Good evening. My name is Carl Engström. I am originally from Uppsala, Sweden, and on the recommendation of a friend who is a regular visitor to this page, I would like to share the following photograph of a document that I found among the belongings of my great-grandfather, Martin Engström.
My great-grandfather was born in 1895, and worked as a school teacher in Stockholm. In the 1940s, he travelled to Mexico with a British professor from his university, James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence.
Among the many articles he brought back from the country, this document was one of them, and from what my grandfather can remember, I know that he obtained it from a priest of a church located in a town called Yagul, Oaxaca, alluding to the fact that it was part of the evidence from a well-known case of the Spanish Inquisition against the Indians of the area during the 1650s.
I know that he came to acquire more documents of this kind, but one of his friends by profession, Elthon Kirowan, a scholar who had a shady reputation, asked him to examine them, without returning them. We know that he lived on a farm in Sussex, England, and if it is possible, attempt could be made to locate the family on the possibility that his relatives know the destiny of the other documents.
We do not want to give them to any museum, because they are part of our family legacy, but I have considered sharing a photograph of it, because apparently, it is a unique piece of Mexico’s past and it deserves to be shown to a wider public. I want also to avoid what I have heard are very long protocols in the investigatory process to expose such documents.
Yaotécpatl was one of the most experienced warriors of the Mexica Empire in its heyday, and he was a powerful nahual.
He gain the range of tzitzimitl warrior with only 23 years old and participated in numerous campaigns of conquest taking numerous prisoners.
However, his greatest achievement was the single combat that he took against the tzitzimime released by owl nahuals who used powerful spells of necromancy.
He could kill the terrible monster, which wreaked havoc on the population of Chapultepec, but he had to sacrifice his life.
@tlatollotl can you put any validity to Ramirez’s garbage?
Ramirez is trying to portray Mesoamerican sacrifice as strictly evil with no consideration of cultural beliefs in order to somehow justify the atrocities Europeans committed toward indigenous people from 1492 onwards. Did Mesoamericans sacrifice people? Absolutely. Is that evil/savage/barbaric/horrific? Not necessarily. It really depends on the culture you grew up in and whether or not you have the capacity to understand cultural relativism (I’ve talked to some people who are simply incapable of understanding another culture). I do recommend checking out this YouTube video of Marshall Sahlins explaining Fijian cannibalismfor those that struggle with cultural relativism. Sahlins walks you through Fijian cultural beliefs regarding “cooked men” and “raw women”. If you can follow along and accept Fijian cultural beliefs regarding cannibalism, then you should be able to accept Mesoamerican beliefs regarding sacrifice.
“It’s my culture to eat people! It’s my culture to perform human sacrifice! These things are ok because My CuLtUrE!”
Your culture is barbaric, then. Cry about it, savage.
Also, Ramirez is right - the Aztects were just as imperialistic as Columbus and his merry crew, and any European army, and no amount of “its their culture!” apologism changes that. Stay pissy that your fetishized brown people weren’t perfect angels and yeah, did shitty things because they were human.
“sacrificing people is not necessarily evil or horrific”
My head physically hurts reading this
“NOOOOO YOU CANNOT CRITICIZE BROWN PEOPLE CULTURE NOOOO”
How on earth would you feed a city of over 200,000 people when the land around you was a swampy lake? Seems like an impossible task, but the Aztec managed it by creating floating gardens known as chinampas, then they farmed them intensively.
These ingenious creations were built up from the lake bed by piling layers of mud, decaying vegetation and reeds. This was a great way of recycling waste from the capital city Tenochtitlan. Each garden was framed and held together by wooden poles bound by reeds and then anchored to the lake floor with finely pruned willow trees. The Aztecs also dredged mud from the base of the canals which both kept the waterways clear and rejuvenate the nutrient levels in the gardens.
A variety of crops were grown, most commonly maize or corn, beans, chillies, squash, tomatoes, edible greens such as quelite and amaranth. Colourful flowers were also grown, essential produce for religious festivals and ceremonies. Each plot was systematically planned, the effective use of seedbeds allowed continuous planting and harvesting of crops.
Between each garden was a canal which enabled canoe transport. Fish and birds populated the water and were an additional source of food. [x]
This is literally so cool. Not only does it contribute to spacial efficiency, but the canals would easily keep pests, weeds, and possibly even diseases out of the respective plots. Companion planting and bio-intensive planting would be so much easier. Water-wise systems would be inherently present. Plus it looks so super neat aesthetically. I am just all about this.
These are some details of my painting of Tlaltecuhtli, Earth Lady.
