Titlacauan "He whose slaves we are,"

Moyocoyatzin "The capricious creator"

Necoc Yaotl "Enemy/warrior"

Telpochtli "Male Youth"

Yohualli Ehecatl "Night Wind,"

Ome Acatl "Two Reed"

Ilhuicahua Tlalticpaque "Possessor of Sky and Earth

Tloque Nahuaque "Lord of the Near and Close"

Eg: Hindu and Aztecs has god for fire. Did they think they were same god or different - if different then it how did they reconcile.

Guys, I need your help. I made this in Blender, but I don't like the skin color—it's too reddish, especially Yolotzin, who looks like a tomato. According to the codices I'm basing this on, their skin color is more natural, less saturated, but the color I'm getting looks weird.

Ever felt lost trying to ask a simple question in a new language? Today, we're diving into the classic interrogatives of Zapotec and clearing up some common confusions! Do you know the difference between asking 'how many' for bananas versus asking 'how much' for a kilo of beans in Zapotec? It's trickier than you think! You might think you know how to ask 'how much,' but in Zapotec, there are two ways, and using the wrong one can lead to some funny misunderstandings. Let's break it down! Imagine a split screen showing someone counting bananas on one side and a confused person looking at a price tag on the other, with text like "Zapotec Questions: The Two Ways to Ask 'How Much'!

This video introduces essential Zapotec interrogative words like "Bix" (who), "Gakax" (how), "Batax" (when), and "Gax" (where). It explains the difference between "Balax" and "Gákax" for asking "how much," with "Balash" used for countable items and "Gákax" for uncountable ones.
Examples are provided to illustrate the usage of "Balax" for countable things like "Balax Bunatxi" (how many people) and "balax wi" (how many bananas). The video touches on the nuance of "Gákax" for uncountable quantities, using the example of asking the price of beans. It also discusses optional omissions of certain sounds or letters in Zapotec words, like "Bix" sometimes being shortened to "Bi" and provides examples like "Bix gudagu?" (What did you eat?). Here is a summary of the video:

Video Overview:

This lesson focuses on forming questions in Zapotec language, covering fundamental interrogative words, tone nuances, and special question auxiliaries that add context or emotion to inquiries.

Key Concepts Covered:

1. Core Interrogative Words:
   

* Bix / Bix kw: What / Why.
* Nush: Who.
* Batash: When.
* Gash: Where.

1. Countable vs. Uncountable Quantifiers (Balax vs. Gákax)
   

* Balash: Used for countable nouns such as people or discrete items (e.g., apples, bananas) [00:37].
* Gakash: Used for uncountable quantities (e.g., sugar, salt, weight-based items).
* Pricing Exception: Gákax is also used when asking for prices or the total cost of goods.
* Tonal Variations: Subtle pitch shifts on gákax change the meaning between asking "how" versus "how much".

1. Conversational Contractions:
   

* In informal speech, certain ending sounds (such as -xh) or prefixes are frequently dropped (e.g., Bix becoming Bi).

1. Question Auxiliaries & Particles:
   

Zapotec uses specific auxiliary particles to modify the tone and meaning of questions:

* ba: Initiates questions about actions (similar to "did you...?" or "have you...?").
* Txi: Indicates completed status, functioning like "already" (ya).
* waka: Expresses capability or possibility ("can we...?").
* bën: Adds drama, emphasis, or mild exaggeration to a question.
* I: Used for seeking confirmation or expressing mild surprise.
* ka: Placed at the end of questions to prompt a response or add conversational emphasis.
* Combining Auxiliaries: Multiple particles can be combined (e.g., ba txi, bën ka run, i waka) to convey layered nuances in a single sentence.

Ever felt lost trying to ask a simple question in a new language? Today, we're diving into the classic interrogatives of Zapotec and clearing up some common confusions! Do you know the difference between asking 'how many' for bananas versus asking 'how much' for a kilo of beans in Zapotec? It's trickier than you think! You might think you know how to ask 'how much,' but in Zapotec, there are two ways, and using the wrong one can lead to some funny misunderstandings. Let's break it down! Imagine a split screen showing someone counting bananas on one side and a confused person looking at a price tag on the other, with text like "Zapotec Questions: The Two Ways to Ask 'How Much'!

