How They Did It - Growing Up Aztec

welcome to how they did it a show where we take a look at the daily lives of our ancestors today will be joining the children of history to see what it was like growing up as tech a huge thanks to our sponsors the great courses plus for making this video possible the birth of a child was a momentous occasion for an Aztec family revered midwives would be present to provide their expertise and guidance in delivery these women also carried out many of the important rituals accompanying of birth when the baby emerged the Midwife would cut the umbilical cord which would be preserved later the umbilical cord was to be ritualistically placed in the hearth for a girl or on the battlefield for a boy presence would also be given to symbolize their future roles in society shields and arrows for voice spindles and weaving instruments for girls the baby was then washed and prayed over while the Midwife greeted the infant with a long speech warning of the sorrows and dangers of life next a naming ceremony was carried out where the child was bathed under the early morning sunlight of an auspicious day babies were given a calendar name based on the date of their first bathing along with the personal name calendar names were derived from the ritual calendar cycle with each day carrying a number and a sign such as one crocodile three rain and thirteen read each was associated with specific qualities and omens typically a child would be bathed and named four days after their birth but parents had some leeway to fudge the dates around a bit to get a more favorable day sign personal names were less restrictive and typically found inspiration in places or things boys might be named after animals clothing or personal qualities while girls often took on more feminine titles like those of popular flowers once this had been completed for water rites were performed the name was shouted out by observers and a feast was held in their earliest years babies would be kept at home and attended to by the family parents were very careful and took many steps to raise a healthy baby ensuring proper feeding cleaning and sleeping were all part of the routine as well as several more unique considerations one notable practice was the stretching ceremony this occurred every four years and involved the pulling of children's fingers toes legs noses necks and ears in order to stimulate growth other interesting customs include the following babies were to be protected from the direct gaze of an elderly person which was believed to be quite powerful no one must stepped over a child or risk stunting their growth if it did occur the perpetrator must quickly step back over them to under the effect there would be no playing outside on days with evil omens and lost teeth were to be cast into mouse holes to encourage the arrival of permanent teeth for the next 15 years children would live at home with their families during this time they would be educated by their parents their relatives and their local community on how to be a proper Aztec we will trace their aging by following a child's development year to year at 3 years old children were simplified versions of adult clothing the boys were a basic Cape without a breechcloth and girls were tunic without a skirt while both had their hair cut short by a priest to prevent illness for now they had no chores and could play much of the day as the months rolled on however they were increasingly instructed on proper behavior soon children were expected to stop playing in the mud to greet people properly to listen attentively to elders and to eat quietly at 4 years old gender differences became more apparent girls started to wear a short skirt while boys continued rocking their capes commando-style chores now also entered the equation girls began to take on domestic chores like spinning and weaving while boys began to leave the house with their fathers to fetch supplies like water at 5 years old girls progressed to longer skirts while boys continued to enjoy their freedom under the hood chores became more routine girls were taught to use a spindle and boys returned with heavier supplies like bundles of grass four brooms and wood for fireplaces at six years old their chores became more girls spend extensive time learning to weave and spin alongside their mothers and boys made their first trip to the marketplace to collect supplies at seven years old boys finally put on a dang breechcloth girls carried out tasks on their own under the supervision of their mothers and boys ventured out on the lake to learn fishing and observe the activities of the boatman from 8 to 14 years old the responsibilities of chores continued to increase year by year now however these activities started to be accompanied by physical punishment for bad behavior rather than mere verbal scolding meg why spines for instance were used to prick children who showed excessive lying negligence idleness wild behavior or other indiscretions children might also be subjected to the acrid smoke of burning Chili Peppers or the effects of being stretched out over damp ground all day while these punishments may seem extreme it's important to realize that they were not used every day the presence however does inform us of the high standards parents placed on their children this was in keeping with a stick society which believed in obedience honesty politeness respect moderation modesty and energy as moral ideals an S Tech's 15th birthday was an important one according to the Codex Mendoza it was at this point that boys and girls would begin their full-time formal education zat school however I want to be sure to note that other sources claimed that some individuals especially Nobles would have been introduced to the schooling system at an earlier age after all education was an important pillar of a sex society in fact attending these institutions was compulsory this idea of universal schooling is actually quite modern there were several different types of schools available these were separated into two groups one for boys and one for girls the boys were educated on matters related to their various societal roles and would take up residence in the school dormitories the girls were mostly educated on matters related to the domestic sphere and would return home in the evenings past this gender divide there'd be another form of separation based on class the kalmyk was Alysse well the TEL push galley was for commoners the kalmyk was a religious temple where youths would be taught to occupy the highest positions of authority in society admission was generally reserved for those of noble birth but it is believed that boys from the merchant class or gifted commoners might be received as well well in school students would dress as novice priests with black face and body pain advanced students are depicted with additional red marks by their ears a stylistic representation of typical auto sacrifice wherein one would prick one's ears to draw blood lessons here were taught by wise elders or priests and covered a wide range of topics these included religion history painting music law astrology astronomy warfare and a high form of language some of the students in the kalmyk kok specialize in craftsmanship starting off as an apprentice and eventually reaching the status of master between lessons students would continue their chore work and assist the priests with their duties much of the time would be spent sweeping the grounds fetching firewood and decorating or maintaining holy sites many religious practices would also be observed such as the nightly burning of incense in the four cardinal directions novices would also trek to the mountains with priests for penance and sacrifice additionally elder boys had a chance to accompany the warrior priests to the battlefield this was all done with a high level of austerity and discipline students were expected to perform daily tasks diligently show proper manners fast routinely and remain chaste breaking these rules would result in strict punishment which might even include execution the tilt bush galley schools for commoners were more numerous than their elite counterparts and were present in every neighborhood their primary focus was military training here students would be taught courage order discipline and battle skills by respected elders and military veterans this might be done with general physical tasks such as public work projects or through specialized lessons on martial arts and weapons training direct exposure to the Aztek military in action was also a key feature of their education use would first participate in campaigns by companying troops of the battlefront as Porter's in time they would have had a chance to distinguish themselves making their way into battle and potentially advancing through the various ranks in the army war making however did not come to the complete exclusion of all other academic interests as with the school for Nobles the school for commoners would also introduce students to various aspects of Aztec religion culture and law the quality of education would likely have varied from school to school but most likely lagged behind that of the nobility this more relaxed teaching style also manifested when it came to school punishment while all students were expected to adhere to specific rules and customs the commoners were not as strictly punished for breaking them as compared to their more elite peers who were held to a much higher standard with all this activity taking place within each individual school we should not forget that there would actually be many institutions within a city all of which interacted with their neighbours school rivalries were a real thing this was especially the case between the noble and commoner institutions each of which were associated with separate God's great prestige could be had through the ball game competitions or mock battles specifically during the third day of at the mostly when the mock battle of John Chioda was held the kalmyk and Tell poached galle youth would square off with bound bundles of staves if a cal macaque youth was caught his body was rubbed with ground-up maguey spines as a sort of itching powder if a tell butch galle youth was caught his ears shoulders chest and thighs could be pierced with maguey thorns each group attempted to drive the other back into a base a temple and palace respectively which the winning side would then symbolically loot boys and girls also engaged in annual pillow fights with the boys throwing grass filled sacks and the girls chasing after them with cactus thorns at the end of the day though differences would be put aside at the house of songs where communities came together to sing and dance the night away much socializing was to be had and many lifelong friendships were formed in their late teens as sick children would graduate from school and enter society as adults for girls this meant remaining in the temples are getting married and continuing to work in more domestic environment for the boys graduation typically meant the beginning of their careers as warriors as such they would be mobilized for campaigns when necessary and returned a typical day jobs such as farming fishing or craftsmanship while at peace I'm really happy to have been able to share the experiences of growing up Aztec traditional history lessons focus so much on the activities of adults that we never get a sense of what it's like to actually be a kid in the past we cherish our own childhood so much that it's only fair we do the same with our ancestors I think this exercise is particularly important with people like the Aztecs who otherwise find themselves so easily passed over when it comes to more flashy topics like sacrifice and warfare if you'd like to find out more about the SX and other Mesoamerican civilizations you can do so through our sponsor at the great courses plus they offer a subscription-based on-demand lecture videos put together by top professors from renowned universities and specialists from places like National Geographic and the Smithsonian you get unlimited access to a huge library of over 11,000 videos which covered topics from history to science math and literature with new content being added every month the history playlist is honestly amazing and I've been binging on lectures for over a year now in preparation for creating my own documentaries I've been working my way through their 48 part long series on ancient Mesoamerica the lecturer does a great job presenting the material in an accessible way and covers a wide variety of topics in neat organized chunks if you enjoyed this particular episode I highly recommend lecture 35 on life in the Aztec world it explores the typical experiences of people from across the social spectrum to truly make the world of our ancestors come alive for me I found it best to download the app on my phone this allows me to seamlessly swamp from video to audio mode so I can listen to the series as a podcast on my commute right now the great courses plus is offering a free trial which you can start by clicking the link in the description below or visiting the great courses plus comm slash Invicta I highly recommend that you take a look at what they have to offer and dive into the material that you are most interested in if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating be sure to LIKE and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 1,020,317

