As you read these chapters about the blending, clashing, and combining of two cultures, consider present-day Mexican culture. Which parts of Mexican culture come from the Spanish (Europeans), and which come from the Aztecs? Are there any parts of Mexican culture that could have come from both civilizations? Explain your answer using examples from the novel and examples from your real-life observations.
This post is due by 8:00 AM on Monday, September 30, 2013.
The two most obvious things that the Mexican culture took from the Spanish is language and religion. Mexicans speak Spanish, and most of them are Catholic, as in they worship the Virgin Mary, not only God and Jesus. In both Aztec and Spanish culture, men have the more prominent roles than woman. In Mexican culture woman were the type to maintain the house, take care of children, and cook, whereas the men went off to work. Mexican recipes were influenced by Aztec dishes. This would make sense as they came from the same land, and the same food is found in that place.
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Fatima Romero
9/27/2013 02:05:11 pm
Some of the things that that we adopted from the Spanish was their religion, language and culture. We read the novel as Huitzitzilin states that their machines had taken over their land. Also that many Mexicans are Catholics and believe in the Virgin Mary. Then all of the people that live in Mexico speak Spanish. Another similarity is that the men is superior than women. Is means that women would be in charge of the children and the house while the man worked to support the family.
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Oscar Torres-Soria
9/28/2013 07:31:12 am
Some things the Mexican culture took from the Spaniards was their language and religion. In the novel, Huitzitzilin states the Spaniard's machines came to destroy their land. Another thing that the Mexican took from the Spaniards was the belief that the man is superior that the woman. In their religion, the woman was seen as the one who's made to create offspring and took take care to the man while the man goes out and to support the family.
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Anahi Ramon
9/28/2013 12:32:10 pm
Some of the things that were taken away from the Spanairds culture were religon, language, and culture. For mexicans we speak spanish and we are catholics becuase we belive in Jesus and in Virgin Mary who is our mother.What I really hate about the Aztecs and the Spanaids culture is that they think that man are better than women. This is because the women have to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Men have to work and that is one simple thing they have to do because women hvae much more work to do. Those jobs are still covering here now a days in Mexico because the men have to work and women have to saty at the house to maintain the kids. The Aztecs and Spanaids think that men are superior than women.
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Jonathan Velasco
9/28/2013 06:19:56 pm
In chapters ten to 13, in Song of the Hummingbird, the cultures of the Spanish and Mexicas combine. I would say that the Aztec cultural part in which they are polytheistic has contributed to the present-day mexican culture. I say this because of Catholics believing in God while they also connect in a way with the Virgin Mary and the saints. In the book, it mentions that Huitzitzilan's people worshipped about two gods so far in the book. The Spanish cultural part that had a contribute could be that women just had babies and took care of them and this practice is also shared with the Aztecs. In the present days I mostly see satay-at-home moms than working moms. In the book both have the cultures where a woman's role is to have kids and raise them. I think that this is how both civilizations have blended their cultures together.
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Leonel Rivas
9/29/2013 01:36:55 am
One of the things that the Spaniards tool away from the Aztec people was their religion. Most mexicans today are Catholic meaning that they believe in God, Jesus, The Virgen Mary, and have faith in the Holy Spirit. One of the things that Aztecs have contributed to today's modern society is art. One thing that both of these groups believed in was that men were superior. These two groups had the same type of culture because they both believed that a women's role was to stay in the house, care of her children, and have children. They also believed that a women's role was to clean the house while a mans job was to provide the family food and money by working. In conclusion this is how the 2 cultures have clashed with one another.
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Bryan Amaro
9/29/2013 04:05:33 am
One of the most obvious Mexican cultueres took from the Spanish is the language and their religion. The language Mexicans learned from the Spanish is spanish and the religion the Mexicans took is Catholic religion. It is clear that their religion is Catholic because most Mexicans, even today, believe in God, Jeses,The Virgin Mary, and the Holy Spirit. The second culture Mexicans took from the Spanish and the Aztecs is that men are more superior tha women. This culture means that men, back then, goes hunting and gathering food in the wild while women are stying in their homes, making offsprings and taking care of them and taking care of their home. This culture is still on the Mexicans for some families. But I have heard that some women in Mexico a trying to get the same rights as men do.
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Victor Esteban
9/29/2013 08:41:09 am
The Aztec and Spanish culture were different , however the meeting of the two socialites became mix after the invasion of the Spanish. Its all started that very moment when the Spanish first came to the Aztecs homeland. People stared seeing them like gods which came to the results of becoming friends with them. Even though war broke out between the two cultures, when the Aztec realize that they are not gods. Now these days we can see the blending of both cultures in Mexico. In the story of Song of the hummingbird , Hummingbird describes how she felt in love with one of the white invaders. Which could of happen with many other people. This lead to the results of the mixture of both cultures. Like I said before now these days Mexico is a mixture of both cultures. For example when I went to visit my family at Mexico , I saw how many people talk the Aztec language. As well as how many other people including my parents talk Spanish , just like the white invaders. This shows how the blending of both people came to be.