This video introduces essential Zapotec interrogative words like "Bix" (who), "Gakax" (how), "Batax" (when), and "Gax" (where). It explains the difference between "Balax" and "Gákax" for asking "how much," with "Balash" used for countable items and "Gákax" for uncountable ones.
Examples are provided to illustrate the usage of "Balax" for countable things like "Balax Bunatxi" (how many people) and "balax wi" (how many bananas). The video touches on the nuance of "Gákax" for uncountable quantities, using the example of asking the price of beans. It also discusses optional omissions of certain sounds or letters in Zapotec words, like "Bix" sometimes being shortened to "Bi" and provides examples like "Bix gudagu?" (What did you eat?). Here is a summary of the video:

Video Overview:

This lesson focuses on forming questions in Zapotec language, covering fundamental interrogative words, tone nuances, and special question auxiliaries that add context or emotion to inquiries.

Key Concepts Covered:

1. Core Interrogative Words:
   

* Bix / Bix kw: What / Why.
* Nush: Who.
* Batash: When.
* Gash: Where.

1. Countable vs. Uncountable Quantifiers (Balax vs. Gákax)
   

* Balash: Used for countable nouns such as people or discrete items (e.g., apples, bananas) [00:37].
* Gakash: Used for uncountable quantities (e.g., sugar, salt, weight-based items).
* Pricing Exception: Gákax is also used when asking for prices or the total cost of goods.
* Tonal Variations: Subtle pitch shifts on gákax change the meaning between asking "how" versus "how much".

1. Conversational Contractions:
   

* In informal speech, certain ending sounds (such as -xh) or prefixes are frequently dropped (e.g., Bix becoming Bi).

1. Question Auxiliaries & Particles:
   

Zapotec uses specific auxiliary particles to modify the tone and meaning of questions:

* ba: Initiates questions about actions (similar to "did you...?" or "have you...?").
* Txi: Indicates completed status, functioning like "already" (ya).
* waka: Expresses capability or possibility ("can we...?").
* bën: Adds drama, emphasis, or mild exaggeration to a question.
* I: Used for seeking confirmation or expressing mild surprise.
* ka: Placed at the end of questions to prompt a response or add conversational emphasis.
* Combining Auxiliaries: Multiple particles can be combined (e.g., ba txi, bën ka run, i waka) to convey layered nuances in a single sentence.

cuextecatl: the rank of 2 captives

Hello to everyone! I'm drawing Aztec figures and I wanted a bit of help at the section of piercings. Materials, types, photos, anything useful.

Thanks

I've been intrigued in learning more about the history of the Aztecs, however after looking through some books and then their reviews there's often mixed opinions, which I know is practically unavoidable but what is the general consensus on good sources to learn about Aztec history and society?

This video from Bëni Xidza explores the grammatical structure of the Zapotec language, specifically focusing on the absence of articles. Here is a breakdown of the key concepts discussed:

* No Articles: Unlike Spanish, Zapotec language does not use definite articles like "el," "la," "los," or "las".

* Context as a Substitute: The speaker explains that Zapotec relies on context and specific pronouns/indicatives (such as lei or leiki) to identify objects or people. For example, instead of saying "the table," you simply say "table," and the surrounding conversation makes it clear which object is being discussed.

* Influence of Spanish: The speaker notes that the use of "one" (tu) as an indefinite article is likely a modern development resulting from contact with the Spanish language, as this feature was not part of original Zapotec grammar.

* Counting Objects: When referring to things that can be counted, numbers are used instead of articles, a practice that the speaker clarifies is distinct from the functional use of articles in languages like Spanish.

Video Overview:

This Zapotec grammar lesson explains why grammatical articles do not exist in Zapotec and how modern usage has evolved under the influence of Spanish.

Key Points:

* Absence of Articles:

* Unlike Spanish or English, Zapotec language does not have grammatical articles equivalent to el, la, los, las, or a/an.

* In standard speech, speakers directly state the noun without an accompanying article.

* Role of Pronouns and Indicators (lei / leiky):

* Words like lei serve as pronouns or context-based indicators rather than articles.

* For example, using buta lei conveys "move it" (or "move the table") when the reference is already clear within the context of the Zapotec conversation.

* Spanish Influence on Indefinite Expressions:

* Historically, Zapotec phrasing expressed actions and items directly without numbers, such as gudagu wi ("ate orange").

* Due to Spanish influence, modern speakers often insert the number "one" (tu) before a noun, such as gudagu tu wi ("ate an orange"), to mirror Spanish indefinite articles.

* Otherwise, numbers in Zapotec language are strictly intended for counting discrete items rather than serving as articles.

Muralista mexicano en Phoenix Az, soy de un pueblo al norte de Morelos llamado Huitzilac, pinto a mi gente en tierras extranjeras! Territorio Tlahuica que perteneció al imperio azteca.

