Hey everyone! I stumbled upon this subreddit and was wondering if anyone could point me in a possible direction.
Over the last year or so I’ve learned more about my biological father who was never part of my life. Through family and family friends I understand that his family has generations back in Oaxaca. I understand that this region has (or had, I’m not sure if it still does) a big Aztec influence. According to my mom, my biological father was big on his culture and customs. She learned a little from him, but has forgotten most of it as it was over 20 years ago and she battled a drug addiction that impacted a lot of her memory.
Basically, I want to learn more about the Aztec history. The language, the culture, etc etc. I was wondering if anyone had resources or books that they recommend when learning about the history of the empire and whatnot. I understand that things were lost in the Spanish Inquisition, but I really want to get to some roots and understand the culture better.
Any leads, suggestions etc help a lot! I really appreciate it! Thank you all!
Hopefully a Mesoamericanist will weigh in, but in the meantime take a look at the AskHistorians reading list, which has a section on Latin America and a subsection on the Aztecs.
Hi, sorry to enter late into the conversation. Can you be more specific as to what part of Oaxaca he was from? As you probably are aware, Oaxaca encompasses one of the most diverse cultural regions in Mexico, so if you can help be narrowing the exact location I may be able to direct you in the right direction.
To start, while certainly the Aztecs had an impact on the Oaxaca region, primarily during what archaeologists called the late Postclassic Period in Mesoamerican history, there were a plethora of indigenous groups in the area whose history extend far back in time. So, while talking about the influence the Aztecs had on the region, one must contextualize it into the local histories. This is also certainly true because as Mexico became a nation, it over emphasized the “Aztecness” of Mesoamerica, thus downplaying other indigenous groups. Therefore, I think it I may be able to assist you better if you can elaborate more on your father’s background