Author Archives: dcox20

Primary Source Question for Wednesday

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Considering Jean-Francois and Biassou’s letter to the new group of commissioners, why was the Colonial Assembly not convinced by Jean-Francois and Biassou’s warning about the possibility of destabilizing relations further?

Jean-Francois and Biassou argue that giving liberty to the commanders would allow them to effectively return their followers back to the plantations (101). Being the chiefs, they carried a lot of power over the slaves. However, as the preamble stated before the document, this negotiation “fell through… because of the intransigence of the whites in the Colonial Assembly” (99-100). Even Gros, who was a prisoner in the insurgent’s camps, supported Jean-Francois. Gros stated that Jean-Francois was “far more disposed toward peace” than continuing to fight for liberty (106). But he also recognized that the Africans would “never return to work without repression and partial destruction” (107). Therefore, while Gros outlines the severity of the situation, he also understands that Jean-Francois intentions were not to fight the French, but rather to deal with conflict diplomatically. It was obvious that the Europeans did not want to do that at the time.

Research: Tenochtitlan as the center of commerce

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Previously I was interested in trade connections between Aztec and Mayan society. However, my main focus has now changed to investigating the city of Tenochtitlan and how it became the center of commerce and an important symbol in prehispanic Mesoamerica. Sticking with a comparative study, I want to understand why it is impossible to understand Mesoamerican trade without Tenochtitlan. To do this, I will also look at other Aztec cities, such as Chiconaulta, for comparisons. The Mesoamerican metropolis established in the minds of the Europeans that the Aztecs were sophisticated people who shared many of the same societal qualities seen in Europe. From Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were able to spread their influence across Mesoamerica by inviting outside tribes and ethnic groups to sell their products, creating a multicultural center of commerce.

Primary Source: https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/letters-from-hernan-cortes/cortes-describes-tenochtitlan

Secondary Sources:

Nichols, Deborah L., Christina Elson, Leslie G. Cecil, Nina Neivens de Estrada, Michael D. Glascock, and Paula Mikkelsen. “Chiconaulta, Mexico: A Crossroads of Aztec Trade and Politics.” Latin American Antiquity 20, no. 3 (2009): 443–72.
Drennan, Robert D. “Long-Distance Movement of Goods in the Mesoamerican Formative and Classic.” American Antiquity 49, no. 1 (1984): 27–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/280510.
Minc, Leah D. “Style and Substance: Evidence for Regionalism within the Aztec Market System.” Latin American Antiquity 20, no. 2 (2009): 343–74.
Hirth, Kenneth G. The Aztec Economic World: Merchants and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
The American Southwest and Mesoamerica: Systems of Prehistoric Exchange. Edited by Jonathan E. Ericson and Timothy G. Baugh. New York: Plenum Press, 1993

 

Research Question

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I am interested in ancient trade networks within prehispanic Mesoamerica. A question I might want to investigate is: how did the interconnectedness or disconnectedness of trade affect relations between ancient Aztec and Mayan society?

As a comparative project, I think it would be interesting to look at the ways trade remained central or expanded outside the boundaries of different Mesoamerican societies. One academic journal I was looking at discussed the importance of the marketplace because it was the center of commerce within a city. This allowed communities to come together and sell their products to other individuals from other regions. Another historical journal emphasized how dynamic the Mesoamerican economy was, which counters previous research that said that Mesoamerican economies were completely localized. There are many directions I could take this. I could focus specifically on certain resources, such as maize, obsidian, or crafts. Or I could look at the bigger picture and address the trade networks and trends between different Mesoamerican societies.