Mexican muralist in Phoenix Arizona, I’m from a small town in north Morelos called Huitzilac ( water or hummingbirds) we belong to the Aztec empire but it was Tlahuica territory.

About six months ago, I began a project of recreating Pokémon cards using Nahuatl text and Nahua/Mesoamerican artistic conventions. I posted the first fruits of the effort on this subreddit. I am a hobbyist artist and hobbyist Nahuatl learner, and I was pleasantly surprised by how many people got enjoyment out of those first cards. As such, I posted another set of cards a few months ago when I completed them. Here are those first two posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/aztec/comments/1rwbwi0/pok%C3%A9mon_cards_in_nahua_art_style/

https://www.reddit.com/r/aztec/comments/1tnojo7/more_pok%C3%A9mon_in_nahua_art_style/

For anyone interested, here is the third set of cards I have been working on for the past few months. I know that my handwriting is not easy to read, and every day I find and correct errors in the Nahuatl text. But please remember that this is a project for fun and learning, and not the efforts of a professional artist or fluent speaker of Classical Nahuatl. I think I probably have one or maybe two more sets of cards in me before this project is done, although I'm going to take a break for a while now that my day job has entered its busy months.

Blaziken. His name means "Eagle-Flame." While there is a Nahuatl word for chicken that developed after chickens were introduced to Mesoamerica by the Spanish, Blaziken is based on a specific, Japanese breed of fighting chicken that I thought was better represented by the eagle, a bird that had strong martial connotations to the Nahua people. He is dressed in an outfit reminiscent of an Eagle Warrior, and protects a city that may be Tenochtitlan based on the temple in the background. The "cuezalin" element in his name, which means "flame," actually refers to the tail feathers of the scarlet macaw, but was used metaphorically to refer to a tongue of flame. Combusken is called Cuâuhtlatihqui. This is a pun, as cuauhtlatihqui (without the long â vowel) would mean "something tempered by flame," whereas cuâuh- (with the long â vowel) means "eagle." I would call Torchic Tlepîlpiyotzin, which literally means "fire-chick," but sounds similar to the word tlepilli, "kindling."

Swampert. His name comes from âchâhuitl, "swamp." Even though Swampert is loosely based on an axolotl and axolotls are native to Mexico, to my knowledge there are no pre-Columbian Nahua images of axolotls. That made my job difficult, as I could not reference any authentic pre-Columbian Nahua art as I usually do. I ended up just sketching out a very symmetrical, boxy Swampert and thought he had a sufficiently Mesoamerican vibe. I added a common Mesoamerican motif as the background and colored him with a stucco brush to pull that vibe together. I called Marshtomp Chinâmpanêcatl (chinampa-dweller), after the form of aquaculture practiced by both modern and historical Nahua peoples. Mudkip, I think, would be Zoquimichin, "mud-fish."

Sceptile. I'm not a big Sceptile fan. His name is derived from "scepter" and "reptile," so I think he is supposed to be a kind of regal lizard. And while his expression does give haughty, nothing else about his design really leans into this idea. His tail is, of course, his most noteworthy feature, but I just don't find it all that interesting. I decided to depart from my usual rule of not "reinventing" the Pokémon here, and I reimagined Sceptile's tail as a cacao plant, with the yellow nodules along his back representing immature cacao pods. His name, Cuauhtete, is a combination of cuahuitl ("tree") and cuatete, the Nahuatl word for a type of long-tailed lizard. I called Grovyle Cuauhtlahcomîx, where cuauhtlah means "forest, grove, copse of trees" and comîx refers to a type of small lizard. Not brilliant names, I know. I can't for the life of me think of what I'd call Treecko. I do like the two men harvesting cacao from Sceptile. Do they know there is a Pokémon under there? Even I'm not sure, and I like the small amount of intrigue that adds to the card.

Dusclops. I called Dusclops Îxpatzaquimilli, from îxpatzac (one-eyed) and quimilli (bundle). I was directly inspired by a Nahua cryptid called the tlâcanêxquimilli (humanoid bundle). This little attested creature is supposed to look like a bundled up human corpse. Travelers encounter it and it tries to give them unwanted things, like handfuls of cactus spines. To my knowledge, only one codex image of the tlâcanêxquimilli exists. The image is somewhat crude, and shows a man coming upon the creature and throwing his hands up, though in fear or bemusement I could not say. I reimagined this image with Dusclops, leaning into the man's fear by having him holding his hand out to keep Dusclops away and uttering a word of horror. Duskull is called Îxpatzatzontli, One-Eyed Skull.

