SBS 325: Art Of The Aztec Empire
The Aztec, or Aztlaneca Mexica, took to capturing and collecting the art and culture of all those domains that they conquered and subjugated. As a result, Aztec art, thought, and culture reflect an eclectic mixture of the many peoples and cultures of the empire. Explores the origins, art, language, and culture of a Mesoamerican civilization that was unique for its emphasis on human heart excision, but exclusively Mesoamerican in its art, architecture, and ideology.
Instructor: Dr. Ruben Mendoza
Instructor: Dr. Ruben Mendoza
Course Narrative
My interest in Ancient Mexico and Mesoamerica was one of the driving forces behind my choice of major. I feel that it is important for people to understand their cultural background in order to focus on modern issues. This course was presented in such a way that it became more than an art course or a history course. Through it we could truly capture the essence of what it meant to be Aztec and comprehend the Aztec way of life. This course fulfills Major Learning Outcome 3: Literary Culture and Knowledge.
The class utilized the visual artifacts that were left behind by the Aztecs in order for us to gain a deeper understanding into their way of life. We studied various art forms in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of the culture. Through architecture, metallurgy, masonry, and poetry we were presented the foundation in which Aztec cosmology was built.
The class was organized in a lecture format but often times we were required to give presentations to our classmates. Two of the short presentations I was assigned were on the archaeological site of El Tajin and on the Aztec Pantheon of gods. Additionally, we were often immersed in Aztec culture by participating in ancient board games and even using recreations of Aztec weapons such as obsidian blades and an atlatl, a type of bow.
This course became one of the inspirations for the focus of my capstone project, Aztec literature. One of the things that captivated me the most was the cultural loss that was experienced at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The sentiments of the native people were capture in some of the literature of the time so I felt compelled to study about this further.
The class utilized the visual artifacts that were left behind by the Aztecs in order for us to gain a deeper understanding into their way of life. We studied various art forms in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of the culture. Through architecture, metallurgy, masonry, and poetry we were presented the foundation in which Aztec cosmology was built.
The class was organized in a lecture format but often times we were required to give presentations to our classmates. Two of the short presentations I was assigned were on the archaeological site of El Tajin and on the Aztec Pantheon of gods. Additionally, we were often immersed in Aztec culture by participating in ancient board games and even using recreations of Aztec weapons such as obsidian blades and an atlatl, a type of bow.
This course became one of the inspirations for the focus of my capstone project, Aztec literature. One of the things that captivated me the most was the cultural loss that was experienced at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The sentiments of the native people were capture in some of the literature of the time so I felt compelled to study about this further.