Aztec Drum Experience At School

 Today, during my fifth period history class, we went to watch the Aztec dancers and drummers, a wonderful experience for my entire class. Once we arrived, we were kindly greeted with smoke essences and the colorful ambience of the Aztecs. We were then seated in a circle arrangement, having our class along with the other history classes in a large circle around the performers. One of the first things I noticed was the unique clothing that most of the performers were wearing. Some (mainly the drummers) wore basic, everyday clothing, while others wore traditional clothing, with feathers on their backs, shells on their ankles, intricate designs tattooed/on their bodies, etc. I thought the traditional clothes were very unique (I have never seen anything like that before), and was a good representation of the Aztecs and their lifestyle back in the day. We then heard multiple songs being played on the drums, and each one had a noticeable tempo/speed difference to it. Once in a while, during the drumming, a shell was blew which created a strange yet beautiful noise. I would honestly love if I ever had the opportunity to blow into a shell, as it seems really cool and a fun experience. During the drumming and songs, there were also dancers spread throughout our seated circle, performing unique moves to fit the drum and its beats. Finally after multiple wonderful drum songs, everyone got the opportunity to get up and participate in a serpent dance, where you held hands with your peers and ran in snake-formations around the drummers. I, along with my friends decided to join, as it looked like a fun experience and most people were also participating. Though the running around did make us tired and hot, to me, it was honestly a really fun experience, and I would definitely take the opportunity if I was able to again. Finally, as the end of our period was nearing and we would have to say goodbye to the performers, we were able to take a few pictures with the cast as a memory and primary source of our experience. 

I enjoyed the drumming and Aztec lifestyle so much, after further research, I have more background knowledge about the Aztec people and culture. The Aztec people first came to Mesoamerica during the 1300s, then settled into Mexico in around 1200. The early Aztec civilization were hunters and warriors, until the world started to evolve and more resources were provided. While in Mexico, the Aztecs found a home which they believed given by their sun god. Though it was not the best, they felt as if the gods were demanding this be their house, and they began to use their resources to construct their city. The following 100 years were dedicated to their temples and city, ultimately becoming the center of trade in Mexico because of the dedication put into their cities and buildings. The Aztec also had a small Feudalism social ranking, the kings, emperors, and gods being at the top, followed by the priests, nobles, warriors, commoners, and unskilled workers. As still famous today, the most powerful and impactful Aztec ruler was Montezuma I, who ruled from 1440 to 1469, and helped expand and build on the empire.