On either side of Tlaltecuhtli appear two Teteo, Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of Death, and Tlaloc, Our Lord the Rain.
The land of the dead is under the earth, and the lords of rain live in the hollow mountains. Both are accessed by caves which pierce the earth. The joints, such as elbows and knees, are thought of as openings by which one can enter the body and the solid bones. Therefore, her joints are painted with Tlaloc faces, or, sometimes, with skeletal faces. These represent the caves by which one enters the world of the Teteo of death and rain. They also represent her two poles, of life and death, and of the duality which she incarnates.
At the feet of Mictlantecuhtli are two quail. The white spots on the quail’s feathers symbolize stars, and the quail is a symbol of the night time sky. At the feet of Tlaloc is a rattlesnake. The curving, sinuous body of the snake is like the movement of lightning across the sky, and like the curving of rivers as they wind across the earth. Both animals live in caves in the ground, and therefore are bridges between the dark and mysterious world of the Teteo beneath the earth, and the world of humanity on the earth’s surface.
You can find prints of Tlaltecuhtli in my Etsy store!
In recent years it has become evident that we need to create conscience on the damage that we are inflicting on our planet. Acting as a society is extremely important in order to make a change.
The Earth is Tonantzin, Our Beloved Mother, who gives birth to us, nourishes us, and finally devours when we die. She receives different names: Coatlicue, She of the Serpent Skirt; Cihuacoatl, Serpent Woman; Cipactli, the Earth Alligator, or Tlaltecuhtli, Earth Lady/Lord.
Our ancestors were aware of the complete dependence of humans towards the Earth. This is why they had a relationship of reciprocity with Her, repaying what She gave them, offering all things precious, hard and joyful. They knew that extraction without retribution is theft, so they were very cautious that nothing was taken from the Earth without asking for permission and without giving Her something in return. Working in the fields, for example, weeding, planting, watering and looking after the crops is a kind of “payment” Her abundance.
Today this balance has been broken. We no longer thank the Earth, and we no longer give Her back what She gives us. Earth Day is an opportunity to remember our responsibility and to take action so that we stop harming our wounded Mother
Our ancestors saw humans not as completely feminine or masculine beings, but as a combination of both qualities.
Every person has a side that is spiritually wet, cold, fertile and dark, and another dry, hot, sterile and luminous side.One of the names of this painting, Cihuaoquichtli, means Man-Woman. This is why it is called Man-Woman Duality as well. It also shows the position of the days of the Sacred Calendar in the human body.
This painting, along with Life-Death Duality, will be on display at my show at Art Bug Gallery! The opening is on Saturday!
In this exhibit you will be able to see my original painting of Ometeotl, which metaphorically represents the Mesoamerican creator divinity. Ometeotl, Dual Lord and Lady, are everything that exists. They are creator and creation, painter and painting, mother/father and son/daughter. They are all which we understand as reality, placed in time and space.In this painting the main Teteo appear intertwined to represent that They are all but faces of Ometeotl, and to remind us that all life is connected through Their love and generosity.
The Triptych of Maguey, the sacred plant of Mesoamerica, will be on display at this show! It consists of the central painting, in which appears Mayahuel, Lady of Maguey, and two accompanying paintings of Pahtecatl, Lord of Pulque, and Ometochtli, Lord of Drunkenness.
Our ancestors considered alcoholic beverages to be a means of communication with the Teteo. Drunkenness is a state of divine connection, through which inspiration, devotion, love, violence and courage are shared with us.
You can find these paintings as prints in my Etsy store!
This is a detail from my Tonalco Tlaltecuhtli painting.Tlaltecuhtli is the Lord and Lady of the Earth. During the summer She is all abundance, and She provides for every living thing that thrives on Her surface. Her gifts are great, for they are life itself. But during the dry months of Tonalco She asks us to reciprocate, and pay back the debt we had incurred during Xopan. The tongue of Tlaltecuhtli is therefore a flint-knife, which reminds us that She is hungry, and that She needs us to pay our debt. In the painting, blood flows from Her open mouth, from the flint knife to Her navel, upon which lies a precious jade stone. From the jade-stone are born the first man and woman, who represent all humanity. The blood flows between them and Her, as a sign of our mutual dependence and our responsibility to Her.
I’ll explain more details of Tlaltecuhtli in future posts, and She will be on display at the Art Bug Gallery from April 23rd!
You can find this painting as a print in my Etsy store!
My painting Patlache or Owner of Wild Cacao is part of a series that explores queer identities in Mesoamerica.
