Trecena Of The Codex Borbonicus Religion Essay

The 13th trecena of the Codex Borbonicus represented the goddess Tlazolteotl and the 13 day-signs that were dedicated to a God or elemental force, the supplier of tonalli ( Shadow Soul ) life energy for the twenty-four hours of the Aztec crop festival and ritual forfeit calendar.

A. Description

B. Religion

1. Aztec Gods were ancestor heroes

2. Legend of the goddess Tlazolteotl

C. Aztec Military Training

1. Eagle warrior

2. The arm of Aztec warriors

II. Symbolism of the elements for rites, ceremonials, seting and reaping

The elements

Color

Shape

The symbols of ritual and ceremonial, seting and reaping

III. The calendar with the day-signs

260 yearss and 365 yearss calendar

Number

13 day-signs

The system of the tonalpohualli

An intricate tonalamatl calendar

A certification of the Aztec 52 twelvemonth rhythm

Dividing clip among Gods and admiting about the supplier of tonally ( Shadow Soul )

Analyzing the 13th trecena of Codex Borbonicus is a manner we trace back our diverseness civilization so that we can hold a positive attitude towards continuing and keeping a heritage civilization in such a multicultural society as America.

THE 13th TRECENA OF THE CODEX BORBONICUS

Some art works exceed the pure Fine Art class when they have become a agency of historical pageant presentation. The Codex Borbonicus is an illustration. Considered one of the great chef-d’oeuvres of Aztec art, the Codex Borbonicus non merely represents the Aztec civilisation but its embedded doctrine every bit good. The most outstanding feature of the Codex Borbonicus which enhances its everlasting celebrity is that the information it brings approximately is through “ pictural agencies, in the native mode ” ( N. C. Christopher Couch. )

The picture in page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus will be chosen for the reading for the art work as, personally, it shows the typical characteristic of the whole Codex Borbonicus. This complicated and colourful picture is one of the illustrations from a 36 page calendrical stuff named Codex Borbonicus. Originally, the Codex Borbonicus is a individual 14.2 m long sheet of amatl paper, so folded into 40 pages, the first two pages and last two 1s of which are losing.

In footings of techniques, the creative persons used the curved thin lines to pull people, animate beings, and sacrificial rocks and so on, and used the thick lines to do grids. These grids are in the signifier of an L-shape brace: two underside rows and the two right columns with the consecutive perpendicular and horizontal lines as symmetricalness. This shows the truth of scientific discipline, far off from the flexible nature of art. This picture looks level because there are no light and shadow used. However, the creative persons created a sense of infinite by the little images without deepness, so the ocular plane is shallow. Christopher Couch said: “ The picture manner is about strictly native ; and the information is presented entirely through the drawings. ” ( 1 ) All the objects are neatly organized ; there are 26 symbols in the two underside rows and the two right columns. The two changeless series are formed by 13 divinities and by 13 winging objects ( 12 birds and one butterfly. )

The 13th trecena of the Codex Borbonicus represented the goddess Tlazolteotl and the 13 day-signs that were dedicated to a God or elemental force, the supplier of tonalli ( Shadow Soul ) life energy for the twenty-four hours of the Aztec crop festival and ritual forfeit calendar.

Religion was really of import in Aztec life. They worshipped 100s of Gods and goddesses. Some Aztec Gods were ancestor heroes, some Gods had natural elements like solar energy or rain and some Gods represented the elements of fate, order, civilisation and war. Each of the Aztec Gods and goddesses ruled one or more than one facet of nature and human activities. Aztec people had many agricultural Gods because their civilization was based on agriculture. The Aztecs thought that the power of the Gods should be acknowledged and thanks given to them. For this ground, they were built the ceremonial centres and there were so many spiritual rites. The faith of Aztecs had human forfeit elements that coincided with the assorted spiritual festivals of the Aztec calendar. The being of the Gods and their good will were maintained by offering up the most valuable human ownership, life.

