Olketa Aztec-Faet Bilong Olketa for Stap Laef
FROM MAN WEA RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG MEXICO
“BIGFALA PABLIK PLES FULAP WITIM PIPOL, SAMFALA BAEM SAMTING, OLKETA NARAWAN SELLIM SAMTING . . . SAMFALA SOLDIA STAP MIDOLWAN LONG MIFALA WEA GOGO LONG PLANTI PLES LONG WORLD, LONG CONSTANTINOPLE AND EVRIWEA LONG ITALY AND ROME, AND OLKETA SEI HAO OLKETA NO LUKIM ENI PABLIK PLES OLSEM DISWAN WEA NAES AND BIG TUMAS WEA GAREM PLANTI PIPOL.”
DISWAN hem toktok bilong Bernal Díaz del Castillo, wanfala soldia long army bilong Spanish leader Hernán Cortés, taem hem lukim taon bilong Aztec, Tenochtitlán long 1519.
Disfala buk The Mighty Aztecs, wea Gene S. Stuart raetem, sei hao taem olketa bilong Spain arrive, midolwan long 150,000 and 200,000 pipol nao stap long Tenochtitlán. Diswan no smol ples nomoa, hem wanfala bigfala kapitol taon, wea garem bigfala land. Hem taon wea garem olketa bridge, olketa road wea katkros long wata, big drain wea olketa digim, and olketa temple for worship. Olsem kapitol, Tenochtitlán hem main ples long Rul Bilong Aztec.
Bat long planti wea read, disfala idea hao taon bilong Aztec garem peace and wan mind maet difren nao from samting olketa herem, hao olketa Aztec hangre for blood. Tru tumas, olketa Aztec bilivim hao god bilong olketa needim heart and blood bilong man for mekem hem stap strong. Bat, witim wei for kapsaetem blood, planti samting moa insaed kastom and history bilong Aztec. And for minim gud wei wea olketa barava trae hard for stap laef, man mas luksavve tu long olketa hardfala faet for stap laef wea olketa pikinini bilong olketa go thru long hem kam kasem distaem.
Olketa Aztec Kamap Big
Hem tru, olketa Aztec stap for shortfala taem nomoa long history bilong Mesoamerica.a Planti savveman bilivim hao olketa first pipol for stap long Mexico kam from Asia akrosim Bering Pasis go long Alaska and from there olketa go long south.—Lukim English Wekap! bilong September 8, 1996, page 4-5.
Olketa man for studyim samting bilong bifor sei hao kastom wea moa old long Mesoamerica hem bilong Olmec. Olsem samfala bigman talem, luk olsem Olmec nation start samwea long 1200 B.C.E. and maet stap for 800 year. Bat hem long 1200 C.E.—klosap tu thousand year bihaen—bifor olketa Aztec kamap big. Kastom bilong olketa hem bae stap for 300 year nomoa. And strongfala rul bilong olketa bae garem paoa for wan handred year nomoa and hem bae foldaon taem olketa Spanish attakim hem.
Nomata olsem, taem Rul Bilong Aztec hem big tumas hem garem barava nambawan living wea no kamap long planti nara nation. Olsem wanfala magasin talem, “olketa Aztec mekem strong wanfala rul wea go long south and kasem Guatemala.” The World Book Encyclopedia story abaotem diswan olsem: “Olketa Aztec garem kaen living wea best wan long olketa America. Olketa buildim olketa taon wea big olsem eniwan long Europe long datfala taem.”
Start—Bilong Kastom Story
Nomata olketa Aztec garem bignem, no eniwan savve gud abaotem start bilong olketa. Long kastom story, disfala nem Aztec hem kam from aztlán—wanfala word wea olketa tingse hem minim “land wea white.” Bat, no eniwan savve wea nao disfala Aztlán wea kastom story tok abaotem, or sapos hem really stap or nomoa.
Long kastom story, olketa Aztec nao last wan long sevenfala grup for lusim Aztlán. For obeyim komand bilong god bilong olketa Huitzilopochtli, olketa start for lukaotem wanfala homland. For planti year disfala tribe gogo raon nating, kasem olketa hard taem and join insaed olketa war wea no savve stop witim olketa neiba. Bat olketa no gogo raon nating for olowe. Olsem main kastom story talem, Huitzilopochtli talem olketa wea followim hem for lukluk for olketa saen olsem: wanfala eagle antap cactus plant. Olketa bilivim hao olketa lukim saen hia long wanfala smol island long Lake Texcoco. Long hia nao olketa faendem ples for stap, and buildim wanfala taon wea bihaen pipol savve long hem olsem Maeti Tenochtitlán (wea minim “Stone Wea Kamaot Long Wata”). Olsem samfala savveman talem, nem bilong hem kam from wanfala laen dadi from bifor wea olketa kolem Tenoch. Distaem, Tenochtitlán stap andanit long Mexico City.
Olketa Aztec showimaot olketa kleva tumas for wakem enikaen samting. Olketa iusim botom bilong lake olsem faondeson, and fulimap for mekem taon kamap big. Olketa buildimap road for joinim island witim mainland. And olketa buildim samfala pasis tu.
Bat, long datfala taem pipol no savve long sekson for build hia olsem olketa Aztec. Olsem kastom story talem, god bilong olketa Huitzilopochtli hem givim olketa wanfala niu nem taem olketa go aot from Aztlán—Mexicas. Gogo, olketa kantri wea stap raonem olketa and pipol bilong olketa garem disfala nem.
Bat, olketa Mexicas, or Aztecs, no stap seleva long disfala area. From enemy stap raonem olketa, olketa need for fren witim olketa neiba. Eniwan wea no mek-peace witim olketa Aztec bae insaed nao long war witim olketa. Tru nao, wei for faet hem fitim olketa Aztec. Sun-god bilong olketa, Huitzilopochtli, hem wanfala nomoa long olketa god and woman-god wea evritaem needim heart bilong olketa man wea blood ran yet long hem and sakrifaes. Main wan for sakrifaesim nao hem olketa prisoner bilong war. Wei wea olketa Aztec iusim prisoner long wei olsem mekem olketa enemy fraet tumas.
So Rul Bilong Aztec start for grow big start from Tenochtitlán, and kwiktaem go kasem samfala area wea distaem olketa kolem Central America. Olketa niu idea bilong religion and kastom hem mix nao witim kastom bilong Aztec. Long semtaem, olketa Aztec start for hipimap olketa riches—tax wea olketa askem from evri man wea olketa winim. Music, buk, and savve bilong Aztec hem grow big. National Geographic magasin sei olsem: “Bigfala savve wea olketa Aztec garem mekem olketa for garem sem position olsem olketa wea savve tumas for karvem samting long history.” Pipol bilong Spain arrive long taem wea living bilong olketa Aztec barava gud.
Tekovarem
Long November 1519, ruler bilong Mexica, Montezuma II, hem welkamim pipol bilong Spain and leader bilong olketa Hernán Cortés, from hem tingse hem nao god bilong Aztec Quetzalcoatl. Olketa bilong Spain acceptim disfala fasin for welkam wea olketa Aztec showimaot long olketa. Bat, olketa Aztec mistek for letem pipol bilong Spain lukim gold and riches bilong Tenochtitlán. Cortés plan haed for tekem evri samting hia. Long wei wea no kaen, Cortés mekem Montezuma kamap prisoner long own taon bilong hem. Samfala pipol sei Montezuma hem willing and nating faet bak. Cortés hem win for tekova long kapitol taon bilong wanfala maeti rul nomata hem no faet.
Bat disfala wei for win no free from blood for longfala taem. Wanfala need kamap wea Cortés mas go for deal witim, and hem letem wanfala man wea nem bilong hem Pedro de Alvarado for lukaftarem evri samting. From hem fraet nogud pipol bilong Tenochtitlán faet againstim hem taem Cortés no stap, Alvarado disaed for attakim olketa firstaem. Hem killim dae planti Aztec long taem bilong wanfala festival. Cortés kam bak and faendem taon insaed bigfala raoa nao. Montezuma hem dae long faet wea kamap, maet pipol bilong Spain nao killim hem. Bat, olketa native bilong Spain sei Cortés askem Montezuma for go front long pipol bilong hem and askem olketa for stop faet. Bat taem Montezuma duim diswan, own pipol bilong hem sutim hem dae witim stone. Cortés and samfala moa wea garekil ranawe for sevem laef bilong olketa.
