Table of Contents
Why did the Aztecs sacrifice human beings to their gods?
According to Aztec cosmology, the sun god Huitzilopochtli was waging a constant war against darkness, and if the darkness won, the world would end. The keep the sun moving across the sky and preserve their very lives, the Aztecs had to feed Huitzilopochtli with human hearts and blood.
What did Huitzilopochtli sacrifice?
When the Aztecs sacrificed people to Huitzilopochtli (the god with warlike aspects) the victim would be placed on a sacrificial stone. The priest would then cut through the abdomen with an obsidian or flint blade. The heart would be torn out still beating and held towards the sky in honor to the Sun-God.
What did the Aztecs need to do in order to get to the top level of heaven?
Those who died in battle would go to the top level of heaven. Those who drowned would go to the underworld. Sometimes people were selected to impersonate the gods. They would dress like the gods and then act out stories from the Aztec mythology.
How many Aztecs were killed?
It is possible that around 20,000 people were sacrificed a year in the Aztec Empire. Special occasions demanded more blood – when a new temple to Huitzilopochtli was dedicated in 1487, an estimated 80,400 people were sacrificed.
Why is Huitzilopochtli important to the Aztecs?
Huitzilopochtli was one of the most important Aztec gods. He was the sun god as well as the god of war. His name means “Hummingbird of the Left.” The Aztecs believed that warriors who were killed in battle returned to life as hummingbirds. They also thought that lands in the south made up the left side of the world.
What was Tlaloc the god of?
Tlaloc, (Nahuatl: “He Who Makes Things Sprout”) Aztec rain god. Representations of a rain god wearing a peculiar mask, with large round eyes and long fangs, date at least to the Teotihuacán culture of the highlands (3rd to 8th century ad).
What was Tlaloc power?
Tlaloc was not only highly revered, but he was also greatly feared. He could send out the rain or provoke drought and hunger. He hurled the lightning upon the earth and unleashed the devastating hurricanes.
What was the Aztec government?
The Aztec government was similar to a monarchy where an Emperor or King was the primary ruler. They called their ruler the Huey Tlatoani. The Huey Tlatoani was the ultimate power in the land. They felt that he was appointed by the gods and had the divine right to rule.
What was Huitzilopochtli known for?
However, Huitzilopochtli was known as the primary god of war in ancient Mexico. Since he was the patron god of the Mexica, he was credited with both the victories and defeats that the Mexica people had on the battlefield. The people had to make sacrifices to him to protect the Aztec from infinite night.
How was Tlaloc important to the Aztecs?
Tlaloc (Classical Nahuatl: Tlāloc [ˈtɬaːlok]) is a member of the pantheon of gods in Aztec religion. As supreme god of the rain, Tlaloc is also a god of earthly fertility and of water. He was widely worshipped as a beneficent giver of life and sustenance.
What does Tlaloc symbolize?
What is Huitzilopochtli the god of?
Huitzilopochtli ( pron. Huit-zi-lo-pocht-li) or ‘Hummingbird of the South’ or ‘Blue Hummingbird on the Left’ was one of the most important deities in the Aztec pantheon and for the Méxica he was the supreme god. He was the god of the sun and war, considered the patron of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán and associated with gold, warriors and rulers.
Why was Tláloc more important than Quetzalcoatl?
When Tláloc was angered he could send down hail, storms, and other trouble, or just hold all of the water and let the Aztec’s fields dry up. To the farmers of Teotihuacan (people before Aztecs) the rain god Tláloc was more important than the creator Quetzalcoatl.
How did the cult of Huitzilopochtli affect the Aztecs?
Historically, following the formation of the Aztec state with the successful revolution against the empire of Azcapotzalco in 1428, the cult of Huitzilopochtli came to include massive human sacrifices of captured warriors, women, and children, which, the Aztec believed, contributed to the integration of the Aztec state, cosmic order, and Huitzil…
Where did the Aztecs place Huitzilipochtli and Tlaloc?
Aztec syncretism placed both Huitzilipochtli and Tlaloc at the head of the pantheon. The Teocalli (Great Temple) at Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, supported on its lofty pyramid two sanctuaries of equal size: one, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, was painted in white and red, and the other, dedicated to Tlaloc, was painted in white and blue.