A day in the life of an Aztec midwife - Kay Read
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0:07 - 0:11Lord Sun dawns on the day called 7-Monkey,
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0:11 - 0:14his fingers slowly spreading a rosy sheen
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0:14 - 0:19that mixes softly with smoke rising
from Tenochtitlan’s many hearth fires. -
0:19 - 0:24The midwife, Xoquauhtli,
has a difficult choice to make. -
0:24 - 0:29A momentous shift from rainy season
to dry season is underway. -
0:29 - 0:32All summer, the gods have kept
the people fed with corn, -
0:32 - 0:35but the fertile summer months
are disappearing. -
0:35 - 0:39This day occurs during the festival
that marks the shift -
0:39 - 0:42between the summer season,
when the gods feed the people, -
0:42 - 0:46and the winter season,
when the people feed the gods in return. -
0:46 - 0:50Xoquauhtli owes a debt
to her patron, Teteoinnan, -
0:50 - 0:54the female warrior goddess
at the center of this festival. -
0:54 - 0:58Teteoinnan wages war both
on women’s battlefields of birth -
0:58 - 1:02and in men’s battles
with Tenochtilan’s enemies. -
1:02 - 1:06She must be kept happy
or she will bring bad luck. -
1:06 - 1:08The midwife should participate
in the festival today, -
1:08 - 1:12but one of her patients could
go into labor any minute. -
1:12 - 1:16Xoquauhtli decides to check
on her patient first. -
1:16 - 1:19The expecting mother hasn’t
worked too hard, chewed gum, -
1:19 - 1:20or lifted heavy things.
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1:20 - 1:23Her family is taking good care of her.
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1:23 - 1:26Surely Xoquauhtli can take a little time
to honor her goddess. -
1:26 - 1:31She leaves her apprentice in charge
and heads to the center of the city. -
1:31 - 1:34Along the way, she sees women sweeping
the roads and hanging gourds -
1:34 - 1:37in preparation for the festival.
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1:37 - 1:40Finally, she reaches the Great Pyramid.
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1:40 - 1:43On top are two temples: the north,
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1:43 - 1:46where rituals honor
the rain god in the summer, -
1:46 - 1:50and the south one is where rituals
honor the war god in the winter. -
1:50 - 1:54On the equinox, the sun rises
between the two sides. -
1:54 - 1:57The ceremony begins with a mock battle
between the midwives -
1:57 - 1:59and the other physicians.
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1:59 - 2:03Xoquauhtli’s team battles heartily,
throwing nochtles, marigolds, -
2:03 - 2:06and balls made of reed and moss.
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2:06 - 2:09They joke, call their rivals names,
and laugh. -
2:09 - 2:13But then, a girl comes running
with a message for Xoquauhtli. -
2:13 - 2:16Her patient is in labor!
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2:16 - 2:17She hurries back to the house.
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2:17 - 2:19All the old women
from the extended family -
2:19 - 2:22have already gathered for the birth—
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2:22 - 2:25their experience is very valuable
if anything goes wrong. -
2:25 - 2:31She readies herself with a prayer praising
her most important tools, her fingers. -
2:31 - 2:35Then she doses the patient with cihuapatli
to help expel the baby, -
2:35 - 2:39massages her in the sweathouse,
and rubs her stomach with tobacco. -
2:39 - 2:42Offering Teteoinnan a short prayer,
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2:42 - 2:46she urges her patient
to act like a warrior. -
2:46 - 2:49A strong baby girl slips
into her waiting hands -
2:49 - 2:52and the old women shout triumphant cries.
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2:52 - 2:57Xoquauhtli takes a few drops of water
from a jade bowl, breaths on them, -
2:57 - 3:00and places them on the baby’s tiny tongue.
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3:00 - 3:03She calls her a precious greenstone,
a little warrior, -
3:03 - 3:06and tells her how the Lord and Lady
of the Ninth Sky -
3:06 - 3:11breathed life into her, sending her
to this place of burden and torment. -
3:11 - 3:15She then turns to the new mother,
praising her, -
3:15 - 3:20telling her she acted like
an eagle warrior, a jaguar warrior. -
3:20 - 3:25By the time they finish, it’s late,
and the flames of the fire have died down. -
3:25 - 3:29Xoquauhtli piles the remaining hot coals
in the center of the hearth, -
3:29 - 3:32stoking them to keep them going.
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3:32 - 3:37She lays the baby in a woven basket,
head facing the warming fire. -
3:37 - 3:41This will warm her tonalli,
an important “soul” center in the body -
3:41 - 3:44central to health and well-being.
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3:44 - 3:47It’s almost midnight—
if Xoquauhtli hurries, -
3:47 - 3:51she can get back to the temple
for the culmination of the festival. -
3:51 - 3:55She makes her way to the city center,
where a priest carries a woman on his back -
3:55 - 3:57to the top of the pyramid.
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3:57 - 4:01To begin the new season and feed the gods,
she will be beheaded, -
4:01 - 4:05symbolizing how corn is cut in the fields.
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4:05 - 4:09Afterward, she will be reborn
as Lady Teteoinnan, -
4:09 - 4:12and preside over the induction
of new warriors.
- Title:
- A day in the life of an Aztec midwife - Kay Read
- Speaker:
- Kay Read
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-aztec-midwife-kay-read
The midwife Xoquauhtli has a difficult choice to make. She owes a debt to her patron Teteoinnan, the female warrior goddess at the center of the Aztec seasonal festival, who must be kept happy or she will bring bad luck. Xoquauhtli should participate in the festival today, but one of her patients could go into labor any minute. Kay Read outlines a day in the life of an Aztec midwife.
Lesson by Kay Read, directed by AIM Creative Studios.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:13
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lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for A day in the life of an Aztec midwife | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for A day in the life of an Aztec midwife | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for A day in the life of an Aztec midwife |