AZTEC HISTORY
SPORTS AND ART
TLATCHTLI
When the Aztecs started a new settlement, there were two things they would do. First, build a shrine to the god Huitzilopochtli, and then build a ball court next to it. In Tenochtitlan it was surrounded by the palace and temple. The Aztec ball game, known as tlatchtli, was a priority.The ball court was usually in the shape of an I, although there were some variations. Around the court was a slope, surrounded at the outer edge by walls about 8-11 feet high. The court was usually between 100 and 200 feet long, with a centre line, and six markers along the sloping walls. At centre court against the walls were two stone-carved rings often ornately carved in the form of an animal. In the game you would hit the ball in the air with your elbow, aiming to get it through the hole.
BOW AND ARROW
This particular sport was learned at an early age, starting as an innocent child's game, and growing into warrior training. At the age of ten, most of the boys already had a skilled shot. The bows were five feet long, and the arrows wer pointed with flint, bone or obsidian, and held in a quiver.
PATOLLI AND AZTEC CULTURE
In patolli, betting was central to the game. It was a game of chance and skill, played on a board shaped like a cross. Players would bet precious metals and stones, plants, or even themselves on the outcome of the game.
In the play itself, players would move their pieces on and off the board based on the throws of the beans or stones (dimpled like dice).
The god of patolli (and other games) was Macuilxochitl (five flowers). There are aspects of the game that can be compared to the Aztec view of the universe, such as the importance of the numbers 4 and 52 (52 years in the Aztec religious cycle). Sacrifices were made to the "dice" in hopes that the gods would bring victory.
ART
Few of the local languages actually had a word for "art". The Aztecs called special things like thistoltecat. This word was from a group of people known as the Toltecs, whose city was destroyed in 1168. No doubt the massive statues of the gods in the abandoned city impressed the Aztecs. In fact, the ruling family of the Aztecs claimed to be descended from the Toltecs.
The common people were not generally allowed to even own works of art. If you were creating and selling art, you may be an exception, but some of the art would have to go to the upper classes. They were the ones that generally were the keepers of the precious objects in the empire.
The people of the empire had an appreciation for a wide variety of insects, birds, fish and animals. A lot of their art reflected this. Jaguars, ducks, monkeys, snakes, deer, dogs - all these were common themes.
Of course, a lot of the art that has been preserved was religion related. The gods were often depicted, and they themselves often resembled animals of various kinds. The drawings of the gods were often sharp and angular, brightly coloured. Art would often show gods, or priests dressed as gods in a ritual, or Aztec warriors in their finery.
