[Baking Typewriter] The Untold Stories of the Aztecs

It takes about 14 hours to fly from Korea to Mexico. Given the distance, impressions of South America are often fragmentary. The most accessible South American content for the general public is usually film. For example, in the movie "Apocalypto," people are offered as sacrifices at a temple. Scenes where a priest forcibly lays down a victim and removes their heart or beheads them with a sharp weapon have cemented a brutal image of South American civilizations. Thus, South American civilizations have become synonymous with "human sacrifice."

The book "Aztec Mythology at Last" shakes its head at such stereotypes. It does not deny that human sacrifice existed in the Aztec civilization, which flourished in central Mexico from the 14th to the 16th centuries. However, it offers a logical and in-depth explanation of the Aztec civilization, which we have not properly understood. The Aztecs were by no means a primitive civilization. Their massive floating city, home to 200,000 people, was cleaner than Paris, the capital of France at the time, thanks to an elaborate canal system. They also operated a central market that could accommodate 50,000 people, facilitating vibrant economic activity.

The most fascinating aspect of Aztec civilization is its "stories." The Aztecs believed that we are living in the fifth world. The first world was the "Age of the Jaguar," where people were devoured by beasts and perished. In the second, the "Age of Wind," people who lived on beans clung to trees to avoid being blown away by strong winds, only to become monkeys. The third and fourth were the "Age of Rain" and the "Age of Water," both of which also ended in destruction. However, in the fifth, the newly born "Age of the Sun," humanity continues to live. The Aztecs believed that even if the world ended, new life would be born again. This belief continues today in Mexico's "Day of the Dead" (Dia de Muertos) festival. Through this festival, Mexicans connect with and honor the deceased. The Disney-Pixar film "Coco" was also inspired by this Aztec philosophy.

The author emphasizes that Aztec human sacrifice cannot be judged solely from a Western perspective. While it is true that rituals existed in which living people were offered to the gods, this was not simply due to cruelty. It was a rite to express gratitude for the abundance and prosperity bestowed by the gods, and a practical means to instill awe in other tribes and maintain the state. The author states, "Aztecs were not the ruthless and cold-blooded warriors they are often portrayed as. They enjoyed festivals, honored the sacrificed, and lived their given lives faithfully-ordinary people, no different from us."

The deepening misunderstandings about Aztec civilization were also fueled by a lack of records. Very few records remain in Nahuatl, the language of the indigenous people of Mexico. While historical accounts written in the Latin alphabet exist after the arrival of Europeans, their perspective was already European. Records passed down by descendants also relied on vague memories and inherited customs. As a result, the most sensational images of human sacrifice came to represent the civilization.

This story, passed down from the other side of the globe, is fascinating for our society as well. If you want to experience the diversity of the world by comparing similarities and differences with our own, "Aztec Mythology at Last" is highly recommended.

Aztec Mythology at Last | Written by Camilla Townsend | Translated by Jin Jeongseong | Hyundae Jiseong | 248 pages | 16,900 won