A day in the life of an Aztec midwife - Kay Read

TED-Ed
12 May 202004:36
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe script narrates a pivotal day in the life of midwife Xoquauhtli during the festival marking the transition from summer to winter in Tenochtitlan. As she grapples with her duty to both her goddess Teteoinnan and her patient, she experiences a day of cultural rituals, humor, and life's fragility. Amidst the festival's mock battle and preparations, Xoquauhtli is summoned to deliver a baby, leading to a successful birth of a strong girl, symbolizing the cycle of life and the warrior spirit. The day concludes with a sacrificial ceremony to ensure a bountiful harvest and the rebirth of Lady Teteoinnan, reflecting the deep connection between life, death, and the divine.

Takeaways
  • 🌅 The story begins on the day called 7-Monkey, symbolizing a significant change as Lord Sun rises, bringing a new day.
  • 🌾 The narrative is set during a transition from the rainy season to the dry season, a critical time for the Aztec people's sustenance.
  • 🍽️ The Aztec gods have been providing food, specifically corn, to the people throughout the summer, but this period is coming to an end.
  • 🎉 The day coincides with a festival marking the shift from the season of divine nourishment to the season where people reciprocate by feeding the gods.
  • 🙏 The midwife, Xoquauhtli, has a debt to her patron goddess, Teteoinnan, who is central to the festival and must be appeased to avoid bad luck.
  • 🤔 Xoquauhtli faces a dilemma between participating in the festival and attending to her patient who is about to give birth.
  • 🏥 She decides to check on her patient first, leaving her apprentice in charge, and heads to the city center to honor her goddess.
  • 🏰 The Great Pyramid is described with two temples, one for the rain god and one for the war god, symbolizing the balance of the seasons.
  • 🤼‍♀️ The festival includes a mock battle between midwives and physicians, using symbolic items like nochtles, marigolds, and reed balls.
  • 👶 A message arrives that Xoquauhtli's patient is in labor, prompting her to rush back to assist in the birth.
  • 👵 The birth is attended by experienced old women from the extended family, emphasizing the importance of community and tradition.
  • 🍼 Xoquauhtli uses traditional methods to aid the birth, including the use of cihuapatli, a sweathouse, and tobacco.
  • 👧 A baby girl is born, and Xoquauhtli performs rituals to bless the newborn and the mother, highlighting the spiritual connection to life and nature.
  • 🔥 The newborn is placed near the fire to warm her tonalli, a vital part of Aztec beliefs related to health and well-being.
  • 🌙 The festival culminates with a sacrificial ritual where a woman is beheaded and reborn as Lady Teteoinnan, symbolizing the cycle of life and the start of the new season.
Q & A

  • What significant event is occurring on the day called 7-Monkey in the script?

    -The day called 7-Monkey marks a momentous shift from the rainy season to the dry season, and it is also during a festival that signifies the transition between the summer season when the gods feed the people and the winter season when the people feed the gods.

  • Who is Xoquauhtli and what is her dilemma?

    -Xoquauhtli is a midwife who has a difficult choice to make. She owes a debt to her patron, Teteoinnan, and should participate in the festival, but one of her patients could go into labor any minute, and she needs to decide whether to attend the festival or check on her patient.

  • What is the role of Teteoinnan in the festival and why is it important to keep her happy?

    -Teteoinnan is the female warrior goddess at the center of the festival. She wages war on both women's battlefields of birth and men's battles with Tenochtitlan’s enemies. It is important to keep her happy to avoid bringing bad luck.

  • What does Xoquauhtli do before leaving for the festival?

    -Xoquauhtli decides to check on her patient first, ensuring that the expecting mother is well taken care of and hasn't done anything that could harm her or the baby.

  • What preparations are being made for the festival in the city?

    -Women in the city are sweeping the roads and hanging gourds in preparation for the festival.

  • Describe the significance of the Great Pyramid and its temples in the script.

    -The Great Pyramid has two temples on top: the north temple where rituals honor the rain god in the summer, and the south temple where rituals honor the war god in the winter. On the equinox, the sun rises between the two sides, symbolizing the balance of the seasons.

  • What is the ceremony that begins the festival at the Great Pyramid?