The goddess Tlazolteotl, in the large square above and to the left of the picture, is seen as the regenerative power of the Earth. In Aztec mythology, Tlazolteotl is a goddess of purification, steam baths connected with accoucheuses, crud. The Goddess Tlazolteotl is besides the symbol of female power, love and childbearing. She is the goddess of gender, frequently compared to the Roman Venus. In add-on, she is besides considered spokesman of a rich fertile cotton turning country, known as “ Goddess of Cotton ” . This is depicted by her visual aspect, have oning her headgear with two spindles of cotton ; her image really tells the history of Mesoamerica that adult females, as rule weavers, play an of import function in the family every bit good as in the society because they bring money and prestigiousness for societal development. ( 2 )

My bosom is a flower, the corolla opens ;

Ah! It is the kept woman of midnight and she has arrived

Our Mother, the Goddess Tlazolteotl.

( Hymn to Tlazolteotl, from Baez-Jorge 101, translate by Anne Key )

The goddess Tlazolteotl is the active female rule in the continual rhythm of decease and life. She wears a flayed tegument, a black and ruddy colourss hat. In this image, “ she is the rhythm of decease and life, of decease feeding life, of life cycling to decease ” ( Anne Key ) . The picture shows a kid from above and to the right with the footmarks taking to the caput. The goddess sits in the giving birth place ; in fact, she is giving birth to Cinteotl. Like her female parent, the kid wears a headgear, earrings, and necklace. The excess custodies hanging below is a symbol of decease feeding life. The two serpents, one fleshed and the other discarnate to the right are the symbol for ollin that represent for the decease and life. ( 3 )

The bird of Jove is the symbol of the Sun stand foring the winning God Huitzilopochtli who denotes strength, aggressiveness, fight of the ancient civilizations of Mexico. Eagle warriors were a particular category of foot soldier in the Aztec ground forces, one of the two prima military orders in Aztec society. These military orders were made up of the bravest soldiers of baronial birth and those who had taken the greatest figure of captives in conflict. The life of Aztec warriors was one of changeless conflict. The Aztec warriors were considered to be elect and vowed to ne’er withdraw from conflict.

Most of the Aztec arms were really designed to stupefy and capture oppositions instead than to kill them. In this manner, oppositions could be easy brought back to the temple for forfeit. Eagle warriors dressed in the signifier of an bird of Jove ; they wore the chapeau that was adorned with the bird of Jove plumes. A warrior ‘s legs would be covered with leather strips. The uniform of Eagle warriors signified both bravery on the battleground and physical strength. The Aztec warriors carried a assortment of arms, including knifing javelins, wooden lances, ob sidian knives, and nines. One of the most common was the Aztec lance but the bow and pointer gave the warriors long scope effectivity. Their shields were round, brilliantly colored and decorated with plumes.

The picture in page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus shows the common mans and the agriculturalists basking the crop festivals, which is a radical interruption in history boulder clay that clip. It gives of import information about day of the months necessary for of import spiritual ( and layman ) activities or ceremonials.

In a broader sense, it describes a view of early Mexican society in which Gods, Goddesses and Deities are an indispensable portion in people ‘s spiritual and superstitious lives and people of all categories are believed to hold their ain right to carry through their free will. The picture developed the rhythms in worlds, workss and animate beings and demanded placation by forfeit and ceremonials to honour and acknowledge them at specific times. The images were determined by natural factors such as the junction of stars and planets.

The pictural images provide an chance to place the traditional conventions in manner and imagination. Aztec creative persons used pictograms ( the symbol meant precisely what it looked like ) , ideographs ( the thought behind the symbol ) and phonogram ( the image really represents a sound ) to depict their calendar. In add-on the colourss were besides of import. When symbols looked really similar, they could easy be told apart by their colourss.