Politoed. Ilacacatêuctzin combines ilacatztic (twisted, spiralled) with cacatl (toad) and têuctzin (honorable lord). I added the last part because I don't like how the English name erases Politoed's connection to royalty through the King's Rock item. For this one, I leaned a bit more into Maya art, depicting Politoed as one of the frog servants of Chaac, the Maya equivalent of the storm god Tlaloc. I'm particularly proud of how the school of Poliwags look like Maya glyphs. Politoed does have Nahua elements, though, in particular the spiral pattern on his belly, which I have reimagined as the ehêcailacacôzcatl (spiral wind jewel) worn by Quetzalcoatl in his guise as the wind god. And here are all the members of Politoed's family: Poliwag is Ilacatepocatl (Spiral Tadpole), Poliwhirl is Ilacacueyatl (Spiral Frog), and Poliwrath is Ilacatequihua (Spiral Warchief).

Clefairy. I've always thought Clefairy was a rabbit. I know that it's really just a vague mammal, like many Pokémon from the first couple of generations, but the way it hops around in the anime always said "rabbit" to me. For Nahua people, rabbits were associated with the Moon, so it only made sense to make the Nahua Clefairy a pink rabbit. Tôchâneh combines tôchtli (rabbit) with châneh, a word derived from chântli (home, residence) that essentially means "resident, owner of a home." But you are more likely to see châneh online in its plural form, chânehqueh, where it refers to a kind of forest spirit in Mesoamerican folk traditions. These creatures are the closest thing that Mesoamerica has to the European fairy, so the name made sense to me. The art shows Clefairy in front of the Moon, which was depicted in Nahua art as a kind of bone womb from which flowed the cosmic waters of space. The constellations around her are based on reconstructions of Nahua constellations by Robert S. McIvor.

Groudon. I wanted to simply transliterate Groudon and Kyogre's names, as they have the same names in every language. Kyogre's name fit fine into Nahuatl conventions, but Groudon's name became Calôton. In addition to not sounding much like Groudon, its ending is very close to -tôn(tli), the diminutive ending in Nahuatl, making him seem small. So I went ahead and translated his name. He is Tlâltêcuâni, "Earth-Beast." I didn't actually change his design very much. I added the skulls to his joints and turned his mouth upward to evoke Tlâltêuctli, an earth monster in Nahua mythology. There is a kind of unnaturalness to the pose and an impossibility to the perspective that is quintessentially Nahua: rather than convey images naturalistically, Nahua art seeks to show things “as they truly are,” even if it causes the image in question to be physically impossible. The background I took from several different Pokémon cards with volcanic scenes, and I added a Pokémon trainer (with Pokéball in hand) to emphasize Groudon’s size.

Kyogre. Kyogre would have been Quiyôlca, but I wanted his name to go with Groudon's. As such, he is called Michtêcuâni, Fish-Beast. Like with Groudon, I didn't change much about his design, just bringing in a few inspirations from Mesoamerican depictions of sharks. Also to tie in with Groudon, I put some people in the background, foolishly rowing into the wave caused by his tail.

Rayquaza. I drew Rayquaza in the background of my Slowking card in the second set, but I wanted to take another stab at it. Ilhuicamînacôâztin starts with Ilhuicamîna, "Shoots Arrows at the Sky," which was an epithet of the Aztec ruler Motêuczôma I (no, not that Motêuczôma). Since Rayquaza's name may derive from Japanese rekkû ("sky-rending"), the connection was too obvious not to use. Côâztin, then, means "honorable serpent," a reference to the fact that Rayquaza is clearly based in part on Quetzalcoatl. Like with Groudon and Kyogre, a human features in this card, though this time it is a Pokémon trainer summoning Rayquaza. The trainer is dressed as the goddess Chalciuhtlicue. I like the idea that Rayquaza is so powerful that a trainer must embody a god to control him. I think I'm most pleased with the red cloth tied to Rayquaza's elbows and streaming behind him. It was a way to evoke the red "airfoils" on Rayquaza's original design, but were very difficult to imagine in a Nahua style.

I made this piece of art from the cover of the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, redrawing the linework and adding colour, details and various hidden messages and symbols.

It is in the medium of blotter art (though it does not contain any drugs/substances) and serves as a love letter to Meso-American art and culture, as well as a respectful bow to other blotter artists who trod this path before me.