[Aztlan] Aztec terminology

[Michael Smith]

I thank Gordon Whittaker for his clarification of some popular "Aztec" terms (and I also thank Gordon for teaching the first course I ever took on the Aztecs!). It would be nice if Gordon or someone similarly erudite in Aztec scholarship would put together a paper on some of these terms, especially the term "Aztec" itself.  I am constantly criticized for my usage of the term Aztec to mean the entire Late Postclassic population of the central Mexico highlands, both Nahuatl-speaking and others such as Otomian languages. I have 3 main reasons for sticking to this usage: (1) there is no good alternate term; (2) book publishers insist in using "Aztec" in book titles to generate sales; and (3) the various peoples of Late Postclassic central Mexico shared many cultural traits, spoke or understood the same language, and they were in constant contact with one another through trade, visiting, and other means. This was a single culture, and if don't call it Aztec, what term can we use?

After another round of criticism for my usage at a Presentación de Libro" for Aztec City-State Capitals last summer, I suggested that perhaps "Anahuac" could be used for my concept of Aztec culture, but it turns out this has strong political overtones (it has been proposed as a possible name for a new Mexican state should the present State of Mexico split into two parts). So I will keep with "Aztec" until something better comes along. My main answer to people who say that "Aztec" should be limited to the Mexica is that we already have a term for them (Mexica).

I think that good scholarship on terminology, as outlined by Gordon's post, is important for many reasons, and I think it would be very helpful if someone were to assemble the data and interpretations and publish it in a visible place (such as Mexicon.....).

Mike

Dr. Michael E. Smith
Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Arizona State University
www.public.asu.edu/~mesmith9/