The manuscript was painted with natural stuffs on Amatl bark paper. In more inside informations, these stuffs were produced from such natural substances as wild holly root ( mustard colour ) , ruddy retem root and Hematite ( ruddy ) , xanthous Sweet trefoil ( xanthous ocher ) prickly pear cactus fruit ( sunburn ) , and ruddy onion tegument ( green ) and C ( black ) . As such, these natural substances created bright and graphic ruddy, green, turquoise, sunburn, and grey colourss ruling the visual aspect of the graphics. This reflects the close relationship between people and nature ; these colourss are the colour of dirt, forest, animate beings and flora, sky, watercourses, and colour of tegument.

The elements in this picture besides included: the container offerings ( recipiente de ofrendas ) , the Agave atrovirens irritant, package of plumes ( haz de plumas ) , white brasier, spider, centipede and serpent ( entwined ientzommaye petlazolcoatl ) , bracero caldron, sacrificial rock. The mat under goddess Tlazolteotl is a composite tissue that is made of three perpendicular sets of ruddy. The skull stands ( Caballete de craneos ) with a human skull, ruddy jaws, the oculus draw by two homocentric circles. Besides seen in the picture is a bare personage, xanthous ocher, confronting left traveling toward Tlazolteotl. Above, there were three black footmarks in the way of the goddess, the first and 3rd of his left pes, the in-between one is the right pes. ( 4 )

The picture is, in fact, an asymmetrical work. The composing is really good with the different elements, different gestures. Furthermore, there are a batch of of import inside informations to suit the construction astrologically and mathematically.

The Aztec people used 365 yearss and 260 yearss in their calendar. The first calendar was called the xiuhpohualli, the numeration of old ages. A This was a 365 twenty-four hours twelvemonth that was really helpful for be aftering the agriculture and foretelling the conditions. A There were 18 months, each 20 yearss long, or 4 ( 5 twenty-four hours ) hebdomads to convey the twelvemonth up to 365 yearss. The 2nd calendar is the tonalpohualli that is considered the sacred calendar. A There were 20 marks, and 13 Numberss. A Like a cogwheel within a cogwheel, each of the 20 marks would be assigned each of the 13 Numberss. A 13×20=260, the entire figure of yearss in the “ sacred twelvemonth ” . ( 5 )

The Aztecs counted by 20s. Numerous points appear in the L-shaped brace of 26 little rectangles of the calendar painted ruddy, which are associated with the glyphs and which are used to number the yearss or months. Each of the yearss in the calendar is listed by its twenty-four hours mark and figure and includes other symbols used in divination and ceremonial.

The picture in page 13 of the Codex Borbonicus is an Aztec digest of the monthly rite and ceremonials to observe. This is a 260 twenty-four hours sacred calendar, taken up with bigger pictures of governing divinities in one corner, and in the staying country are the 13 twenty-four hours marks of the trecena and other 13 glyphs. With these 26 symbols, the Aztec priests were believed to be able to make horoscopes and divine the hereafter. Though construing the Codex Borbonicus is limited to the educated members of the upper categories, the Codex Borbonicus calendrical manuscripts play a function in the lives of everyone. Another subdivision is about the rites and ceremonials, frequently taken topographic point at the terminal of the 52 twelvemonth rhythm when, as Aztec people believe, new fire must be lit. However, this portion is unluckily left unfinished. The manner of Codex Borbonicus is the inflow of Spanish and Mexican civilizations due to the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.

The system of the tonalpohualli can be best understood by conceive ofing two wheels that are connected to each other. One wheel has the Numberss “ one ” to “ thirteen ” written on it. The 2nd wheel has twenty symbols on it. In the initial state of affairs, figure “ one ” combines with the first symbol. This is the first twenty-four hours of the tonalpohualli. Now the wheels start traveling and figure “ two ” combines with the 2nd glyph. This is the 2nd twenty-four hours. After 14 yearss, a trecena of 13 yearss has passed. The wheel with the Numberss shows figure “ one ” once more. The other wheel now shows the 14th symbol. After 260 yearss, the two wheels have returned to their initial place. The tonalpohualli starts all over once more.

