A Mat of Serpents: Aztec Strategies of Control from an Empire in Decline

Abstract

As an amalgamation of the self and the other, identity offers a blurred line between liberation and limitation. In skewing too far toward the self, the individual risks stagnation, blinding themselves to the possibilities of experimentation, forever resigned to security and tradition. In surrendering completely to the other, the individual is left desperately inventing and reinventing their identity, becoming an amorphous construct of whatever aspects best suit their immediate need. This thesis considers the Aztec identity under Marxist and Postcolonial lenses, focusing on how the Aztec state codified a visual vocabulary based on the commodification of the empire's religion, history, and people in order to establish and justify ever-expanding class disparities. The Aztec Empire's visual culture will be considered holistically, including its architecture, urban design, codices, and sculpture. [From the Introduction]