Lieux de culte et parcours cérémoniels dans les fêtes des vingtaines à Mexico - Tenochtitlan

Book Description

This scholarly exploration unveils the sacred architecture and spiritual practices that shaped daily life in the ancient Aztec capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Elena Mazzetto presents a meticulous examination of how the Nahua people organized their spiritual world through eighteen monthly festivals known as veintenas, revealing the profound connection between physical space and ceremonial meaning.

Drawing from sixteenth-century written accounts, pre-Hispanic pictographic manuscripts, and archaeological evidence, this work reconstructs the sacred geography of one of history's most remarkable civilizations. Each chapter focuses on a specific month within the Nahua solar calendar, illuminating both the physical locations where ceremonies unfolded and the ritual journeys undertaken by participants through the city's sacred landscape.

The investigation reveals how temples, plazas, and ceremonial pathways formed an interconnected network of spiritual significance throughout the urban environment. By mapping these sacred spaces and tracing the movements of worshippers, Mazzetto demonstrates how the Aztec worldview was literally built into the fabric of their capital city.

For readers interested in understanding how ancient cultures integrated spirituality into everyday life, this comprehensive study offers valuable insights into the symbolic meaning of sacred places and the distribution of spiritual power within urban spaces. The work provides a window into how the Nahua people experienced the divine through their carefully orchestrated relationship with the physical world around them.