The Fate of Earthly Things: Aztec Gods and God-Bodies (Recovering Languages and Literacies of the Americas)

Following Their First Contact In 1519, Accounts Of Aztecs Identifying Spaniards As Gods Proliferated. But What Exactly Did The Aztecs Mean By A God (teotl), And How Could Human Beings Become Gods Or Take On Godlike Properties? This Sophisticated, Interdisciplinary Study Analyzes Three Concepts That Are Foundational To Aztec Religion--teotl (god), Teixiptla (localized Embodiment Of A God), And Tlaquimilolli (sacred Bundles Containing Precious Objects)--to Shed New Light On The Aztec Understanding Of How Spiritual Beings Take On Form And Agency In The Material World. In The Fate Of Earthly Things, Molly Bassett Draws On Ethnographic Fieldwork, Linguistic Analyses, Visual Culture, And Ritual Studies To Explore What Ritual Practices Such As Human Sacrifice And The Manufacture Of Deity Embodiments (including Humans Who Became Gods), Material Effigies, And Sacred Bundles Meant To The Aztecs. She Analyzes The Aztec Belief That Wearing The Flayed Skin Of A Sacrificial Victim During A Sacred Rite Could Transform A Priest Into An Embodiment Of A God Or Goddess, As Well As How Figurines And Sacred Bundles Could Become Localized Embodiments Of Gods. Without Arguing For Unbroken Continuity Between The Aztecs And Modern Speakers Of Nahuatl, Bassett Also Describes Contemporary Rituals In Which Indigenous Mexicans Who Preserve Costumbres (traditions) Incorporate Totiotzin (gods) Made From Paper Into Their Daily Lives. This Research Allows Us To Understand A Religious Imagination That Found Life In Death And Believed That Deity Embodiments Became Animate Through The Ritual Binding Of Blood, Skin, And Bone-- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. God-bodies, Talk-makers : Deity Embodiments In Nahua Religions -- Chapter 1. Meeting The Gods -- Chapter 2. Ethnolinguistic Encounters : Teotl And Teixiptla In Nahuatl Scholarship -- Chapter 3. Divining The Meaning Of Teotl -- Chapter 4. Gods In The Flesh : The Animation Of Aztec Teixiptlahuan -- Chapter 5. Wrapped In Cloth, Clothed In Skins : Aztec Tlaquimilolli (sacred Bundles) And Deity Embodiment -- Conclusion. Fates And Futures : Conclusions And New Directions -- Appendix A. Ixiptla Variants In Early Lexicons -- Appendix B. A List Of Terms Modified By Teo- In The Florentine Codex -- Appendix C. Turquoise, Jet, And Gold. Molly H. Bassett. [p]art Of The Recovering Languages And Literacies Of The Americas Publication Initiative.--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 253-267) And Index. “Bassett at last provides a path to understand better the specifically Aztec characteristics of the teteoh and their ritual ‘embodiments.’” — Ethnohistory Following their first contact in 1519, accounts of Aztecs identifying Spaniards as gods proliferated. But what exactly did the Aztecs mean by a “god” ( teotl ), and how could human beings become gods or take on godlike properties? This sophisticated, interdisciplinary study analyzes three concepts that are foundational to Aztec religion— teotl (god), teixiptla (localized embodiment of a god), and tlaquimilolli (sacred bundles containing precious objects)—to shed new light on the Aztec understanding of how spiritual beings take on form and agency in the material world. In The Fate of Earthly Things , Molly Bassett draws on ethnographic fieldwork, linguistic analyses, visual culture, and ritual studies to explore what ritual practices such as human sacrifice and the manufacture of deity embodiments (including humans who became gods), material effigies, and sacred bundles meant to the Aztecs. She analyzes the Aztec belief that wearing the flayed skin of a sacrificial victim during a sacred rite could transform a priest into an embodiment of a god or goddess, as well as how figurines and sacred bundles could become localized embodiments of gods. Without arguing for unbroken continuity between the Aztecs and modern speakers of Nahuatl, Bassett also describes contemporary rituals in which indigenous Mexicans who preserve costumbres (traditions) incorporate totiotzin (gods) made from paper into their daily lives. This research allows us to understand a religious imagination that found life in death and believed that deity embodiments became animate through the ritual binding of blood, skin, and bone. Acknowledgments 12 Introduction. God-Bodies, Talk-Makers: Deity Embodiments in Nahua Religions 14 1. Meeting the Gods 39 2. Ethnolinguistic Encounters: Teotl and Teixiptla in Nahuatl Scholarship 58 3. Divining the Meaning of Teotl 102 4. Gods in the Flesh: The Animation of Aztec Teixiptlahuan 151 5. Wrapped in Cloth, Clothed in Skins: Aztec Tlaquimilolli (Sacred Bundles) and Deity Embodiment 183 Conclusion. Fates and Futures: Conclusions and New Directions 213 Appendix A. Ixiptla Variants in Early Lexicons 224 Appendix B. A List of Terms Modified by Teo- in the Florentine Codex 226 Appendix C. Turquoise, Jet, and Gold 227 Notes 232 Bibliography 274 Index 290