2005/01/01 by Patrizia Granziera · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Arts and Humanities · #Mexican Socioeconomic and Environmental Dynamics #Latin American history and culture #Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond #Emperor #Maya #Cult #Meaning (existential) #Colonialism #Ancient history #Art #Space (punctuation) #History #Archaeology #Geography #Philosophy
paper · doi:10.1080/0142639042000324776
openalex publication_date 2005/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The symbolic meaning of Huaxtepec, a very famous Aztec garden, is explained, showing how it could have reflected some concepts of the pre-Columbian world view. Aztec and Maya societies were essentially agricultural. Thus, their main preoccupation was fertility, which they tried to maintain through the cult of gods associated with water and earth. Human life was impossible without earth, plants and animals. In a world where the sacred was conceived in terms of deified forms of the cosmic human and vegetal cycle, gardens, like the one in Huaxtepec, became important spaces for ritual celebrations. Unfortunately, very little is left of this significant Aztec garden, and in the 1960s part of it was turned into a vacation centre. However, through the study of colonial documents and other important descriptions, this ancient garden is reconstructed and its use as a ritual space is explained.