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A day in the life of an Aztec midwife - Kay Read

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TEDEd Animation

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The midwife Xoquauhtli has a difficult choice to make. She owes a debt to her patron Teteoinnan, the female warrior goddess at the center of the Aztec seasonal festival, who must be kept happy or she will bring bad luck. Xoquauhtli should participate in the festival today, but one of her patients could go into labor any minute. Kay Read outlines a day in the life of an Aztec midwife.

Images of war abound in this story. Why do you think war symbolizes both the battlefield of childbirth and capturing babies as well as the battlefields of war and capturing human food for the gods?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Kay Read
  • Director Cristina Neto, AIM Creative Studios
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Producer Tom Knight, Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Composer André Aires
  • Sound Designer André Aires
  • Illustrator Cristina Neto
  • Storyboard Artist Vicente Nirō
  • Animation Cristina Neto, Mirta Brkulj
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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