The tonalpohualli tells us how clip is divided among the Gods. This has been called a sacred calendar because its chief intent is that of a mantic tool. It divides the yearss and rites between the Gods. Harmonizing to Aztec cosmology, the existence is in a really delicate equilibrium. The universe is ever on the threshold of traveling under in a religious war, a war of Gods viing for supreme power. To forestall this from go oning, the Gods have been given their ain infinite, their ain clip, their ain societal groups.

The 365 twenty-four hours twelvemonth or xihuitl consists of 18 months ( meztli ) of 20 yearss plus five excess ( luckless ) yearss. The last twenty-four hours of the last month of the twelvemonth gives its ( tonalpohualli ) name to the xihuitl. A simple computation learns that merely four day-signs can give their name to the twelvemonth. This means that every 52 old ages ( 4 times 13 ) the name of the twelvemonth will be the same. A combination of 52 old ages is called a calendar unit of ammunition or xiuhmolpilli ( bundle ) .

The Aztec calendars were dividing clip among Gods and admiting about the supplier of tonally ( Shadow Soul ) . A twenty-four hours ( tonalli ) in the tonalpohualli consists of a figure and a symbol or day-sign. Each day-sign is dedicated to a God. The 20 day-signs and their Gods are in turn: 1- Tonacatecuhtli Xochipili ; 2- Quetzalcoatl ; 3- Tepeyollotl ; 4- Tlazolteotl ; 5- Chalchihuitlicue ; 6-Miquiztli Tecciztecatl ; 7- Tlaloc ; 8- Mayahuel ; 9- Xiuhtecuhtli ; 10- Mictlantecuhtli ; 11- Ozomahtli ; 12- Malinalli ; 13- Tezcatlipoca ; 14- Ocelotl ; 15- Xipe Totec ; 16- Itzpapalotl ; 17- Ollin Xolotl ; 18-Chalchihuihtotolin ; 19- Tonatiuh and 20- Xochiquetzal.

Each day-sign is ruled by a God. The nature of a twenty-four hours is besides influenced by its figure. For illustration: 1-Xiuhtecuhtli ; 2- Tlaltecuhtli ; 3- Chalchihuitlicue ; 4- Tonatiuh ; 5- Tlazolteotl ectaˆ¦ More of import, each trecenas has a God that regulations over every 13-day periodand the 20 trecenas associated with Gods or elemental forces. ( 6 )

The Codex Borbonicus coded the Aztec ‘s cognition of star divination, astronomical scientific discipline their apprehension of the opinion divinities, and their perceptual experience of the encompassing nature into pictural images. The Aztecs ‘ life experience gives them a belief that they are under the control of natural order such as the Sun at daylight, the Moon at nighttime ; harvest growing and failure. They are besides obsessed with military triumph and licking ; nevertheless, through the presentation of the Codex Borbonicus, we can comprehend people ‘s hope for free will and their ability to make their ain fate.

In decision, the 13th trecena of Codex Borbonicus is a tight Mesoamerican civilisation including scientific discipline, doctrine, all right art, literature and history, every bit good as codifications for human behaviour. Analyzing the Codex Borbonicus is a manner we trace back our diverse civilization so that we can hold a positive attitude towards continuing and keeping a heritage civilization in such a multicultural society as America.

Each daysign is ruled by a God. The nature of a

Notes:

( 1 ) & A ; ( 5 ) N.C. Christopher Couch, The festival Cycle of the Aztec Codex Borbonicus, page 38, 15.

( 2 ) Sullivan, T “ Tlazolteotl-Ixcuina: The Great Spinner and Weaver- The Art and Iconography of late post-Classic Mexico. ” Edited by Elizabeth Hill Boone, ( Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC ) , 7-37.

( 3 ) Anne Key, Tlazolteotl: The Goddess of Filth

( 4 ) Translations from the Spanish are my ain. “ Los Elementos Anexos Del Codice Borbonico ” page 184-195, Traductor: Edgar Samuel Morales Gross saless.

( 5 ) Michael E. Smith, The Aztecs ” , page 248.

( 6 ) “ Aztec calendar ” hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendar