Aztec music: Did you mean...?

A map illustrating the origins and territorial expansion of the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica between the 14th and 16th centuries.

The Aztec civilisation spanned from around 1300 CE until 1521, and at its greatest extent, the empire covered most of Northern Mesoamerica. Although we refer to these peoples as ‘Aztecs,’ that is not what they called themselves. They were...

A map illustrating the various stages of Aztec expansion under successive rulers in the 15th and early 16th centuries CE.

An Aztec (Mexica) shield of wood covered in turquoise and shell mosaic. Likely used only as a ceremonial shield. The design shows solar disks and a long, winding snake crisscrossing the shield horizontally. The shield was dedicated to the...

Professor Stefan Hagel performing Ancient Greek Music at palaestra et odeum - Lund - Sweden. Instruments: Greek Kithara & Aulos

In Ancient Egyptian society, both dance and music were highly valued. They were integral to creation and communication with the gods and there was an intrinsic link between music and dance and the divine. The goddess Hathor was associated...

A scene from the 16th century CE Florentine Codex depicting Aztec musicians. Music and dance were an important element of Aztec education and public life.

The Aztec Sun Stone (or Calendar Stone) depicts the five consecutive worlds of the sun from Aztec mythology. The stone is not, therefore, in any sense a functioning calendar, but rather it is an elaborately carved solar disk, which for the...

Stone skulls from the Templo Mayor in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. They represent the tzompantli or skull racks where the heads of sacrificial victims were placed.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/music-and-creativity-in-ancient-greece-tim-hansen You think you love music? You have nothing on the Ancient Greek obsession. Every aspect of Greek life was punctuated by song: history, poetry...