Rating: 4.9597158 out of 5

Keywords: how they did it, growing up aztec, aztec life, aztec history documentary, aztec history for kids, aztec history channel, history for kids, history for kids to sleep, daily life of aztecs, aztec documentary, aztec documentary national geographic, aztec documentary history channel, aztec daily life, aztec, invicta history, moments in history, mesoamerican history, mesoamerica, mesoamerican ballgame, mayan history, maya history

Id: wsNdYD8DODo

Length: 13min 33sec (813 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 08 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/7illian]

The 'don't step over' a kid is Slavic superstition too.

You had to step back the other way if you ever did it by accident.

[u/400-Rabbits]

Discussions of history often revolve around bloody battles and elite machinations, to the disservice of the actual lived experiences of the majority of people in the past. The Aztecs, in particular, suffer from a focus on their wars and sacrifices. This video does an excellent job of utilizing primary sources to show the timeline of an Aztec child from birth to adulthood.

[u/Shplint]

No stepping over children. Casting of teeth into mouse hole. Were they ex-soviet? We had the same customs and believes growing up.

[u/flobota]

I am glad something like this is made and getting some attention. It's so frustrating to make historical videos and even when you stick with military history but talk about anything else than "bad ass" soldiers, the general audience seems to stop carrying.

So, kudos to anyone involved with this video, hope you get the resources to do more like that.

Flo (from TGW)

[u/Xciv]

This is great. I love it when people dive into history that isn't just about military and political leaders, or 'great men and women'. Just everyday societal information really gives you a much better picture of what it was like to be an Aztec in the past.

[u/roleson137]

I thought the Aztecs went extinct. Who/what was around to give suck in-depth explanations of Aztec culture. Or is it all conjecture/hypothesis?