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Do all of these comments seem like they are AI generated to anyone else?
The thing thats wild about Tenochtitlan, as the story goes, is that the Aztec people discovered it themselves, and no one really knows who originally built it!
You think some mysterious people or aliens built something as technologically complex as a planned urban city, with a clear grid, subdivided districts with schools and commercial centers... that facilitates the application of human labor, commerce, worship and education and then gifted it to some other people who somehow knew how to use and maintain that technology? To most Americans today, who have no idea why their…
But also more broadly, your point is basically why Teotihuacan is so interesting to me! Not because of aliens, but because its fun to think about how the Aztec/Mexica people were as displaced from the origins of that particular place as much as we are!
But yes absolutely with you: even more so than attributing it to a particularly American decadence (which is a little too pat/editorial column to pass my sniff test, but ymmv), the whole impulse to Ancient Alienize things seems to me to be a kind of mystification which sustains, ultimately, racist/colonial stereotypes of ancient non-white people. It clearly serves to sustain a certain idea of civilization, rather than overturn or disrupt it.
Either way, its an important point, and happy to be your punching bag so you can make it!
Do all of these comments seem like they are AI generated to anyone else?
(re-reading this, it sounds just like AI!)
Do all of these comments seem like they are AI generated to anyone else?
With AI assistants on our phones, it can be hard to tell the difference, and people often use it for completeness or clarity. Blind AI rephrasing has a cost though, sacrificing your personal voice, and often resulting in overly enthusiastic and repetitive sentences. (re-reading this, it sounds just like AI!)
That's what an AI would say!
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39020.1491?ref=nav_sb_ss... [2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9862761-1493
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think some mysterious people or aliens built something as technologically complex as a planned urban city, with a clear grid, subdivided districts with schools and commercial centers... that facilitates the application of human labor, commerce, worship and education and then gifted it to some other people who somehow knew how to use and maintain that technology? To most Americans today, who have no idea why their…
Well first of all, I got the city wrong so its really not applicable here. But also more broadly, your point is basically why Teotihuacan is so interesting to me! Not because of aliens, but because its fun to think about how the Aztec/Mexica people were as displaced from the origins of that particular place as much as we are! But yes absolutely with you: even more so than attributing it to a particularly American dec…
Asking the question: "How could they have done that?" is not dissimilar from asking "Why didn't we do that?" so occasionally truly curious individuals do step through the self-soothing cultural narrative.
I put “Hispanics” in quotes because it’s pretty weird to be labeled by the language of your conquerors who don’t even control anything in the area anymore.
The presence of a comprehensive urban plan for all of these cities, with a clear grid subdivided into districts is extremely impressive. By contrast most European cities were organic and unplanned mazes.
Having said all that it certainly seems that ancient Meso-American city builders of all stripes were really into grid-tastic cities, at least for the monumental cores with the temples, ball courts etc.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re thinking of another city, very likely Teotihuacán. Tenochtitlán was built from scratch by the aztecs. (Either that or please give sources for your statement).
Maybe they are referring to the fact that the Mexica came from elsewhere and founded the city and there were already other people/cities in the area. It seems the Valley of Mexico has been inhabited since around 12,000BC, so not surprising there isn't history of the first people there.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re thinking of another city, very likely Teotihuacán. Tenochtitlán was built from scratch by the aztecs. (Either that or please give sources for your statement).
oops yes, definitely was thinking of Teotihuacán.. My bad!