Aztec society and environmental history of civilizations : Toward an understanding of Mesoamerican visions of nature

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  • アステカ社会と環境文明史—メソアメリカ自然観の理解に向けて—
  • アステカ社会と環境文明史 : メソアメリカ自然観の理解に向けて
  • アステカ シャカイ ト カンキョウ ブンメイシ : メソアメリカ シゼンカン ノ リカイ ニ ムケテ

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Abstract

What is generally known as the Aztec Kingdom, based on the domains of three city-states situated in the Valley of Mexico, Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan, flourished between 1428 and 1521 in the Mesoamerican Postclassic period. This article reviews the historical context not only of the Postclassic period but also of its conquest and colonial domination by the Spaniards and, later, some of the studies on the natural disasters that the Aztecs suffered during this time. The existence of rich documentation on Aztec history, especially documents written in the Nahuatl language, and recent advances in their analysis will be considered, in order to demonstrate that consulting the original documents can bring us more detailed information on Aztec environmental history. Additionally, the article refers to some trends in the study of Mesoamerican religious rites and visions of the cosmos. Such work is of great importance, not only for understanding the actual events that occurred (natural disasters they suffered, for example) but also for exploring the way Mesoamerican peoples interpreted those facts and their surroundings, and is crucial to deepening the study of the environmental history of civilizations.

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