Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Origins and Migration Patterns of the Nahua.
In 1519, the Spanish conquest began in Mexico, when they arrived they realized that what they had come upon was beyond description. Often, many historians lose track of the origins of one of the largest indigenous groups within Mexico because of what ensued from the Spanish conquest. The origins are inferred upon through the language, “In the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs the word Aztlan is made up of two words -- "aztatl" and "tlan(tli)," meaning "heron" and "place of," respectively.”(Keyser) It is inferred, through the language and myth, that the Nahua began their lives on an island. Origin myths also say that this indigenous group emerged from the core of the Earth and settled in Aztlan. From there, they began to move south looking for a divine sign of where they should permanently stay. From there, they found their capital, Tenochtitlan. These origin myths coincide with the known history and patterns of the Nahua. Before the miraculous arrival onto Tenochtitlan, the Nahua settled into many different areas for vast periods of time.
In the 12th and 13th century, the Nahua were lead through the valley of Mexico. The valley consisted of several city-states that also spoke the language, Nahuatl, including the Cholula, Xochimilco and the Chalco. The original inhabitants considered the Nahua to be uncultured and barbarious, therefore, not welcome there. They continued to search for their permanent settlement, they arrived in Chapultepec near Lake Texococo but were forced to migrate to Culhuacanwhere they were granted permission to settle in the barrens of Tizapan. From there they began to form relations with those apart of the Culhuacan tribe and through this they gained notoriety and were able to form their own empire.
The reason the origins of this indigenous tribe is difficult to pinpoint, is because after the Spanish conquest, those in power deliberately destroyed any records to avoid being further exploited. Migration patterns after the conquest are much more clear and easier to follow. After the conquest the Aztecs were no longer a close group but instead were many smaller tribes on the outskirts of Tenochtitlan. The tribes furthest south departed from a place in the north called Chicomostoc. This was due to poor irrigation that made it impossible to create new canals to better the situation. Due to some unkown force, these tribes were made to move down even further south, some say it may have been a drought around the area. Other tribes stayed in the areas around Tenochtitlan and some moved farther north.
John D. Keyser. The Great Migration of The Aztecs. n.d. Hope of Israel Ministries. Retrieved 2015 from: http://www.hope-of-israel.org/aztec.htm
Gustav. Aztec Migration Basic History. March 4th 2015. Retrieved 2015 from: http://www.infobarrel.com/Aztec_Migration_Basic_Information_
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There are many different factors that effect the movement of the Nahua through the Mexico region. These being due to resources and forced migration. As a daughter of immigrants it is very easy to see how the difficulties have affected my own family when having to find their own place to settle. When you consider how the Nahua completely moved south only to be faced with prejudice and discrimination from other established tribes, it is a parallel that can be drawn between them and modern day immigrants.
ReplyDeleteThe Nahua also had to completely re-establish themselves in order to survive and be able to adapt to natural disasters such as a drought. I, personally have moved around many times throughout my life and each time, my family has to adapt to these new surroundings just like the Nahua did when they were faced with new areas to live in. One unforeseen benefit from the migration is the idea of ethnicity and race. As they moved some members would stay with other tribes and end up forming a new "race", almost a type of mestizo between tribes. Also, this became very handy when marrying the tribes woman of what would become their empire because it spreads lineage in their society and they build a larger network of Nahua's. This is similar to what happens when we see interracial couples or even arranged marriages. Its a marriage of very different people or cultures that only end up benefiting them in the long run. This post is reflexive because one can connect those hardships the Nahua faced to legitimate experiences faced in modern society, as well you can see the benefits the Nahua reaped through their migration.