The Aztec Creation Myth

It was clear through the human sacrifice that the Aztecs practiced that they had no regard for the quality of human life and did it for the benefit of their society. First of all, they would kill thousands of people at a time, and then they ate the arms, thighs, and heads leaving the bodies to feed to the wild animals (Document G). This shows that the Aztecs did not care about the people that they were killing, only about sacrificing to the gods. Secondly, many say that the Aztecs sacrificed human beings for the sole purpose of pleasing the gods. In the eyes of the Aztec religion, if then gods were happy with the Aztecs, then that they would be blessed. It is clear the Aztecs sacrificed to make their civilization the most successful of their time. In contrast, it is also a popular belief that the reason for human sacrifice was for cannibalism. It is a possible that since they had no animals such as cattle or lamb, they had to resort to eating human beings (Document J). This theory demonstrates that the Aztecs valued the well- being of their society over human life. Regardless of what approach regarding human

The Aztecs had one of the most successful and advanced empires of all time. They had a dwelling culture The Aztec civilization was located directly in the middle of two mountain ranges in the central valley of Mexico ( Platt 10). Although the Aztec empire eventually came to an end they were able to do well as an empire. Contributing factors that led to the rise of the empire was their political structure, social components, and religious traditions which they preformed earnestly.

     The Aztecs society was structured in a hierarchy with nobles at the top. Social status was determined primarily at birth. All members of the nobility could trace their lineage to the first Aztecs ruler Acamapichtli . The only way one could rise up to another class in the system was to perform an outstanding military achievement.

Religion played a very important role in the Aztec and Inca culture. Religious rituals consisted of human sacrifice and polytheism. Their deities were inspired by nature and the earth’s physical makeup. Both appear to be similar but peel back the onion and notable differences reveal themselves. It is difficult for modern day society to understand how human sacrifice can exist in such advanced civilizations.

Aztec view of the afterlife and its significance was the driving force of their life. Aztecs strongly believed in an afterlife. The journey to the afterlife entailed many things. It was believed that the way you died decided how your afterlife would go, not the way you lived. If you didn’t die in the specific ways which sent you to specific gods, you would go through the nine levels hell; in the ninth you would serve for eternity. “They are not places of bliss or damnation, merely multiple levels of existence divided in purpose.”

The Aztecs had many beliefs that were based on the end of the world and nature. The Aztec religion focused on keeping a balance in nature. They believed that one mistake could lead to a natural disaster or could cause the sun to stop rotating. Among the many hundreds of gods that the Aztecs adored, there was a particularly interesting god that stood out from the rest. This god was Quetzalcoatl, otherwise knows as the “Feathered Serpent”. According to legend Quetzalcoatl created all humans with his own blood. The Aztecs believed that they needed to repay Quetzalcoatl and all the gods for their sacrifice by performing rituals. In

In the book Daily Life of The Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest by Jacques Soustelle you are walked through what life was like for the Aztecs. You are in 16th Century Mexico, or to them Mexico-Tenochtilan. Soustelle does an excellent job immediately putting you in character with the introduction of the book. The book is broken down into seven different main chapters detailing major aspects of the Aztecs lives in the late 1500’s. You learn about where they lived, to the wars they fought, and what life was like for them from birth to death. In this paper I will further discuss four topics that were very crucial in the daily lives of the Aztecs. I will help you find a better understanding in their daily life as well as the many changes they migrated through over time. The four topics I will be discussing are: 1. Culture and Customs of the Aztecs 2. Civilization vs Barbarism 3. Art and Architecture 4. Education and Home Life.

How did Aztecs view the afterlife and its significance? What would one’s journey entail? Could you change your afterlife by living a certain way? The Aztecs strongly believed in an afterlife. It was believed that the way you died decided how your afterlife would go, not the way you lived. “They are not places of bliss or damnation, merely multiple levels of existence divided in purpose.” In a normal death, (specify normal), you would go through the nine levels hell; in the ninth you would (cease to exist?/ serve for eternity).

The Aztecs began as nomadic-hunter gatherer tribes mixed with separate cultures. This mix was what founded the Aztec culture we all know of today. It was believed the Aztecs originated from a mythical place known as Aztlan which can be translated to “the place of origin,” and was also believed to be located somewhere north of the Valley of Mexico. Though, archaeologists claim Aztlan didn’t and never will exist. According the Aztec history there were seven Aztec Tribes that lived under oppression in Aztlan and fled Aztlan to the south.

The religious aspects of both the Aztec and the Incan civilizations were based on several different deities. The Aztec empire had more than 128 gods and goddesses. The most important of these gods is Tlaloc (Life god) and Huitzilopochtli (Sun god). These gods could be represented in human, animal or direction form. Aztec gods were worshipped through pyramid shaped religious buildings and ritual sacrificing. Human

Mictlantecuhtli, Supreme God of Death in the Aztec Mythology The beliefs of the Aztec cults are very different from the concepts of theology of contiguous religions such as Judeo-Christian. But, just because they do not believe in hell or in the biblical Satan does not mean that they disbelieve in deities with power over the life, destiny, and death. In fact, Aztecs believed in a supreme evil entity who governed the Mictlan, which as the underworld of the Aztec mythology. Mictlantecuhtli along with his wife Mictecacihuatl, exercise their sovereignty over the nine levels of the Aztec underworld and over all the souls of the dead that inhabit them.

The religion of the Aztec, including their beliefs, customs and religions, acted as a tremendous influence on their government, economy, and culture. Religion was the foundation for the infamous culture of the Aztec Civilization. Through ceremonies of sacrifice, and the infusion of cosmology into their religion, the Aztecs sculpted a culture unlike that of any other civilization, and left behind a legacy to be studied and admired for generations to come. Religion ultimately shaped the unique civilization of the Aztecs, through cultivating the general outlook and values of the Aztecs, expanding the empire, and influencing the architecture and layout of their city.

Mesoamerican was the religion of the Aztecs and other cultures. The religion consists of three main parts, earth, an underworld, and an upper plane. They claimed multiple gods and deities including Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl. The Aztec’s had many rituals that coincided with their calendar. There were a series of eighteen spectacular, often grisly public festivals during the three hundred and sixty-five day Mesoamerican year. Some were simple enough such as burning their old kitchen utensils, and putting out all the fires and starting a new fire for a central bonfire. Simple rituals that did not have any ethical principles to speak of.

The ancient Aztec civilization had myths that are remarkably different from the perspectives of many modern cultures. It was largely shaped by their religion, which was ingrained almost every aspect of their lives. The most specific group of people the term Aztec can refer to those who founded the city of Tenochtitlan in 1325 and subsequently developed the Aztec empire in today’s Mexico. One of the most profound practices they did was human sacrifice, which was required due to their mythological beliefs.

The religion of the Aztecs was made up of mainly three gods: Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. Below these three main gods were four creating gods. Below these four gods were many other gods, however the most important were Tlaloc, the rain god, Chalchihuitlicue, the god of growth and Xipe, the god of spring. The main thing that captures the attention of Aztec religion is their human sacrifice made to the different gods. Although human sacrifice was practiced around Mesoamerica, the Aztecs practiced human sacrifice in a large scale never seen before to date. The idea of human sacrifice was that Gods gave things to humans like food, rain, wealth, and other goods only if they were given human beings in return. The Aztecs believed that the goods liked best the living hearths of sacrificed captives. If the captive was a well skilled soldier and very brave then the Gods would return better goods to his people. This idea lead to wars were the Aztecs fought with other indians and capture their bravest men for sacrifice. As we can imagine,