Animals and Aztec religion: Keepers and cultivators of nature

Aztecs are known as formidable warriors and religious specialists, but they were also accomplished folkbiologists. Aztec priests, for example, employed specialized knowledge of the natural world in ritual activities. In the following, I highlight Aztec perceptions of a few key species as examples of...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Bassett, Molly H. 1980- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Wiley-Blackwell [2018]
Dans: Religion compass
Année: 2018, Volume: 12, Numéro: 5/6, Pages: 1-10
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Mesoamerika / Aztèques / Animaux / Ethnobiologie / Vision du monde
RelBib Classification:BR Religions amérindiennes
KBR Amérique Latine
TH Moyen Âge tardif
TJ Époque moderne
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Résumé:Aztecs are known as formidable warriors and religious specialists, but they were also accomplished folkbiologists. Aztec priests, for example, employed specialized knowledge of the natural world in ritual activities. In the following, I highlight Aztec perceptions of a few key species as examples of animals' overall significance in pre- and post-Contact Mesoamerican cultures. In particular, I examine the description of the jaguar in the Florentine Codex to ground an understanding of indigenous folkbiology after Contact. Then I introduce recent archeological findings that underscore the importance of birds and feathers in Aztec religion. Finally, I suggest that studying animals as a point of reference for indigenous adaptations to colonial life highlights creatures' cosmological agency. Each example demonstrates the centrality of animals in Aztec cosmology.
ISSN:1749-8171
Contient:Enthalten in: Religion compass
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/rec3.12264