EDUCATION AND CULTURE
PLACES OF LEARNING IN MESOAMERICA
The people of Mesoamerica who were advanced in regards to
science, architecture and art, and constructing the pyramids in
relation to the cosmos, surely had a very advanced sense of rhythm,
melody, and space in regards to their music.
While we have many images of the instruments,
thanks to archaeological sites,
the Codices - pre and post invasion,
lintels, murals, pottery, and stelaes and images
of performance combination of instruments,
e.g.,
huehuetl with teponaztli, tlapitzalli, ayacaxtli etc.,
sadly, there is very little documentation on what the music
sounded like via indigenous ears.,
how the music was structured, forms etc.
The written documentation of the instruments is via European ears,
so the descriptions can be, needless to say, less than flattering.
What we do know is that there were places of learning for artists and musicians,
much as we have conservatories now, and, as always there were folkloric musicos
and classically trained musicos, who played for a variety of formats,
e.g.,
celebrations of birth, marriage, death, etc.,
There is documentation that Moctezuma had music played for him every time
he ate and we also have descriptions by
Franciscans
arrived in Mexico 1523
Dominicans
arrived in Mexico 1526
Agustinians
arrived in Mexico 1532
Jesuits
arrived in Mexico 1572
expelled from Mexico
2/27/1767
of the music played before, after and during the dances. *
"before any business could be transacted Cortes ordered an altar built,
after the hasty erection of which Fray Barlolome de Olmedo,
"who was a fine singer, chanted Mass. "
Symbolically this chanting of Mass was an excellent prelude to the later efforts
of the missionaries who, everywhere they went,
SANG their services.
What the Indigena failed to grasp in words was at least partly conveyed in music."
Historia Verdadera, Bernal Diaz del Castillo
It must be reiterated that many of the people died due to disease brought
by Europeans and that whoever did not succumb to disease did the best they
could to survive in a "New World" as their very old world destroyed by invaders.
It is truly amazing that what we do have survived the largest genocide
in the history of the world, between 80 to 130 million people since Europeans
stepped foot in THE AMERICAS
CALMECAC
(HOUSE OF LINEAGE)
or public school, "to teach the pupils all the verses of the sacred songs which were written
in characters in their books
attended mostly by the sons of the noble classes
focused on turning out leaders
(tlatoque),
priests, scholars/teachers
(tlatimini),
healers (tizitl) and codex painters
(tlacuilos).
They studied rituals, ancient and contemporary history,
literacy, calendrics, some elements of geometry, songs (poetry)
“all kinds of arts:
military,
religious,
mechanical,
and
astrological,
which gave them knowledge of the stars.
For this they possessed large beautiful books
painted in hieroglpyhs dealing with all these are
arts, and these books were used for teaching, There
were also native books of law and theololy for
didactic purposes “
DIEGO DURAN
“Especially was there teaching of songs which they
called the gods” songs inscribed in books. And
especially was there teaching of the count of days,
the book of dreams, and the book of years
BERNARDINO DE SAHAGUN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TELPOCHCALLI
THE HOUSE OF YOUNG MEN
for practical and military studies
He entered a place of dignity,
the young men's house,
there to nurture and rear [them].
There he reared the young men,
there where there was song and dance at
night, there in the song house
the teachers had hierarchies:
ACHCAUHTIN
( the eldest )
were dedicated to teaching the youth
TELPOCHTLATO
( teacher who speaks to youth )
had the highest authority within those institutions
and were authorized to punish students.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CUICACALLI
THE HOUSE OF SONG
where music was taught
the house of song, which stood next to one of the temples.
In the Toltec conception, a city did not really exist until it had established a
place for the drums, that is, a house of song.
This was a singing, music and dance school, as well as a residence for the teachers,
and consisted of many large rooms around a courtyard.
Attendance was required of all boys and girls, who were taught separately but brought
together in the courtyard for common dances.
In the house of song were lodged
the huehuetl, teponaztli, rattles, flutes, shell trumpets, costumes, and regalia of the dancers.
Taught at these schools were primarily the sacred hymns and the dances that went with them.
There is written documentation during first 30 years of the Spanish invasion from various priests
- Dominican, Franciscan, and Agustinian, as well as written documentation from various laymen
describing how and what the dance looked like and what the music accompanying the dance sounded like.
indigenousinstrumentsofmexicoandmesoamer.weebly.com/16th-century-indigenous-dance-practices.html
(HOUSE OF LINEAGE)
or public school, "to teach the pupils all the verses of the sacred songs which were written
in characters in their books
attended mostly by the sons of the noble classes
focused on turning out leaders
(tlatoque),
priests, scholars/teachers
(tlatimini),
healers (tizitl) and codex painters
(tlacuilos).
They studied rituals, ancient and contemporary history,
literacy, calendrics, some elements of geometry, songs (poetry)
“all kinds of arts:
military,
religious,
mechanical,
and
astrological,
which gave them knowledge of the stars.
For this they possessed large beautiful books
painted in hieroglpyhs dealing with all these are
arts, and these books were used for teaching, There
were also native books of law and theololy for
didactic purposes “
DIEGO DURAN
“Especially was there teaching of songs which they
called the gods” songs inscribed in books. And
especially was there teaching of the count of days,
the book of dreams, and the book of years
BERNARDINO DE SAHAGUN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TELPOCHCALLI
THE HOUSE OF YOUNG MEN
for practical and military studies
He entered a place of dignity,
the young men's house,
there to nurture and rear [them].
There he reared the young men,
there where there was song and dance at
night, there in the song house
the teachers had hierarchies:
ACHCAUHTIN
( the eldest )
were dedicated to teaching the youth
TELPOCHTLATO
( teacher who speaks to youth )
had the highest authority within those institutions
and were authorized to punish students.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CUICACALLI
THE HOUSE OF SONG
where music was taught
the house of song, which stood next to one of the temples.
In the Toltec conception, a city did not really exist until it had established a
place for the drums, that is, a house of song.
This was a singing, music and dance school, as well as a residence for the teachers,
and consisted of many large rooms around a courtyard.
Attendance was required of all boys and girls, who were taught separately but brought
together in the courtyard for common dances.
In the house of song were lodged
the huehuetl, teponaztli, rattles, flutes, shell trumpets, costumes, and regalia of the dancers.
Taught at these schools were primarily the sacred hymns and the dances that went with them.
There is written documentation during first 30 years of the Spanish invasion from various priests
- Dominican, Franciscan, and Agustinian, as well as written documentation from various laymen
describing how and what the dance looked like and what the music accompanying the dance sounded like.
indigenousinstrumentsofmexicoandmesoamer.weebly.com/16th-century-indigenous-dance-practices.html