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Christian Marquez
9/29/2013 09:36:47 am
The biggest most evident clues that the Mexican culture received a lot of influence from the Spaniards are in the form of language and beliefs. The Mexican culture was influenced by the Spaniards language because the Mexicans implemented some of the Spaniards aspects of language into their own. They also received the Catholic religion. This is also very noticeable because in the novel the Spaniards are Catholic and force the Aztecs to accept that form of religion.
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Belen Robles
9/29/2013 09:52:10 am
Some things that the Spaniards imposed on the Aztec's were there religion and there language because now almost everyone speaks Spanish and believe in one god and are Catholic or Christian. Something they both share is the fact that they don't consider women very important in their culture and think of them as just staying at home and having children. They also both believe in a trinity even if it's not the same kind of Trinity. Something that I've seen that some present day Mexicans do is they dance to the beat of a drum and they dress in feather headpieces which Huitzitzilin described when her people would dance for ceremonies and such.
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Jocelyne Ramirez
9/29/2013 10:32:07 am
The only two things that I could think about that were originated from the Spanish background, by being forced into the Aztecs, are their religion and language. First of all, Spanish religion only had to deal with one God, and to them he was the al-mighty powerful. But Aztec's beliefs were polytheistic, which means they believed in more than one god, so when the Spanish came and invaded the Aztecs, their religion was one of the many characteristics of their cultures that in present day, South American people have gathered into their own beliefs. Another one is the language of the Spanish, many people originated from South American regions tend to speak a lot of spanish, and this is because when the Spanish invaded the Aztecs they were forced to learn the language. These are one of the many characteristics that you see today that are part of the beliefs of the Mexican culture.
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Brian Vidal
9/29/2013 10:43:14 am
After reading chapters 10-13 of Song Of The Hummingbird, we see that the Mexican culture took a couple of things from the Spanish culture. A couple of these things were their religion, and their language. Most Mexicans ended up being catholic, and spoke spanish. Something similar between the Aztecs and the Spanish, was that both cultures didn't really care much about women. The guys believed to be more superior than women. They were only used to make babies, and stay at home and clean, while the men were off hunting.
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Yesenia Garcia
9/29/2013 11:09:16 am
After reading chapter 10-13 of Song of the Hummingbird what I saw that the Spaniards forced the Aztecs were their language and beliefs. The Aztecs believed in many gods and when the Spaniards arrived they made them believe in only one god. They also changed their name into a christian one. Another thing they made them change was their language. They taught them how to speech Spanish and made them not speak their language anymore.
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Susana Gonzalez
9/29/2013 11:16:48 am
When reading chapter 13 I learned or concluded that some of the things that came from the Spaniards that being imposed by force into the Aztecs are their religion and language. One thing is for sure that the Spanish religion only believed in one God and to them that one God was the almighty one. On the contrary the Aztecs believed in many Gods, this means that they were polytheistic. So once the Spaniards came to their land and invaded them their religion was one of the many things of their culture in that time that South American individuals obtained into their own beliefs. As I had mentioned before also their language was one of them that the Spanish originated, lots of people that came from South America parts have the tendency to talk a lot of Spanish and this is where the Spanish conquered the Aztecs and were immediately forced to learn the language of the Spanish. In conclusion, these two things are out of many others that now a days you see that take a role of the beliefs of the Mexican tradition or culture.
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Ashley Guerrero
9/29/2013 11:46:57 am
Through out the story we encounter several differences and similarities with Aztec and Spaniard culture. Many of these cultures have mixed into Mexican culture. A big impact that the Spanish brought to us has been religion wise. I have also seen how "Machismo" was brought by them too. The Aztecs and Spanish have both oppressed women in some way but it seems like the Spanish oppress women more than Aztecs. Humming bird says that most of the Spanish men were throwing them serfs at the Aztec women. Many of the foods from my observations have been a mixture of Aztec and Spaniard. In some Mexican festivals I also see many dances that the Aztecs have impacted on our Mexican culture.
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Marisol Jimenez
9/29/2013 12:25:15 pm
After reading chapter 10-13 in Song of the Hummingbird we see that the Mexican culture took some things away from the spaniards.One main thing was that they took away their religion and the language.Most of all the Mexicans are Catholic and speak Spanish.Both of them have similar cultures because they both believed that a women's job was to stay home,take care of the children and obey their husband.
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Alexander Trujillo
9/29/2013 02:04:14 pm
The obvious evidence that I know that the Spaniards forcefully took away for the Aztecs were religion and language. In the Aztec culture, people were polytheistic which means they believed in one god, but, as Huitzitzilan's perspective, the Spaniards started to make some big changes to the Aztec culture and many people that were Aztecs believed what Cortes was doing was absolutely wrong. In current times, people in Central America now believe in Catholic and Christian beliefs instead of their old Aztec cultural beliefs. Another culture that was force to be taken away was the Aztec language. The people that live in current time still speak Spanish and the reason for that is that the when the Spaniards invade the Aztecs, they were suppose to speak Spanish. Theses are the two obvious evidence that can be found in Song of the Hummingbird, although many people for Central America still believe in Aztec culture.
