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Aztec Conch Shell Trumpet (Tecciztli)
This Aztec conch shell trumpet or "Tecciztli" dates from the Post-Classic era in Aztec history (1325-1521 CE). It was used in rituals, festivals, and religious processions. (Musée du Cinquantenaire, Brussels)

Collection
The Shinto Religion
Shinto is the oldest religion in Japan and has become an integral part of that country's culture whether it be in daily worship and ritual, the famous tourist site shrines or the appearance of Shinto characters in contemporary comics and...

Video
The Sun Stone (The Calendar Stone), Aztec
The Sun Stone (or The Calendar Stone), Aztec, reign of Moctezuma II (1502-20), discovered in 1790 at the southeastern edge of the Plaza Mayor (Zocalo) in Mexico City, stone (unfinished), 358 cm diameter x 98 cm depth (Museo Nacional de...

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Mesopotamia: Government & Religion
The polytheistic religion of ancient Mesopotamia was instrumental in shaping its government and held great significance in the lives of its people. Mesopotamian religion revolved around the belief that humans were created to work alongside...

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Religion in Ancient Greece
The ancient Greeks believed the gods were an ever-present influence on humanity, for both good and bad. The belief that these gods might be influenced in turn is evidenced in the widespread building of temples dedicated to them as well as...

Collection
Ancient Persian Religion & Mythology
Ancient Persian religion developed in the region of Greater Iran by the 3rd millennium BCE and corresponds to what is known today as ancient Persian mythology. This belief system informed the Persian Achaemenid Empire, even after the acceptance...

Video
A Day in the Life of an Aztec Midwife
Join the Aztec midwife Xoquauhtli as she tends to her patients and honors the warrior goddess Teteoinnan at a festival ushering in the season of warfare. — The midwife Xoquauhtli has a difficult choice to make. She owes a debt to her...

Image Gallery
A Gallery of Mesopotamian Religion
Mesopotamian religion was informed by the belief that humans were co-workers with the gods in maintaining the order created at the beginning of time and so religious expression was integral to daily life in ancient Mesopotamia in how they...

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Aztec Agriculture
An illustration from the Florentine Codex depicting Aztecs storing maize.

Definition
Texcoco
Texcoco (aka Tezcoco or Tetzcoco), located near the eastern shores of Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico, was the capital of the Acolhua people. It was a major power in the Aztec period and a member of the Triple Alliance along with Tenochtitlan...