Cortés, wea garekil and taed tumas, hipimap moa army bilong hem. Olketa tribe wea stap klosap wea heitim olketa Aztec and laek kamap free joinim pipol bilong Spain. So Cortés go bak long Tenochtitlán. Long wanfala faet wea kamap, olketa Aztec offerim olketa soldia bilong Spain wea olketa kasholem olsem sakrifaes. Diswan mekem olketa man bilong Cortés kros tumas and disaed strong for win. Olsem wanfala man for raet abaotem Aztec talem, olketa tribe wea stap anda disaed for “pei bak for olketa samting wea olketa Mexicas [olketa Aztec] duim long olketa bifor and tekem evri samting bilong olketa.”
Long August 13, 1521, Maeti Tenochtitlán foldaon. Pipol bilong Spain and olketa fren bilong hem bossim evribit Mexicas. National Geographic sei olsem: “Insaed shortfala taem nomoa, maeti taon bilong Mesoamerica finis evribit taem olketa bilong Spain lukaotem gold. Olketa mekem native pipol kamap slave and kamap Christian, and olketa finisim Rul Bilong Aztec.”
Wei for win hia mekem change kamap no saed long politik nomoa. Pipol bilong Spain tekem kam wanfala niu religion—Catholic—and planti taem long wei for forcem olketa Mexicas witim sword. Tru, religion bilong Aztec iusim blood and worshipim idol. Bat winim wei for aotem evri heathen samting, Catholic religion kamap partner witim Aztec religion. Virgin bilong Guadalupe changem Tonantzin, woman-god wea olketa worshipim long Tepeyac Hill, Church bilong Guadalupe stap long ples wea Tonantzin stap long hem bifor. (Olketa tingse church hia markem ples wea Young Girl Mary showimaot hemseleva thru long mirakol.) Long taem bilong holiday bilong religion for honorim Young Girl, olketa worshiper tan raon long saond bilong heathen dance barava long front bilong datfala church.
Waswe, Olketa Aztec Stap Yet?
Nomata Rul Bilong Aztec finis longtaem, hem still affectim pipol distaem. Olketa English word olsem “chocolate,” “tomato,” and “chili,” kam from Aztec languis, Nahuatl. And tu, klosap evriwan long Mexico kam from laen bilong olketa wea pipol bilong Spain tekovarem and bilong native pipol.
Long planti ples long Mexico, olketa kastom bilong bifor hem stap yet from samfala grup trae for keepim olketa kastom bilong olketa laen dadi bilong olketa. Evriwan, 62 grup bilong native pipol hem stap and 68 languis wea register long Mexican Republic. Wanfala study wea Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (National Statistics Institute bilong Geography and Computing) mekem no longtaem go nomoa agree hao winim faev million pipol tok long olketa native languis. National Geographic magasin sei olsem: “Nomata olketa wikdaon and poor taem olketa stap anda long rul bilong nara kantri, raf rul, faet againstim gavman, olketa wea stap laef keepim gud olketa languis, olketa kastom, and strongfala hope for disaed strong.”
Dastawe, planti wea kam from laen bilong olketa Aztec garem poor living, planti taem olketa stap long olketa smolfala farm. Planti stap long olketa farawe area wea education hem hard. Wei wea olketa problem bilong living go ahed mekem hem hard tumas for planti native bilong Mexico. Hem nao living wea iumi savve lukim planti taem witim olketa native pipol evriwea long Mexico and Central America. Samfala talemaot samting wea maet savve helpem olketa. Rigoberta Menchú, wanfala man bilong Guatemala wea winim Nobel Prize talem disfala toktok: “Iumi mas finisim evribit disfala wall wea stap distaem—midolwan olketa ethnic grup, olketa bilong India and mestizos, olketa languis grup, olketa man and woman, olketa wea garem gud savve and olketa man nating.”
Sorre tumas, hardfala living bilong olketa Aztec—bifor and distaem—hem narafala sorre example bilong wei wea ‘man hem bossim man and spoelem hem.’ (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Bat for changem living bilong poor pipol bilong disfala world bae needim moa samting winim naes toktok nomoa and story bilong politik. Planti pipol wea tok long Nahuatl languis hapi for acceptim hope wea stap insaed Bible abaotem wanfala world gavman, or “kingdom” wea bae kam.—Daniel 2:44; lukim box long disfala page.