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Jennifer Chupin
9/29/2013 02:34:34 pm
In the past couple of chapters, the spanish and the mexican culture start to collide. The Mexican culture obviously took away some things of the spanish. Basically saying it was like payback. But they both have similar ideas. They both basically beat women just because they were men. It made the women oppressed and wanted to make the womens voice heard. They both beat women if the women wasnt a virgin on the day of there wedding. The both thought a womens job was just to stay home make food and take care of the children or the offspring.
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Michael Ponce
9/29/2013 02:42:20 pm
The Mexican and Spanish culture have an y things in common, but they also have many differences. Some of those differences may include that in spansish culture they took away the Aztecs religion. But these people now are mostly catholic and have the same religion and speak the same language. The Spanish on the other hand beat their woman and the male is more dominant as in the Spanish culture these two cultures have many similarities.
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tania celestino
9/29/2013 02:55:22 pm
The Spaniards impose religion, language, and culture to the Aztecs. This influenced Mexicans for example they speak Spanish and most of them are Catholic. In both cultures the women were oppress and only use for one purpose, have many children. They both also believed women are suppose to be virgins until marriage.
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Zaira Gaspar
9/29/2013 03:14:00 pm
After reading chapters 10-13 of Song Of The Hummingbird, I learned that the Spanish took away the Aztecs morals, beliefs,traditions, language and their own culture. The Aztecs were forced to believe in only one god when they believed in many during their entire life. The Spaniards persuaded the Aztecs to speak Spanish when they spoke a distinct language their entire life. The Aztec's tradition which was mostly human sacrifice was wiped out. In the present day, most Mexicans and Spaniards are Catholic so the religion that was forced to the Aztecs was remained and kept expanding. Another similarity that both had in common was the women's job, which was to marry a man, have children, and do whatever the man pleases for them to do.
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Yerlin Lopez
9/29/2013 03:14:03 pm
Some things that the Spaniards imposed on the Aztec's were there religion and there language because now in Mexico almost everyone speaks Spanish and believes in one god and practice Catholicism.Both cultures showed men as the superior gender and women were just there to maintain a home and take care of a child as some Mexican men still believe this is true and expect their wife to be a housewife.I believe Mexican recipes and dances were influenced by the Aztec's.In many festivals in Mexico we see a group of people mostly men dancing around with a special outfit and feathers I think this could have been something like a dance the Aztec would do.In the novel we learn that Hummingbird had a type of relationship with a white invader.Which could of happen with many other people of both cultures with created a blend of both cultures.
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Angel Mis
9/29/2013 03:27:11 pm
There is no beating around the bush when talking about the Spanish invading the Aztec tribe. They murdered, pillaged, and among all else, left a huge impact where they invaded. Yes, from religion to language, these invaders can still be remembered today. For example, certain diseases like Polio came from the Spanish and ravaged the land. Immunity grew to foreign diseases and the people today still have a better immunity to these new diseases and all their variants. The Spanish language is also here too. Originally, people spoke different languages based on the different tribes that conquered certain areas. This can now even be seen in literature as books like Song of the Hummingbird have characters that though translated to English, are implied to be speaking Spanish. Above all else, Religion is spread by the Spanish as well. Catholic ideas are explained in the same book by the character Hummingbird as to never have existed before the white men came. Such influences by the Spanish ended int he Mexico that we view today.
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Heidi Ramos
9/29/2013 05:13:49 pm
As I read chapters 10-13, I learn about the both blending of Spanish (Europeans) and the Aztecs culture, clashing to make Mexican culture. Parts in were I believe Mexican culture came from the Spaniards is religion and language. Religion because many people of the Mexican culture believe in one god, just how Spain does. Language because most Mexicans speak Spanish rather than the Aztec language. What Mexicans inherited from the Aztecs is probably the clothing, they both wear feathers and a head set either to dance or to fight. Parts of the Mexican culture that could have came from both civilizations is the superiority that men have. They have more power than women because since they're are physically stronger they think they are more superior. That's what I think the Mexican culture picked up on from the Spaniards and the Aztecs
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Leticia Diaz
9/29/2013 08:40:50 pm
As we starting going further inside the chapter we start to see more of the blending of the Aztec and Spanish culture. We see that Spanish culture had imposed some of there culture into to Aztec culture, for example, language and religion. Today we most all speak Spanish as our primary or secondary language. Almost everybody is almost either catholic or Christian, believing in one god or in the Virgin Mary. One thing that both cultures shared was their view towards women. Both cultures thought that women were just "house wives" because they were meant for just having babies and staying home to nurture them and pleas the husband. In their view women were weak.
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Diane Leal
9/29/2013 09:37:46 pm
As we read the novel Song of the Hummingbird, we begin to comprehend that both the Spaniards and Aztecs have contributed to the current Mexican culture. For example, we know speak Spanish and most of Mexico practice Catholism. A tradition that the Catholics have is that when it is the Virgin Mary's birthday, we sing and dance to her, dressed as Aztecs. Without a doubt, both of the cultures contributed to the role of men and women. Obliviously men think that they are superior and that the women's job is to just stay home, cook, clean, and take of the children.