The Flower Tree Poem and Aztec Culture

Aztec culture involves Mexicans who made the Aztec empire. The culture was Mesoamerican that contained ethnic groups in central Mexico at large. The culture dominated in the classic periods of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. In ancient times, the establishment of Aztec empire encouraged the emergence of Aztec culture creating an essence of civilization and class in the society (Curl 12). In most cases, Aztec culture involved music, art, poetry, and all sorts of entertainment that were essential among the commoners in a society. Therefore, poetry in the contemporary society today concerning the Aztec world shows the greatest of art in the ancient forms of life, especially in The Flower Tree poem. In this regard, this paper will talk about how the Netzahualcoyotl poem of The Flower Tree embodies Aztec culture. For example, the poem depicts instances of symbolism like the word flower itself, which means beauty in anyone’s perception.

Beliefs in the contemporary society today are regarded as a culture. The Aztec civilization had instances of beliefs as depicted in the poem in this context. Belief in religion was one of the priorities in the society during ancient times. The Aztec culture had a polytheistic type of faith that involved worshiping more than one God at large. In this regard, the poem depicts, “You have appeared before God’s face as multicolored flowers. Ohuaya, ohuaya…” (Curl 2) The statement shows the presence of God in the society hence creating the art of religion in the community. Furthermore, the poem shows how the flower grows and bends before the Lord that triggers its life on earth, and it blossoms in its eternity at large. Cultural beliefs, therefore, in the Aztec world plays an essential role in this context as displayed above concerning the religious activities that involve God in Mexico.

Ethics and morality in Aztec culture is the similarity of good and purity in the Aztec world. Attitude and conduct play a significant role in achieving the prospects. Spilling flowers as seen in the poem that later becomes gold shows the essence of good ethics in the society. It is a notion of proper conduct in the nation during ancient times. In this regard, flowers display beauty and fragility of a given place or community. The flowers turn to gold which means they are worthy of the Aztec world. Another ethical and moral perception that shows right attitude is at the beginning of the poem, which depicts, ”Give pleasure to all, even to Life Giver…” (Curl 2) The statement depicts that the flower tree is in a position of giving pleasure to even the creator who is the Almighty and the people around it. It elaborates the essence of being moral to the society, which is a culture in the Aztec world. Therefore, the perception above shows how the Netzahualcoyotl poem embodies the Aztec culture.

Mesoamerican civilization involves instances of education and knowledge imparted to the residents of Mexica. Awareness and education according to central Mexico is a culture that drives the society into civilization. The knowledge given in the Aztec world was through history, medicine, and religion, literature. In this regard, knowledge, and education is imparted through religion and literature. For example, the poem itself is a form of literary device that creates a capacity building to the people in the Aztec world. They know that flowers are eternal and that the prince is happy about them. Religion, on the other hand, shows a polytheistic system of serving more than one god the society, which depended on one’s social statuses. Education and knowledge as a cultural practice in the Aztec world show how the poem embodies Aztec culture as a whole (Lee 79).

The commoners, as well as the nobility in the contemporary Aztec world, consider music, art, and entertainment as cultural practices, especially music. Music, in this regard, is at the first instance at the poem, which elaborates, ”Begin the song in pleasure, singer, enjoy…” (Curl 2) Therefore, the symbolism in this context shows the sacredness beginning of the poem that depicts the soothing hymn of the poem. It also shows the essence of entertainment among the people back in the centuries. The verse goes further to explain how the songs strew in the jewel house and the golden house, which is a symbol of entertainment, and beauty in a community. It undisputed, not to note that the above narrative shows how the poem embodies the Aztec culture.

The essence of age, life, and death is also shown in the poem as a form of cultural passage among the nobility, commoners, and slaves. At the end of the poem, the prince claims that they will all pass away, and they should enjoy asking do they live on earth. He says that one is not for forever on earth, only a brief of time. Besides, the essence of life also depicts in the pome, stating that, ”The flower tree grows and shakes, already it scatters…” (Curl 2) In this regard, growth is a symbol of life in the poem that shows how later on it scatters and shakes at large. Cultural rights such as the right to life on the earth as flowers are well established in the poem thus creating the narrative of Aztec culture. The poem, The Flower Tree shows an essential impact in the Aztec world that embodies the Aztec culture. The poem’s story is a symbol of activities experienced in the context above. Religion as a cultural practice plays a significant role in this narrative since Aztec people are polytheistic and it is in the paper at large.

Works Cited

Curl, John. ”Flower Songs Of Nezahualcoyotl“. Bilingual Press (Arizona State University), 2001, p. 2., Accessed 28 Mar 2018.

Curl, John. ”The Flower Songs of Nezahualcoyotl: Ancient Nahua (Aztec) Poetry.“Bilingual Review, vol. 26, no. 2/3, May-Dec2001/2002, pp. 1-13. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=18709808&site=ehost-live.

Lee, Jongsoo. ”Nezahualcoyotl and the notion of individual authorship in Nahuatl poetry.“Confluencia (2004): 73-86.