Samfala againstim idea for teachim Bible long olketa native pipol. Olketa maet tingse religion bilong pipol wea tok long Nahuatl languis—wea mix witim Catholic religion and heathen Aztec—hem part long kastom wea olketa mas keepim gud. Bat olketa wea acceptim message bilong Bible barava kamap free from kastom biliv and olketa giaman wei bilong religion. (John 8:32) Long staka thousand pipol wea kam from laen bilong olketa Aztec, Bible givim only trufala hope for stap laef.
[Footnote]
a Disfala word “Mesoamerica” point go long area wea start long midol bilong Mexico and “go long south and east wea samfala part bilong Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua tu insaed diswan.” (The American Heritage Dictionary) Mesoamerica civilization hem toktok wea point go long “olketa difren kaen kastom bilong native pipol wea go ahed long samfala part bilong Mexico and Central America bifor olketa bilong Spain kasem there and tekova long mek-16 century.”—Encyclopædia Britannica.
[Box/Piksa long page 16]
“MI HAPI FOR SHAREM TRUTH WITIM OLKETA NAHUATL”
MI BORN long Mexico long wanfala smol vilij wea olketa kolem Santa María Tecuanulco, 60 kilometer nomoa from Mexico City. Hem wanfala naes ples wea green and stap long saedhill, ples wea pipol plantim flaoa for helpem olketa long living. Taem olketa flaoa redy, hem gud tumas for lukim planti color evriwea. Evriwan long Santa María iusim Nahuatl, wanfala languis bifor bilong Mexico. Mi rememberim hao long Nahuatl, evri haos garem nem for mekem man luksavve long hem. Nem bilong haos bilong mi hem Achichacpa, wea minim “Ples Wea Wata Ran.” Mi savve talem long pipol nem bilong olketa haos wea stap raonem haos bilong mi, mekem olketa savve wea nao mi stap. Nomata distaem, planti haos garem nem. Mi lanem Spanish languis long 1969, taem mi 17 year. Mi tingse Nahuatl hem naesfala languis. Bat, olketa olo long vilij nomoa iusim; olketa young pipol distaem no savve nao.
Miseleva nomoa study witim Olketa Witness Bilong Jehovah long disfala vilij. Seknomoa, full vilij hia wantem mi and olketa pikinini bilong mi for go. Olketa forcem mi for givim contribution evritaem long Catholic Church, wea mi nating willing for duim. Olketa relative bilong mi tu no savve tok long mi. Nomata pipol strong tumas for againstim mi, mi baptaes long December 1988. Mi thankiu long Jehovah from thrifala dota bilong mi insaed full-taem service and son bilong mi kamap wanfala Christian wea baptaes. Mi hapi tumas for sharem gud nius long Santa María. Mi preach long olketa olo long Nahuatl. Mi disaed strong for go ahed servem loving God bilong iumi, Jehovah, wea care long pipol bilong evri color skin.—Contributed.
[Chart long page 13]
(Lukim pablikeson for olketa nara information)
DATE BILONG SAMFALA MAIN KASTOM AND SAMTING WEA HAPPEN LONG AMERICA AND LONG WORLD
FROM 1200 B.C.E. GO KASEM 1550 C.E.
SPANISH INQUISITION
1500 C.E.
EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE
AZTEC
“CHRISTIAN” CRUSADE
TOLTEC
1000 C.E.
BYZANTINE
500 C.E.
TEOTI-HUACÁN
FIRSTFALA CHRISTIAN WEI
ROMAN
ZAPOTEC
GREEK
EGYPTIAN
500 B.C.E.
MAYA
OLMEC ASSYRIAN
1000 B.C.E.
[Piksa long page 14]
(Lukim pablikeson for olketa nara information)
AREA BILONG AZTEC RUL
MEXICO
Tenochtitlán
GUATEMALA
[Piksa]
Bigfala taon wea olketa kolem Tenochtitlán wea stap andanit Mexico City bilong distaem
[Credit Line]
Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.
[Piksa long page 11]
Aztec kalenda
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Olketa Aztec iusim Teotihuacán Pyramid bilong Sun long worship bilong olketa
[Credit Line long page 11]
Painting long page 11-12: “Mexico Insaed Olketa Century,” bilong Diego Rivera. National Palace, Mexico City, Mexico
[Credit Line long page 13]
Eagle and painting long page 14: “Mexico Insaed Olketa Century,” bilong Diego Rivera. National Palace, Mexico City, Mexico