    -The ceremony begins with a mock battle between the midwives and other physicians, using nochtles, marigolds, and balls made of reed and moss, which is a playful and competitive event.

  • How does Xoquauhtli respond to the news that her patient is in labor?

    -Upon receiving the news, Xoquauhtli hurries back to the house where the expecting mother is, leaving the festival behind.

  • What traditional practices does Xoquauhtli use to assist in the birth of the baby?

    -Xoquauhtli uses traditional practices such as dosing the patient with cihuapatli to help expel the baby, massaging her in the sweathouse, and rubbing her stomach with tobacco.

  • What does Xoquauhtli do after the baby is born to ensure its well-being?

    -Xoquauhtli takes a few drops of water from a jade bowl, breaths on them, and places them on the baby’s tiny tongue. She also lays the baby in a woven basket with its head facing the warming fire to warm her tonalli, which is central to health and well-being.

  • What is the final act of the festival that Xoquauhtli returns to witness?

    -The final act of the festival involves a priest carrying a woman to the top of the pyramid, where she will be beheaded to symbolize the cutting of corn in the fields. She will then be reborn as Lady Teteoinnan and preside over the induction of new warriors.

Outlines
00:00
🌅 Festival of Seasons and Divine Debts

The narrative opens on the day of 7-Monkey, with Lord Sun's dawn bringing a new day to Tenochtitlan. The midwife, Xoquauhtli, faces a dilemma as she must choose between attending a festival honoring Teteoinnan, the female warrior goddess, and attending to a patient who could go into labor at any moment. The festival marks the transition from the rainy season, when the gods feed the people with corn, to the dry season, when the people must reciprocate by feeding the gods. Xoquauhtli decides to first check on her patient, who is well taken care of by her family, and then plans to participate in the festival to honor her goddess and ensure good fortune. The city is abuzz with preparations for the festival, and Xoquauhtli makes her way to the Great Pyramid, where two temples represent the rain god and the war god, symbolizing the seasonal shift.

🤱 A Midwife's Duty Amidst Celebration

Xoquauhtli's participation in the festival is interrupted by a message that her patient is in labor. She rushes back to the patient's house, where the extended family's elderly women have gathered, ready to assist with their valuable experience. Xoquauhtli prepares for the birth with a prayer to her tools and administers cihuapatli to facilitate the delivery. She uses traditional methods such as massage in a sweathouse and rubbing tobacco on the patient's stomach, all while invoking Teteoinnan for strength. The birth of a strong baby girl is met with triumphant shouts, and Xoquauhtli performs a ritual with water from a jade bowl, naming the newborn a precious greenstone and a little warrior, and acknowledging the divine origin of life. She praises the new mother for her bravery, likening her to an eagle and a jaguar warrior.

