Help me plan an Aztec/Maya party!

In honor of the world ending on December 21 :smiley: a friend and I are hosting an ancient mesoamerican themed party that weekend. I’d love suggestions for theme-consistent food/drink recipes, decor, cosplay, games and other activities (other than human sacrifice of course), etc. Thanks!

Do any of the attendees have Mexican/Mexican-American/Central American ancestors?

If yes, get their input. If not, it just sounds tacky…

Ha, awesome idea! Come dressed in (an extra layer of) human skin, like Xipe Totec.

I’m pretty sure anyone who would be offended has been dead for many centuries.

You could have a penis (men) or tongue (women) piercing contest. Sorry but I have no idea where to buy muguey thorns or a sting ray barb though.

Maybe not…a million people speak Yucatec Mayan in lowland Mexico, and another two or three million speak other kinds of Mayan in Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas.

But I’ll bet most of them think this is all in good fun.

So anyway…

The most typical Yucatan Mayan dish is probably “cochinita pibil” – shredded pork in orange juice and annatto (achiote, a red, mild tasting powder), cooked or steamed in a banana leaf.

Very yummy!

Everybody gets driven to the party in a Pontiac Aztek!

What?

Unsweetened cocoa.

See if you can hire the baker who did these.

You could have someone doing tribal tattoos in sharpie or facepaint ink.

Why yes, I love tacky parties. :slight_smile:

I’d come. Serve chicha (a fermented corn liquor) and guinea pig. Or something you can claim is guinea pig.

A sloping, tiered cake made from batter baked in square pans would be awesome.

Serve hot chocolate Aztec style: Spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate with Chili, Cinnamon, and Mezcal

If you’re not into human sacrifice, you can at least serve grilled beef hearts.

Guinea Pigs were eaten by the Incas. The Aztecs and Mayas ate tepezcuintles (pacas). They’re pretty tasty, but you might have trouble finding it at Safeway.

For costume ideas, how about Huitzilopochtli. If you can’t get quetzal feathers locally, use crepe paper.

Thanks to those with good ideas! Keep em coming. :slight_smile:

Tox (and anyone else) feel free to PM me for an invite if you are near Long Island and will survive the apocalypse.

If you’re not into human sacrifice, you could burn someone in effigy. Or, use a pinata.

Well, that lets out my purpose for coming in.

But how about popcorn? I distinctly recall reading that they’ve found popcorn kernels in Aztec ruins.

Oh I like this idea. Make an effigy of a person and cut out it’s heart. Have heart shaped candies inside or dark chocolates. And sausage down where the guts would be!

I’m going to crash this party dressed as Cortez.

And infect partygoers with a disease.

You can get Maya Popcorn, but it’s made in Switzerland.

If you have a yard, you could try playing a version of the Mesoamerican Ball Game. Since nobody knows what the rules were, you can make up your own. It’s uncertain whether the losing or the winning team was sacrificed.

It depended on whether it was the regular season or the playoffs.