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What were the Aztec religious beliefs?
The Aztecs, like other Mesoamerican societies, had a wide pantheon of gods. As such they were a polytheistic society, which means they had many gods and each god represented different important parts of the world for Aztec people. Whereas a monotheistic religion, such as Christianity, only has one god.
Is Aztec a religion?
Aztec religion, the religion followed by the Aztecs, a Nahuatl-speaking people who ruled a large empire in central and southern Mexico in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Aztec religion was syncretistic, absorbing elements from many other Mesoamerican cultures.
Did Aztecs believe in reincarnation?
Some people were thought to reincarnate after death into a different living being, sometimes into butterflies or birds. The Aztec empire, in a way, reincarnated into something different as well.
What do the Aztecs think happens after death?
After death, the soul of the Aztec went to one of three places: the sun, Mictlan, or Tlalocan. Souls of fallen warriors and women that died in childbirth would transform into hummingbirds that followed the sun on its journey through the sky. Souls of people who died from less glorious causes would go to Mictlan.
What are the beliefs of shamanism?
One of the key beliefs found in shamanistic practice is that ultimately everything—and everyone—is interconnected. From plants and trees to rocks and animals and caves, all things are part of a collective whole. In addition, everything is imbued with its own spirit, or soul, and can be connected to on the non-physical plane.
What are the religious practices of the Aztecs?
Like other Mesoamerican religions, it also has practices such as human sacrifice in connection with many religious festivals which are in the Aztec calendar.
Did the Aztecs believe in Teotl as gods?
It has been widely believed that this means that they believed them to be gods, but a better understanding of teotl might suggest that they were merely seen as “mysterious” or “inexplicable”. The Aztecs would often adopt gods from different cultures and allow them to be worshiped as part of their pantheon.
What were the beliefs of the Aztecs about life after death?
The beliefs of the Aztecs concerning the other world and life after death showed the same syncretism. The old paradise of the rain god Tlaloc, depicted in the Teotihuacán frescoes, opened its gardens to those who died by drowning, lightning, or as a result of leprosy, dropsy, gout, or lung diseases.