Harriet J. Bauman
As the major concentration of this unit is for an advanced Spanish class (Levels III, IV, V), the first objective is to stimulate the students’ interest in using the language as a means of finding out information about the Aztecs. One way of achieving this excitement is to read legends derived from the Calendar symbols. Legends are fascinating and appealing subjects which contain a natural interest level for students. Presumably the students will work through the Spanish in order to read and discuss assigned legends.
Leyendas Mexicanas
(published by the National Textbook Company, see Bibliography) is a good source of material.
A second objective is for the students to learn about the importance of the Aztec Calendar, its symbols, and the relationship of these symbols to Aztec Life. Students will be taught how to analyze the Calendar using Prown’s method of object analysis as stated above. They would develop a list of helpful Spanish vocabulary for use in this activity. All discussion would be in Spanish. They would read certain chapters in books (see Bibliography) that discuss the composition of the Calendar Stone, its symbols, its mathematical divisions, and other pertinent information.
My third objective is to encourage students to learn about the daily practices of the Aztecs, how these practices revolved around the concept of the gods, and how the Aztecs attempted to conciliate nature through the gods. As will be discussed more fully later, some of the symbols on the Calendar Stone are the symbols of certain gods. Students could choose a god or goddess to research. They could then report on the god or goddess with his/her various names, costumes, and function in the Aztec culture. An explanation for the various representations would be necessary as well.
The fourth and final objective is to discover the Aztec festivals, holidays, customs, games, foods, and behavior whose trades still exist in Mexico today. Thus students can gain a better understanding of Mexican culture. As has been stated above, all of Aztec life was determined by the Aztec Calendar, even the games they played, and the food they ate. It is most interesting to realize, for example, that chocolate was as important to the Aztecs as it is to the Mexicans. Cacao was used for money by the Aztecs, which indicates its importance. They also used cacao to make
chocolate
(hot chocolate), which today is called Mexican Chocolate.