Sources are scarce and contradictory, and little information can be obtained about sex and gender diversity in ancient times. However, there are few cases of what we would call today “queer” identities were registered in colonial manuscripts.
A patlache or owner of wild cacao is a word apparently used to describe a lesbian woman or a trans man. Here are two types of patlache sharing a moment of cacao collection.
You can find this painting as a print in my Etsy store! Click here!
This is my oil painting of Tonalco Tlaltecuhtli, the Earth during the dry season.
Tlaltecuhtli is the Earth Lord and the Earth Lady. She is the Earth itself; Her elbows, breasts, and belly are mountains, Her navel, the hollow of Her throat, the folds that wrap across Her stomach are valleys, and Her mouth and womb caves, entrances by which to enter her body. She is all abundance and all life, but likewise, She is the tomb who shall swallow us all in the end. We do not have four seasons in Mesoamerica, but rather two, Xopan or rainy season, and Tonalco or dry season. As Tonalco Tlaltecuhtli, Her body is painted yellow, to represent the yellow grass of Winter. She is dry, tired, and lacks the energy for growth and life.
I’ll be explaining more details about this painting in other posts!
Tlaltecuhtli will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery in LA! You can also find Her as a print in my Etsy store! Click here!
The yacametztli or Moon nose ring is an element of the regalia of the Pulque Lords. These deities are associated with darkness, humidity and the feminine side of the cosmos. The Moon incarnates the feminine principle, subtlety, fertility and cold, spiritual qualities found in pulque, which is seen as the milk with which the Earth feeds Her children. In the paintings of Pahtecatl, Lord of Medicine, and Ometochtli, Lord of Drunkenness, They both bear a yacametztli, symbolizing Their relation with the qualities of pulque.
The paintings of Pahtecatl and Ometochtli will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery. Click here to see prints of Them!
Cinteotl or Centeotl is the Lord of Maize, whose body is our food and our flesh. Centeotl is also the patron of cacao, the complementary opposite of maize. While one is a solar plant, associated with the Heavens, dryness and the masculine side of the cosmos, the other is a lunar plant, related to the Underworld, humidity and the feminine principle. This is why Centeotl is also the incarnation of duality and balance. Here I presented Him as Lord of the Plant of Cacao, which represented creativity, inspiration and sex.
This piece is part of a series that will be on display at Art Bug Gallery from April 23!
This painting will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery!
It represents the duality of life and death, one of the main concepts of Mesoamerican thought. Our ancestors did not see life and death as two different things, but as two faces of one same truth: that which is alive nourishes death, just as death gives origin to new life, in a neverending cycle.
If you are in LA, do come visit my show! It opens on April 23rd!
This is a xiquipiltontli or bag used by the danzantes for transporting offerings and other elements used in Mexicayotl ceremonies, such as flowers and copal.
Depictions of these bags can be found in sources as ancient as Olmec sculptures. They also appear in codices from the time of the conquest and are part of the ritual regalia of many contemporary indigenous groups.
You can see various models of this xoquipiltontli or bag in my Etsy store! Click here!
The metztli or veintena of Huey Tozoztli is coming to an end. During its 20 days we celebrated the deities of maize, which begins to grow with the coming of the rains. Huey Tozoztli is dedicated to Cintéotl, Lord Maize, patron divinity of the fields, and Xilonen, Lady Tender Maize, who is the sprout that breaks the hardness of the Earth’s crust and grows towards the Heavens.
You can find elote or corn cob earrings of different colors in my Etsy store! Click here!
In this scene, Mayahuel, Our Lady Maguey, appears breastfeeding a plumed fish. It is a profoundly symbolic image which shows Her role as mother and nurturer. The plumed fish is a visual metaphor that alludes to Mimich, one of the most ancient divine ancestors of the Mexica. Lord Mimich was a chichimeca, part of a nomad group, and His death represents the foundation of the first villages and cities. The symbol of the plumed fish refers to preciousness, which can be found in the wisdom of our ancestors. The scene, thus, presents Mayahuel, the plant of maguey, as nurturer of humankind from the most ancient of times.
You can find prints of Chichimayahuel in my Etsy store! Click here!
Today is the first Zenith Passage of the Sun over Mexico City, an event in which no shadow is casted on the ground. On this date the Sun defeats His enemies, the creatures of darkness, and devours obscurity to give light, wisdom and justice.
Tonatiuh is Our Father the Sun, the Celestial Lord who gives solidity, warmth and life to the world. Every night He must travel through the dangers of the Underworld to gloriously rise again in the East.
You can find prints of Tonatiuh in my Etsy store! Click here!
