- Teotl
Teotl is a central concept of
Aztec religion . In theNahuatl language it is often glossed as "God", but may in fact be a much wider term referring to an immaterial dynamic energy of divinity, akin to the Polynesian concept ofMana [Taube and Miller 1993, pp 89. For a lengthy treatment of the subject see Hvidtfeldt, 1958 ] The nature of "Teotl" has been an ongoing discussion between scholars for many years.Definition
All things in the Aztec universe are Teotl, in that everything and anything simply reflects a facet of it. Teotl is not a separate force but is rather what is and cannot be separated from its various forms and identities. A strict definition of Teotl is difficult to come by, due to the encompassing, yet vague, nature of the word.
Importance to the Fall of the Aztec Empire
Teotl is also a key element in the understanding of the fall of the Aztec empire, because it seems that the Aztec ruler
Moctezuma II and the Aztecs in general referred to Cortés and the conquistadors as "Teotl" - it has been widely believed that this means that they believed them to be Gods, but a a better understanding of "teotl" might suggest that they were merely seen as "mysterious" and "inexplicable". [Restall 2001 pp 116-118]Notes
References
*cite book |author=aut|Hvidtfeldt, Arild |year=1958 |title=Teotl and Ixiptlatli: some central conceptions in ancient Mexican religion: with a general introduction on cult and myth|publisher=Munksgaard|location=Copenhagen
*cite book |author=aut|Miller, Mary |authorlink=Mary Miller |coauthors=and aut|
Karl Taube |year=1993 |title=The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location=London |isbn=0-500-05068-6
*cite book |author=aut|Townsend, Richard F. |year=2000 |title=The Aztecs |edition=revised ed. |publisher=Thames and Hudson|location=New York* |title=The Aztec Arrangement: The Social History of Pre-Spanish Mexico |publisher=Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, |year=1985
External links
* [http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aztec.htm#H2 Discussion on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]
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