A trip to the Aztecs

  An Aztec's game of Patolli Here is what I overheard on my visit to Tenochtitlan, it is two Aztecs playing Patolli. It is so intense! Sometimes they bet their homes, freedom, or families! I even heard them talk about the Spanish coming to take over their land! Here is what I overheard: Patolli player 1: I’ll bet my entire seasons maize crop and this blanket on this game. Patolli player 2:   I’ll bet 2 pieces of gold and my best Maguey plant. Patolli player 1: First to get 6 pieces around the board wins all? Patolli player 2: Deal! Noble: Enjoy this game. The Spanish will be here soon and they plan to take this from us. Patolli player 2: But... Moctezuma won't let that happen... will he? Noble: I sure hope not. Patolli player 1: Lets worry about that when it happens... Besides I really need some more gold. Patolli player 2: I'll start. They took turns moving their pieces around the board using beans to navigate the amount of squares they needed to move through Patolli pl...

An Aztec market On my visit to The Aztecs, I decided to pay an Aztec market a visit. I came across a market. It was very different to the New Zealand markets that I am used to with donuts, nice sweet pastries or lovely homemade crafts. This was very different... It was an Aztec market. It had things like cloth, animals for food, pottery, and lots of other Aztec goods. There were even judges there to prevent theft and arguments. The market was packed with people, I heard that these markets can attract 20,000 - 60,000 people each day! Most things that people needed would be bought from a Market, it has everything they need from food to headache remedies. Some people payed with Copper Tajadero which was an Aztec currency. Others tried to trade items of the same value such as cacao beans. I find it quite interesting how it is so common for them to trade items because these days, most countries, including New Zealand you generally need to pay the price asked. Most places won't accept a ...

  References Patolli - Wikipedia . En.wikipedia.org. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patolli.   Aztec Trade: Regional Markets and Long Distance Trading - History . History. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.historyonthenet.com/aztec-economy-regional-markets-and-long-distance-trade. DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more! . DK Find Out!. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/aztecs/aztec-markets/. Aztec Hoe Money . National Museum of American History. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_835166#: mask; mosaic | British Museum . The British Museum. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am-St-400. Aztec Masks: What To Know - Southwestern Rugs Depot . Southwestern Rugs Depot. (2022). Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.sou...

 An Aztec Artefact Whilst I was wandering the beautiful streets of Tenochtitlan I found this mask. Where did it come from? I was told that It is a Mosaic Mask. It appears to represent a human face. It is made from wood from the Cedrela Odorata plant, known as Cedro wood. It is covered in turquoise mosaic, it also has some turquoise cabochons scattered throughout the mask. The eyes are made of Nacre otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. The teeth appear to be made of conch shell. It is in a pretty good condition.  These kinds of masks could be given as a gift or offering to the gods, they could also be used for ornamental purposes. They were used by Aztec Priests and common Aztec people, I wonder who wore this one? (This is a picture of a Turquoise Aztec Mosaic mask as described above) (Another picture of the Aztec Mosaic Mask)