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Animals and Aztec religion: Keepers and cultivators of nature

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 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. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Religion Compass Wiley

Animals and Aztec religion: Keepers and cultivators of nature

Bassett, Molly H.
Religion Compass , Volume 12 (5-6) – Jan 1, 2018
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10 pages

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISSN
1749-8171
eISSN
1749-8171
DOI
10.1111/rec3.12264
Publisher site
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Abstract

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.

Journal

Religion Compass – Wiley

Published: Jan 1, 2018

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