Empires of Mesoamerica

  1. Discuss the founding myth of the Aztecs and how it provided the Aztecs with sacred validation of their military state and the practice of sacrificing war captives. Describe the militarism of the Aztec state, the creation of military schools for the sons of both elites and commoners, and the adaptation of Toltec weapons into more efficient killing tools. Discuss the equation of success in capturing sacrificial victims with military rank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q9I8vNuIjw (Links to an external site.)

Blood and Flowers: In Search of the Aztecs

Cite the film and the Von Sivers textbook. Initial post is due Sunday, November 20th, and at least two peer responses by Wednesday, November 23rd.