🔥 The Warmth of New Life and Tradition

After the successful birth, Xoquauhtli tends to the newborn by placing her in a woven basket facing the fire to warm her tonalli, a vital soul center for health and well-being. As the day turns into night, Xoquauhtli stokes the fire to keep it alive and returns to the temple to witness the festival's climax. A priest carries a woman to the top of the pyramid, where she will be sacrificed to symbolize the cutting of corn and to initiate the new season. This act of sacrifice and rebirth is a crucial part of the festival's rituals, as the woman will be reborn as Lady Teteoinnan to oversee the induction of new warriors, thus continuing the cycle of life, death, and renewal.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡7-Monkey
The term '7-Monkey' refers to a specific day in the Aztec calendar, which is believed to be significant for the events transpiring in the script. It symbolizes the beginning of a new day and is associated with the dawning of Lord Sun, setting the stage for the day's important events. The script mentions 'Lord Sun dawns on the day called 7-Monkey,' indicating the start of the day's activities and the significance of this date in the Aztec culture.
💡Xoquauhtli
Xoquauhtli is the name of the midwife character in the script, who plays a central role in the narrative. As a midwife, she is responsible for assisting with childbirth and is depicted as having a deep connection to her goddess, Teteoinnan. Her name and role are crucial to understanding the cultural practices and the personal dilemma she faces between attending to her patient and participating in the festival.
💡Teteoinnan
Teteoinnan is the Aztec female warrior goddess who is central to the festival described in the script. She is associated with both the battlefields of birth and the wars against Tenochtitlan's enemies. The script emphasizes the importance of keeping Teteoinnan happy to avoid bad luck, which underscores the religious and cultural significance of the festival and the role of the midwife in honoring her.
💡Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire, and in the script, it serves as the setting for the story. The city's hearth fires are mentioned as the source of the smoke that mixes with the dawn's rosy sheen, indicating the city's vibrancy and the daily life of its inhabitants. It also represents the cultural backdrop against which the events of the script unfold.
💡Rainy Season to Dry Season
The transition from the rainy season to the dry season is a significant event in the script, marking a momentous shift that affects the lives of the people. This change is linked to the agricultural cycle and the availability of food, as the gods have been feeding the people with corn during the fertile summer months. The script describes this transition as a time when the people must feed the gods in return, highlighting the cyclical relationship between humans and deities.
💡Cihuapatli
Cihuapatli is a substance mentioned in the script that is used to help expel the baby during childbirth. It is administered to the patient by Xoquauhtli, indicating the use of traditional medicine and practices in Aztec culture. The use of cihuapatli exemplifies the script's portrayal of Aztec medical knowledge and the role of the midwife in facilitating childbirth.
💡Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid is a prominent architectural structure in Tenochtitlan, where two temples are located, one for the rain god and one for the war god. The script describes a ceremony that takes place on the equinox, with the sun rising between the two temples, symbolizing the balance between the seasons and the gods' domains. The Great Pyramid serves as a central location for religious and cultural ceremonies in the narrative.
💡Mock Battle
A mock battle is a ceremonial event described in the script, where midwives and other physicians engage in a playful and competitive activity using nochtles, marigolds, and reed and moss balls. This mock battle is part of the festival's festivities, illustrating the community's spirit and the lighter side of the religious ceremonies, before the more serious aspects of the festival commence.
💡Tonalli
Tonalli is an important 'soul' center in the body according to Aztec belief, central to health and well-being. In the script, Xoquauhtli places the newborn baby with her head facing the warming fire to warm her tonalli, signifying the cultural beliefs about the importance of nurturing the soul and the body's spiritual energy.
💡Human Sacrifice
Human sacrifice is a significant and dramatic element in the script, where a woman is carried to the top of the pyramid to be be beheaded as part of the festival's rituals. This act symbolizes the cutting of corn in the fields and the woman's subsequent rebirth as Lady Teteoinnan. The human sacrifice represents the Aztec practice of offering to the gods to ensure the continuity of life and the changing of seasons.
Highlights

Lord Sun's dawn on 7-Monkey day marks a significant shift from rainy to dry season.

The gods have sustained the people with corn during the fertile summer months.

The festival celebrates the transition from the gods feeding the people to the people feeding the gods in winter.

Xoquauhtli, the midwife, faces a dilemma between participating in the festival and attending to her patient.

Xoquauhtli owes a debt to Teteoinnan, the female warrior goddess, to ensure good fortune.

Xoquauhtli decides to check on her patient first, trusting in her apprentice to manage in her absence.

The city prepares for the festival with women sweeping roads and hanging gourds.

The Great Pyramid features two temples for the rain and war gods, symbolizing seasonal changes.

The festival's ceremony includes a mock battle with traditional elements like nochtles and marigolds.

Xoquauhtli is urgently called back as her patient goes into labor.

The birth is attended by experienced old women from the extended family.

Xoquauhtli uses traditional methods like cihuapatli, massage, and tobacco to assist in the birth.

A strong baby girl is born, symbolizing strength and the continuation of the warrior spirit.

Xoquauhtli performs a ritual with water, jade, and prayers to bless the newborn.

The new mother is praised for her bravery, likened to an eagle and jaguar warrior.

Xoquauhtli ensures the baby's warmth and well-being by placing her near the fire.

The festival culminates with a symbolic beheading and rebirth to begin the new season.

Transcripts

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Ancient FestivalMidwife's ChoiceSeasonal ShiftCultural RitualBirth CeremonyWarrior GoddessTenochtitlanHuman SacrificeCommunity SupportMyth and Reality