 

Class Notes 9/4

In today’s class, we focused primarily on Mesoamerica, the Aztecs, the Mayan people, and the question of gender in engraved stone tablets. For clarification, professor Holt explained how the Mayan empire peaked from 250-900 A.D. and then collapsed in the 900s. The Aztecs were people from Atzlan, which made up what is now the central and southwestern United States. The Mexica, or Aztecs, were the powerful ethnic group in Mesoamerica at the time when the Europeans entered the picture. We also talked about Tenochtitlan, which Schwartz and Seijas called a “world-class metropolis” (5). Near the end of the class, Katrina gave a presentation on the book Gender and Power in Prehispanic Mesoamerica. She touched on how the author emphasized features in Mesoamerican artwork to enhance her argument. The author argued that European interpretations of these artifacts were incorrect and that the images were far more complicated and had a lot to do with the position of women in society. How did the Spanish conquistadors view Tenochtitlan when they first discovered it? What role did women play in society judging by their presentation on Aztec stone carvings? Was Tenochtitlan the economic center of Mesoamerica? The readings, for the most part, described the complexities of Mesoamerica society in depth. However, I found the statistics to be a bit offputting. In LA&P, Tenochtitlan had a population of 150,000. But in Victors and Vanquished, the population was estimated at 300,000. Which one was accurate I am not sure. Does this possibly refer to 150,000 people living within the city limits, or does it include the surrounding area as well?

Note from KH: There is often a considerable range in calculating historical population figures.  It makes sense if you think about what kinds of governments would value detailed records of individual residents (versus tracking community contributions to the empire, or other things) and also what kinds of surviving evidence we’re drawing on for understanding Tenochtitlan in 1519.  Scientists use different methods for these calculations when we can’t rely on an accurate, detailed population count.  Science magazine has a brief article here about statistical models archeologists can use to estimate population.

Something we talked about at the end of class was The Aztec Stone of The Five Eras. This stone tablet illustrates how advanced Aztec society was, especially regarding astronomy, their interpretations of time, seasonal changes, and their subjecthood to deities. On page 25 and 26, the author refers to the way the stone tablet “points to Tenochtitlan as the spatial center of authority,” and how the Aztecs were intuned with environmental calamities and prosperity. At the center of the turmoil and prosperity was the metropolis, Tenochtitlan.

Nahuatl- the ancient language spoken by the Nahua people in Mexico and El Salvador

Nahua- the largest ethnic group that speaks Nahuatl

Tenochtitlan- the jungle metropolis in Mexico that had a population between 150,000-300,000 inhabitants

Trade within Tenochtitlan:
Garraty, Christopher P. “Market Development, and Pottery Exchange Under Aztec and Spanish Rule in Cerro Portezuelo.” Ancient Mesoamerica 24, no. 1 (2013): 151–76.
More Aztec Art:
Umberger, Emily. “Antiques, Revivals, and References to the Past in Aztec Art.” RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, no. 13 (1987): 62–105.
Mesoamerican Astronomy
Smith, Michael E. “Can We Read Cosmology in Ancient Maya City Plans? Comment on Ashmore and Sabloff.” Latin American Antiquity 14, no. 2 (2003): 221–28. https://doi.org/10.2307/3557596.
Exam Questions:
How did language affect the ways Mesoamerican people interacted with one another?
How can Tenochtitlan be compared to other Mesoamerican or South American cities that existed in the same period?
How did the arrival of the Spanish affect the Aztec citizens living in Tenochtitlan and the surrounding areas?

Student Research: Early Trade Networks

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Latin America is one of those areas of the world that I have encountered multiple times throughout my life, but have never understood well. As a history major, my focus has mainly been in areas across the Atlantic. I feel that, by taking this course, I will gain a more well-rounded understanding of the Americas, especially Central and South America. For my research project, I am interested in trade networks and how different societies managed diplomatic relations over land, across the Carribean, and with Europeans.

Some questions I might ask are: was there a specific society, like the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas etc., who dominated trade and commerce? If so, how did they do so? When and for how long? These are all preliminary questions, but they could be questions I ask in the final project. I might also delve into the ways Europeans began trading with the indigenous populations and how trade or gift-giving became a way to spark dialogue. Was it a prejudiced system meant to take advantage of the indigenous people? Or were there some instances where Europeans were just interested in learning about foreign societies outside of a colonial context?