Aztec Royal Prerogatives: The Importance of the Kings’ Things

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Mexica Royal Court: A Symposium in Honour of Alfredo López Austin" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper examines the role of material things in the lives and fortunes of Aztec kings in the latter years of the Triple Alliance empire. Royal things ranged from expansive palaces (very big things) to a wide array of specific styles of clothing and body adornments. Exquisitely crafted and well-chosen things controlled by kings were laden with intense symbolic meanings and also carried messages of asymmetrical power, cemented relations with mortals and gods, and/or served practical purposes. They contributed substantively to the persona, lifestyle, power, prospects, and religious aura of every Aztec king. With this in mind, the importance of royal things is assessed in the context of their acquisition and disposition, including tribute, merchant consignments, symmetrical and asymmetrical gift-giving, marketplace exchanges, and distribution of specific things by the king to his people, allies, and even enemies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Mexica Royal Court: A Symposium in Honour of Alfredo López Austin   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52657