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Research paper sources (due 2 March):

My project research in the artistic expression of the Aztecs comes from the following four sources:

"The Mighty Aztecs" by Gene S. Stuart. National Geographic Society 1981.

"The Aztecs, Rise and Fall of an Empire" by Serge Gruzinski. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York. 1992.

"Los Aztecas" by Victor W. Von Hagen. Joaquin Mortiz, México. 1980.

"The Art of Mesoamerica" by Mary Ellen Miller. Thames and Hudson, London 1996.

"A guide to Mexican Art" by Justino Fernández. University of Chicago Press, 1969.

The focus on my paper is to make a visit by the Aztec drawings of the deities. This paintings were part of the visual communication among them, not knowing the repercution in the future for the rest of the world. Their interpretations in mythology, religion and life mixed with the combinations of the two worlds: the under world (of the dead) and the upper world (of the living). They used their skills to communicate and interpret their own understandings. Aztec society united in one ideology lead by the artists. The works of art were the guides of the prehispanic culture. They have this particular artistic representation as the daily way of interpreting their reality. They were in touch with the two worlds through their art. I want to understand why they draw birds, cougars, monsters, the sun, the moon. They had a particular way of seeing things, and interpreting them throught their singular techniques and styles. I want to be familiar with their feaders, their symbols and their gods.

Their first drawings start at the 16th. century with the migration of the tribe called Mexica, at the time of the life in caves and hunting for food period. We can observe also mountains regions, wild beasts, vegetation and deities as the god of the hunting and war: Mixcoatl. A figure with spears and hunting supplies, carrying a basquet and a rabbit. He is wearing a camuflage uniform with feathers and the pierce bone in his nose. The representation of movement was typically done by the drawing of footsteps, which appears in many of their books called Codex. There are many interesting gods that were famous by his powers like Tlaloc, the god of rain, typically known by "the germinator" because of its fertilizing qualities of the water, and at the same time the powerful forces of rain, which may become storms and destruction; If we had today a Tlaloc follower, he would say that "El Niño" is actually Tlaloc! The design for falling water along with his claws and masks make more fearful that figure, but the use of colors and description of their deities can keep the similar line among all their drawings. As I mentioned about the unity of art with their beliefs, astrology and religion were part of their artistic expression. That is why we can see the comet, stars, sun, moon, representation of destruction of the world. The idea of living in certain amount of "suns", and their famous calendar, made a rich variety of contributions for the arts. They were guide by a god, Huitzilopochtli, "hummingbird", which carried the promise of finding an eagle eating a snake, standing on a cactus. The discovery was done on the center of a lake, and later became the foundation of the city of Tenochtitlan. The water element helped this people to create their famous floating gardens called "Chinampas", and their artistic drawings show many of those agricultural sites with their people working. A very important element in these gardens were the flowers, which represent the perpetual element as symbol of warfare. The idea was to provide sacrificial victims in constant combats with the people in surrounding areas. When they got established, their architecture also arose. They built pyramids as temples and places for sacrifices to their gods. The most famous is now call, "Templo Mayor", which is located in dowton today's Mexico city. The recent discoveries support the drawings of the twin pyramid of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. The Aztecs were also masters in ceramics and sculptures, but with the wide variety of paintings, I think it will be enough for me to share this time with my class.