Personal Narrative: New Fire Ceremony

Carrasco, David and Scot Sessions. Daily Life of the Aztecs: People of the Sun and Earth. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Religion played a very important role in the Aztec and Inca culture. Religious rituals consisted of human sacrifice and polytheism. Their deities were inspired by nature and the earth’s physical makeup. Both appear to be similar but peel back the onion and notable differences reveal themselves. It is difficult for modern day society to understand how human sacrifice can exist in such advanced civilizations.

     Mexica rulers flooded their lands with propaganda that promoted their imperialistic religion. Most of the Aztec’s art and literature was made up of this propaganda, which created this religious fervor among the people that grew beyond the control of the ruling elites. “Oral literature, monumental art, written codices, and public and private ceremonies instilled and continually reinforced belief in the divine struggle and the unceasing need for sacrificial victims” (Conrad, 51). Furthermore, religious zeal was strengthened by the guarantee that immortality would be granted to warriors who died in the divine quest and increased social standing awaited those who faired well in wars (Conrad, 52).

Only weeks before the great conquistador Hernan Cortes seized control of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) in 1521, his forces were on the verge of defeat. The Aztecs had repeatedly repelled the invaders and were preparing a final offensive. But the attack never came, and the beleaguered Spaniards got an unlikely chance to regroup. On Aug. 21 they stormed the city, only to find that some greater force had already pillaged it. "I solemnly swear that all the houses and stockades in the lake were full of heads and corpses," Cortes's chronicler Bernal Diaz wrote of the scene. "It was the same in the streets and courts... We could not walk without treading on the bodies and heads of dead Indians. I have read about the destruction of Jerusalem, but I do not think the mortality was greater there than here in Mexico... Indeed, the stench was so bad that no one could endure it... and even Cortes was ill from the odors which assailed his nostrils."

My career goal in the next 10-15 years is to have a badass job that not only brings out my love for firefighting, but also my desire and dedication to make a positive change in the wildland fire industry. To Help and make a difference in the wildland urban interface would be an amazing feat in my career goals.

There are no marble arches and no lighthouses. The river has dried up with the memory of the empire and the bones of a dead leader have long since turned to dust. Colossal galleons and crowds to greet victorious soldiers are no longer even a memory in the minds of those alive today, simply words on paper in books gathering dust in the darkest corner of a room. There is no-one to remember the beauty of the vast city; no-one to describe the sight of the lighthouses and no-one to recall the crisp aroma of the once majestic river. All that remains are the few paintings and statues that did not dissolve with time. The dust of the bones of men, women and children long since dead has faded from existence. There is no-one left to remember the man selling wares in the street or the woman grieving over the soldier she loved. Nobody holds the memory of the child playing in the park or the servant bringing a pitcher of water to his master. The meaning behind the statue has faded from everyone’s mind. The man, whose wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command secured his victory in every battle he fought, has dissolved into nothing more than a story in a book.

I am here to vouch for my friend, Jake who has been charged with underage drinking.

Many people have left legacies from when they were alive. Some are good, and some are bad. Those people may not agree with what they have left behind, and some may be perfectly okay with theirs. For me, I would like to leave behind a legacy that shows my family that I was a good person. I would want them to know that I had good intentions for my life and that I wanted to do good for myself and others. In this essay, I will explain what I would like my legacy to be like.

Consequently, numerous codices were lost to the fate of time since war had pillaged over their lands and the descendants relied upon word of mouth as a remembrance of their past. They depict the conquest of the Aztec people and their success throughout time. Making references to their ecological work, struggles within leadership, formation of new tribes, and the settling of disputes between rivals (Donn). The feat of this skill speaks volumes to the levels of organization and the development of civilization their culture prior to their collapse. These serve as archives for the people, leaving detailed messages behind that would be later used as guidance- much how the Native American trickster tales served as life lessons for many native cultures (Baym, 100). Yet, A collection of depicted events is only bested by its accompaniment of a

When the clock struck the Roman numeral, eight, all chaos broke lose. The complete silence would soon be crushed by odorous teenagers. On this brisk Tuesday, everyone had rushed through the graffiti-filled halls to elude themselves from this revolting reality- except for one soul. A lower classman would remain hidden beyond the horde with her notebook in between her arms. She would give a look of disgrace to the over-filled garbage canisters and the pieces of glass that fought to stay on the remainder of the window frames. Her feet would guide her to a hall that surrounded her with millions of weathered, scarlet bricks; in the center of the damaged view was what woke her up in the morning. Her eyes scrolled until her dark brown pupils lingered

The retribution to the population was for accepting the present of the fire meant for the gods

I was wandering in the mall recently , aimlessly as some of us do, basically waisting time. In my travels I came across a kiosk that sold various cellphones, chargers, and other accessories. The young man behind the counter asked if I needed any help, I answered as most of us do with a "no, I'm just looking."

We are gathered here today to honor the life of Mrs. Cat, my mom. As the only daughter that she had, I am here to deliver the eulogy.

impressed when I insist on checking all the urns for gold, but they don’t say anything, I just hear them muttering, when I find something important they will eat humble pie.

Panic settled into the air as howls of anger surged through the dark musky night. The children were sound asleep, oblivious to the apocalyptic rush merely feet away. Alcohol lingered on each tongue that spewed words of hatred towards one another, but blood-thirst soon turned simple ill willed remarks into violence. The air thumped with the music, vibrations carried over the yelling and supported the delirium from the sea of people. Vicious words settled on the crowd like a dense blanket, choking out any light. The unpleasant smell of metallic blood and alcohol lingered on a day of purification while lights flashed red and blue. Harsh flesh on flesh contact had ended, and with the pain numbed by alcohol, only the overwhelming rush of blurred