The Totonac People
The first people to grow vanilla were the Totonac people from Mazatlan Valley which is now present day Veracruz. The area in which they inhabited had a hot and humid climate making it an agricultural hot spot. The Totonacs ate an abundance of fruit, fish and porridge, and both nobles and farmers ate fish and meats.
The women wore long ankle length skirts with ponchos, and braided their hair with feathers. The only distinction between the noblewomen and farmers were the necklaces and red tattoos that were adorned by all nobility. Married women kept their hair cropped short while farmers let their hair grow long. The men had less of a distinction between the social classes concerning clothing. They wore bright colored cloaks, loin clothes and jewelry.
The Totonacs believed in multiple Gods and Goddesses including the mother goddess, a maize deity, who created all souls. One sacrifice performed by the Totonacs included mixing seeds and the blood of fowls into the earth and over the planting fields. Due to conquistadors and European influence, present day Totonacs are catholic, however their practices are mixed with traces of their original and traditional religions and beliefs (Totonac People).
The women wore long ankle length skirts with ponchos, and braided their hair with feathers. The only distinction between the noblewomen and farmers were the necklaces and red tattoos that were adorned by all nobility. Married women kept their hair cropped short while farmers let their hair grow long. The men had less of a distinction between the social classes concerning clothing. They wore bright colored cloaks, loin clothes and jewelry.
The Totonacs believed in multiple Gods and Goddesses including the mother goddess, a maize deity, who created all souls. One sacrifice performed by the Totonacs included mixing seeds and the blood of fowls into the earth and over the planting fields. Due to conquistadors and European influence, present day Totonacs are catholic, however their practices are mixed with traces of their original and traditional religions and beliefs (Totonac People).
The Aztecs
The Aztecs, although an empire, had no official ruler. The individual areas and city states were ruled by a Tlatoani or king descended from a dynasty. Kings and the local leaders kept the empire from falling. The empire consisted of slaves, commoners, nobles who owned land and were benefited and royalty. Both commoners and nobles had bronze proving that the value of it was not realized or that there was an abundance of it.
Tribute was expected to be payed to the empire. Tributes consisted of feathers, clothing, cloth, firewood and food. The tribute took place every year, occurring 2 to 4 times at differing times. Nobles, who inherited their position were benefited from the imperial tribute while commoners needed to increase their work. As a result of not being able to pay tribute commoners could become slaves.
The Aztecs believed in the god of sun and war, named Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice, their record was 84,400 prisoners over the course of 4 days in 1487. According to myth Princess Xanat married a mortal man against her fathers wishes, in return the lovers were killed. When their blood hit the ground the vanilla orchid grew (Aztec).
Tribute was expected to be payed to the empire. Tributes consisted of feathers, clothing, cloth, firewood and food. The tribute took place every year, occurring 2 to 4 times at differing times. Nobles, who inherited their position were benefited from the imperial tribute while commoners needed to increase their work. As a result of not being able to pay tribute commoners could become slaves.
The Aztecs believed in the god of sun and war, named Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice, their record was 84,400 prisoners over the course of 4 days in 1487. According to myth Princess Xanat married a mortal man against her fathers wishes, in return the lovers were killed. When their blood hit the ground the vanilla orchid grew (Aztec).
In 1819 French entrepreneurs shipped the vanilla bean back to the islands of Reunion and Mauritius in hopes of producing vanilla there. The beans were then shipped to Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. In 1898 Reunion, Madagascar and Comoros produced 200 tons of vanilla beans which measured up to 80% of the worlds production, jump starting the global trade of vanilla (Vanilla).