3 Living in Relation: Being Human in Tenochtitlan 80
In: Aztec Religion and Art of Writing
Author:
Isabel Laack
Isabel Laack
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Abstract
After tracing traditional myths about the creation of the cosmos and the human world from the Central Mexican perspective, this chapter analyzes the basic elements of Nahua cosmovision. The Nahuas experienced themselves as deeply embedded in a dense fabric of social and cosmic relationships based on concepts of body and person very different from modern European concepts. Living properly as a Nahua, that is, living a healthy and moral life, meant staying in balance with the external and internal cosmic and social environment. These are core aspects of the Nahua sense of reality and provide the foundation for any deeper analyses in the following chapters.