When you hear the word Aztec, what images and stories come to mind? Unfortunately most people think first of human sacrifice or the Spanish conquest, which leads to a reductive and limited perspective on this multifaceted Mesoamerican culture. Many do not know of the achievements the Aztec civilization achieved, including establishing possibly the first government in the world to institute mandatory public education for everyone, regardless of class or gender. The fact that very few people know about this and other aspects of Aztec culture mainly stems from both a lack of education on Native American cultures in most school systems and also, even more regrettably, a lack of knowledge of many pre-Columbian lifeways due to severe cultural destruction following European contact.
To have a more complete view of the Aztec way of life, one must understand a more tender and less known aspects of their culture: poetry, as well as some of its philosophical underpinnings. The fact that the Aztecs had a deep poetic tradition may come as a surprise to many less familiar with their culture, however writing poetry was a common Aztec pastime, especially for those sacrifice-capturing warriors often perceived as savage by Western standards. These poems were usually performed accompanied by music during holidays and festivals or during regularly occurring poetry circles. The greatest of these poets…
