So I finally got to see an Aztec danza group performance the other day. I loved seeing their ceremony. Afterwards, I asked one of the dancers this title question. They told me that "historically they didn't use sticks" is false. That they did use sticks, but the Spaniards took them away because they didn't want the natives to have weapons. I thanked the person and then walked away. But later I realized something. Their claim couldn't be right, because in that same codex image, you see people using sticks to play the teponaztli, and people holding stick like rattles (ayacachtli rattles, I think). So if the Conquistadors didn't want the natives to have anythibg that could be used as weapons, none of the musicians could have been using sticks, not just the huehuetl players.

So this brings me to my initial question. Why do Aztec musicians use sticks nowadays to play the huehuetl, when the codex says they didn't.

So, I've been looking at death whistles, and I saw a clip of a guy blowing one from really far and it was still clearly audible. Google said they are about 120 decibals, which is enough to damage your hearing and ears. So, can you damage your hearing with these things?

Hey there! I have a question related to Aztec gods and paganism. So basically, I have a friend who says she's working with an Aztec goddess, despite the fact that she's not a part of that culture. I've head people say that gods from closed practices can reach out to people outside of that community if they choose, since humans don't really have the authority to tell gods what to do, but I'm not really sure what opinion to hold here?

Based on the information she's given me, it sounds like my friend reached out to this goddess first, not the other way around. I also understand that the Aztec gods are connected to a very specific way of living, and it isn't really a culture you can just pick and choose from. So my question is, can people who are outside of this practice reach out to these deities, provided the gods accept their request to work with them and they're respectful towards the culture (eg: actually learning about it and not using it for an aesthetic)?

Obviously, anyone can add their thoughts on this, but I'd really like to here from people connected to this culture. Thanks!

(If this doesn't belong in this sub, feel free to remove it or let me know.)

I have recently acquired this cool mask and I suspect its design to be influenced by aztec traditions. Being new to the topic, I thought I'd ask if anyone here might have any information about masks like this. Do the symbols on the guy's head gear mean anything? What are masks like these used for? Any information is welcome, I thank you all in advance

https://preview.redd.it/5teje9ih9bwd1.jpg?width=683&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64495090e25260312a258ccba0247a68a792e751

Like, I have come upon several claims that the Maya script is the only writing system that developed in either of Americas, yet I have seen this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_script

Called a writing system - after all, it’s literally called a script.

I am not very educated in the specifics of all of this. However, as amateurish as I am, I guess the Aztec “script” (whether or not it is you will tell me) is certainly more than just pictures of objects and I think most people would agree, yet still consider it, I dunno, less abstract or practical than Latin or Cyrillic. But why exactly?

With Latin and Cyrillic, for example, I can write full sentences and abstract ideas - the symbols together form a different symbol for the meaning I mean to convey. The words “dog” (English) and “пас” (Serbian) do not resemble the animal 🐕 at all - their meaning is what symbolises the animal in question. (Not to mention grammar and syntax as well.)

So, is this something that is possible with Maya script, but not Aztec, which could only show a small picture of a dog? Could full sentences be somehow made with either of these scripts? Can a song be written using only Maya and/or Aztec symbols, like (to use a non-European example) you can write songs and novels with Arabic or Japanese system? Can The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien be translated into Aztec and Maya systems like it can be into Arabic and Japanese ones? What is it that makes, say, Egyptian hieroglyphs a “full-developed” writing system, while the Aztec one was not?

I apologise for my amateurishness and the feeling of “Explain Like I’m 5” but I genuinely wish to know - what is the difference? What were the practical capabilities of each writing system, in comparisons to systems we have (Latin and Cyrillic being the prime examples, yes, but the Arabic, Devanagari and Japanese systems being just as capable of abstract symbols and sentences.)

Going to keep this short and sweet. I'm wanting to learn more about Aztec religion, worship, beliefs, etc as an outsider interested in learning respectfully. I'm already heavily in research, but would love somebody I can message with 1x1 who is open to my questions and can provide me with direction.