The solar year was the basis for the civil calendar by which the Mexicas (Aztecs) determined the myriad ceremonies and rituals linked to agricultural cycles. The calendar was made up of 18 months, each lasting 20 days. The months were divided into four five-day weeks. The year was rounded out to 365 days by the […]
Continue ReadingOne of history’s recurring ironies is the spectacle of figures who die in defeat or disgrace, but emerge in future generations as heroes while the people who defeated them are downgraded to villains. Miguel Hidalgo, executed as a “traitor” to the Spanish crown, is today considered Mexico’s George Washington. Nathan Hale, hanged by the British […]
Continue ReadingAn Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico? Preposterous. It is common knowledge that those manuscripts that escaped destruction by the Conquistadors were gathered up under the direction of the first Archbishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarrga, and reduced to ashes. In ” The Conquest of Mexico,” which remains the classic account of the event in […]
Continue ReadingShortly after arriving at Tenochtitlán in the fall of 1519, Hernán Cortés and the Spanish conquistadores were granted an audience with Moctezuma at his breakfast table. They found the Aztec ruler sipping an exotic drink called xocóatl (meaning bitter water). Made from ground cacao beans boiled in water, flavored with vanilla and other tropical spices, and chilled with bits […]
Continue ReadingSECTION TAGS Home, Living, Travel, Cuisine, History, Business, Culture & Arts, Destinations, Indexes, Forums, GENERAL TAGS tags accomodations adjusting anthropology archeological-sites archeology architecture art artists author aztec beaches book book-reviews border-crossings christmas conversions crafts cuisines culture-customs day-of-the-dead doing-business driving-routes easter ecology excerpt exploring-tourism family famous-people fauna fiestas-traditions finance-economics finance-personal flora food-drink geography geology government haciendas […]
Continue Reading