The Aztecs Essay

The Aztecs cosmology was a unique combination of mythology. Their beliefs about themselves and their purpose were not something they took lightly. “The mystic-militaristic approach characteristic of Aztec religion…felt that the purpose of man’s creation was to provide blood for the maintenance of the Sun’s life” (Leon-Portilla, Aztec Thought & Culture, 122). With this perspective of themselves, the Aztecs believed that human sacrifice was not only justified but necessary for the lives of civilization. Simply put, mankind was “food” for god.

Human sacrifice was fairly common for thousands of years before the Incas took control. Incas didn’t force their enemies into believing in their gods. They believed that some people were gifted and could talk to the gods. The Incas tracked the sun and stars through the skies.

The reasons that the Aztecs did things like human sacrifice was that they trying to please the gods for the safety of the people and the success of the crops. Human sacrifice was a part of their religion and accepted in their culture.They thought that the human sacrifices they were doing was for the people and was the right thing to do. What the Aztecs did to the walking god ( which is what they called the people they sacrificed) was they killed them and took out their hearts. Then they held up the heart and presented it to the gods. Then the gods would take the heart and then they would roll the body down the stairs of the pyramid.

The Aztecs should also be remembered for their strong army and expert tactics. Aztec warriors were some of the most “fierce fighters” in Mesoamerica, conquering almost all of southern Mexico in a span of about 100 years (Doc. 1). This extraordinary success came from not only the Aztecs’ expert fighting skills, but the fear they instilled within their enemy. As previously stated, the Aztecs are most known for their human sacrifices; most of which were captured enemies. In The History of the Indies of New Spain, Friar Diego Duran describes a sacrificial ritual he witnessed where 2,300 prisoners from Teuclepec were killed in the name of the Aztec religion (Doc. 6). However, some historians believe that these sacrifices were not performed for

the splatter of blood and the screaming of dying people are just some of the miserable sounds you hear during the intense Aztec sacrifices. tens of thousands of people being slaughtered one after another with crowds cheering as a ruler rips the heart out of another person and presents it to the gods. at our school we have been presented with the questions of whether we think we should put prominence on either Aztec human sacrifices or their

It was the year 1495, on a hot summer day in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The Aztec priest stood over the altar on top of the the great pyramid dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, with the sedated body of his offering laid in front of him. He raised his knife over his head, and with one swift movement, he cut the chest of his sacrifice open and ripped out his heart, crowds cheering all around him. What people might not know is that the body was then taken to the royal palace to be examined by shamans and doctors for medical research. During the rule of Montezuma II, the Aztec were one of the most hygienic and medically advanced civilizations of the

Mesoamerica was once a place filled with growing, ruthless empires and civilizations, although not one was like the Aztecs and their empire. Although they started off with a humble beginning, they quickly grew into a great civilization that dominated present day Central Mexico. They conquered and expanded into an empire stronger than the other neighboring empires. The heart of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan, was a grand capital filled with many people and astounding temples. The Aztecs were also ahead of their time with fully-functional government and irrigation systems. They continue to astound many historians with their diverse way of life. They impacted the way of life for many people today with their customs and ways of life. Throughout the years, the Aztecs were able to grow and prosper with their sufficient supply of agriculture and blessed fertile lands of the Mexican Valley, and demonstrated to be an important part of Mexican heritage. Because of their history, unique culture, and beautiful architecture, the Aztec Civilization truly is one of Mesoamerica’s most influential early empires.

Another major aspect of Aztec life was religion and being polytheistic people, they practiced human sacrifice to please their

Most historians agree that human sacrifice was part of Aztec religion. Humans had sacrificed each other in Mesoamerica for thousands of years before the Mexica reached the Valley of Mexico. Many physicians were skilled herbalists who specialized in the use of plant life to treat illness. The Aztecs believed the universe had three distinct parts. At the top was heaven, which had up to thirteen different layers and was the home of the gods. In daily life, the Aztecs worshipped a number of gods and goddesses- as many as two hundred. The Aztecs valued jewelry of gold and silver, and art in

Very much of what has been known about the Aztec is based on what was written down during and after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. There is often much discrepancy between versions of myths. For a time, it was unclear if there was physical evidence to back up the historical accounts. It is thanks to archeological discovers in relatively recent times that Aztec mythology and accounts are becoming more and more clear. Evidence of human and non-human sacrifices has been dug up as well as tablets depicting events within Aztec mythology. As Karl Taube said “Excavations soon revealed that the Coyolxauhqui stone lay at the base of the stairway on the Huitzilopochtli side of Templo Mayor. In other words, each sacrificed human prisoner thrown down the

A draught influenced the Aztecs’ religious culture by making them believe that their gods needed sustenance, thereby starting their tradition of making gruesome, human sacrifices to the gods

Everything —earth, crops, moon, stars and people— springs from the severed or buried bodies, fingers, blood or the heads of the sacrificed gods. Aztecs would therefore go to war to injure warriors from the other side and take them captives for this sacrifice. The reason for taking them captives was they would sacrifice those captives for the sun god which they believed if the didn’t make sacrifices they would have an apocalypse. • Humans, both adults and less often children, were also frequently sacrificed to metaphorically 'feed' the gods and keep them happy lest they become angry and make life difficult for humans by sending storms, droughts etc. or even just to keep the sun appearing every day.

The Aztecs people are originally from the Northern Mexico. They settled on an island in Lake Texcoco, in Mesoamerica in the 13 century. In the 1325, they built a city called, Tenochtitlan; which is known as Mexico City today. Tenochtitlan is thought to have had a population of 200,000 people; The Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico. They mastered the complex irrigation system and established a hierarchical social order. The Aztecs advanced in agriculture, trading and elaborate government bureaucracy. The Aztec’s strong political institution and military power posed formidable challenge to the spanish intruder, however, in 1521, Spanish invader conquered Tenochtitlan and overthrow the Aztecs by force.

The aztec had many gods they believed in. Some known as the god of corn, sun, water, fire, sky, and rain. They sacrificed two thousand three hundred men. After they sacrificed them they rolled them down the temple and let their blood bathe the temple stairways.

It’s estimated that around 20,000 people were ritually sacrificed by the Aztecs every year. The victims who were tribute were often eaten, as a part of the religious ritual. Human sacrifice is an act of killing a person in a religious ceremony as an offering to please God. However, should we accept Aztec’s human sacrificing as a legitimate religious belief? In my humble opinion, human sacrificing is tolerated. My opinion is based on the point of view of many experts. The following text will debate on this question by summarizing the arguments of Bartolome de Las Casas, an Indian defender and the arguments of Juan Ginés de Sepulveda, a defender of the Spanish right of conquest and my opinion regarding Aztecs human sacrificing.