Aztec star-gazing

[mike gaby]

Leonel,
You needn't feel offended by Mr. Carlson's response.  The concern that many
on the list share is the spreading of misinformation, usually unintentional.
It is especially disturbing to those whose life work is the study of these
cultures and languages.  It is their life and they take it very seriously.
  As your studies of Aztec religion takes you deeper into the subject, you
will quickly discover that sources of information becomes a central focus.
These sources become a guide-post of sorts that allows the scholar/student
to judge for themselves the validity of the information they are reading.
Consider the people who firmly believe and expound that the origin of
Mesoamerican culture can be found in Atlantis or worse, the Pleides systems
(this of course being an extreme example of misinformation).  Or simply ask
the average person on the street about Mayan or Aztec culture and their
responses will be filled with misinformation from obselete or questionable
sources, they are not even aware of.
  The website you mentioned is quite impressive in it's body of information,
however some of the spellings and translations seem to be questionable.  The
site also seems to be trying to relate Mesoamerican religion in Classical
Hellenic terms...that can pose a lot of problems.  This is the first time I
have ever seen "Piltzintecuhtli" associated with Mercury, or any other
heavenly body besides the sun for that matter.  Clearly that Aztecs were
quite familiar with the visible planets....I think the debate of relating
these to named personages is still unsettled.  Venus's importance is much
older than the Aztecs civilization and was featured prominently in
Mesoamerican religion...thus it's namesakes are widely known.
As for the others, well consider your source first.
Good Luck in your studies,
Mike Gaby

>From: Leonel Hermida <leonelhermida at netc.pt>
>Reply-To: nahuat-l at server.umt.edu
>To: Multiple recipients of list <nahuat-l at server.umt.edu>
>Subject: Re: Aztec star-gazing
>Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 05:17:54 -0700
>
>Hi,
>
>First.
>My apologies for having not provided my source about relating the name
>Piltzintecuhtli with the planet Mercury. I didn't know it is a controverted
>statement... However, as I didn't intend to make any point and even less
>enter a scholarly controversy about what I surmised be 'ordinary public
>knowledge', I didn't pursue any further my investigation about the source:
>I only wrote down the information in my note-book with the word "sic"
>between brackets, only to remember myself I had already seen the
>selfsame name attributed elsewhere to the Sun god, by another author.
>(If I'm required to supply this one too I think I shall scream...)
>So, be sure I'll provide publicly (here) the site where I got that
>important
>"information", as soon as I find it out again.
>Second.
>My question was just about the very names of the planets (if known), not
>about which authorities support that names themselves. Mr. Carlson
>would perhaps have given a better help to the 'List' as a whole if he
>supplied those names (at least the ones there is agreement about)
>(remarking passing by that Piltzintecuhtli = Mercury is far from certain)
>instead of getting questioning what my source was.
>By Jove! Have I ever suggested I was expending an 'original and
>important' opinion? I can only assure everybody I have not 'forged' myself
>the disputed equation as I will show when I find out the source of so
>"disturbing" an assumption.
>As it is, I can only quote an ancient Greek saying about such a 'void
>discussion about nothing': "peri onou skias", that is to say, 'about the
>shadow of an ass'...
>
>Best regards.
>Leonel
>
>P.S. I just found it out. Please click the following link:
>
>http://northcoast.com/~spdtom/a-god3.html
>
>and look it up in alphabetic order s.v. 'Piltzintecuhtli'.
>Thank you for your attention.
>Leonel
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