A workshop on Mexican art wouldn’t be complete without a lesson on the Aztecs. We began by reading The Sad Night by Sally Schoffer Matthews. This is a longer story than I normally read in class. It gives a brief history of the Aztec civilization and then tells of their encounters and subsequent battles with Spanish explorers. I thought they might not be listening, but the questions and comments after proved to me the were definitely paying attention. : ) We did a directed drawing of an Aztec warrior and then let students create their own elaborate patterns for his clothing. We used markers to color the patterns. I recently discovered Sharpie “brush” markers, which were a big hit! Several kids asked me where I got them. (Hint to parents. : ) ) Not everyone loves this kind of detail work, but some students really enjoyed it. I wish I had taken more pictures.
