamos totalmente de acuerdo. Vamos a hacer todo lo posible para preparar cada vez más páginas en español, empezando (abril de 2009) con un artículo acerca de las enfermedades mentales prehispánicas por Patricia Landa Durán...
2 At 5.12pm on Wednesday February 11 2009, millie wrote:
this page is great and would be perfect for my teacher
1 At 8.40pm on Wednesday March 26 2008, diana wrote:
cool that is all i can say
Mexicolore replies: Cheers, Ellie!