Dom Alessio's HST319 Cultures of Imperial Power class visits the new "Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler" exhibit at the British Museum

12/10/2009

Last week students in the above class, as well as members of the university community at large, took at trip to the British Museum to see its new exhibit. "Moctezuma" is an overview of the rise, extent and decline of the Aztec Empire, focusing on the central role of the ruler himself in this story, the last elected emperor of the Empire. The exhibit touched upon many themes discussed in classes, including: the role of religion and empire- making (the Aztec capital was founded by a priest king); voluntary associations forming empires (the "Triple Alliance" of city states); the role of art and architecture in cementing imperial themes (thrones and temples); why empires are formed (to extract raw materials and finished products such as cacao); and how colonialism is a two-way process impacting upon the metropole as well as the periphery (the Spanish-indigenous codices). Next week the class is off for a special guided visit of the Assyrian reliefs at the British Museum.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/813.aspx