Ancient Aztec Religion

1. Aztec religion is the Mesoamerican religion of the Aztecs. Like other Mesoamerican religions, it had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large number of religious festivals which were held according to patterns of the Azteccalendar.
2. 
   Ancient Aztec religion hymn:
   Huitzilopochtli is first in rank, no one, no one is like unto him: not vainly do I sing (his praises) coming forth in the garb of our ancestors;
   I shine; I glitter.
   ~The Hymn of Huitzilopochtli (trans. by Daniel G. Brinton)
   
   Ancient Aztec religion was a complex interaction of gods, dates, directions and colours. It seems that most of the preoccupation in the religion had to do with fear of the nature, and a fear of the end of the world.
   
   By the time the Mexica's Empire (Mexica is the proper name for the Axtecs) was at its height, the political and religions systems were in close interaction. The actions of the ruling classes and common people can be best understood if we look way back to the Mexica understanding of the creation, or rather creations, of the world. Because the religion was a mixture from various peoples, there are variations. We'll give a general overview here.

Aztec Gods & Goddesses

The Aztecs brought their many gods and goddesses with them.As a farming people, the Aztec knew the forces of nature and worshiped them as gods. Most important was their sun god, Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs also used him as their god of war. They believed that their 'good' gods should be kept strong to keep away the 'bad' gods. They kept them strong by making human sacrifices. They had many stories about their gods.   Read some of them.

The gods & goddesses who created the world

Tezcatlipoca	Quetzalcoatl
Tlaloc	Chalchiuhtlicue

 

Through time these gods and goddesses created the sun and the world.

They even created the underworld, a place for the dead.

  

The Gods created a fifth and final sun.

The Aztec's main god was HUITZILOPOCHTLI.It was he who told the Aztecs where to build their city. He was the Sun god who they fed with human sacrifice. He was the god of war .... an important god!

Then there was Xipe - Totec ... one of the 'farming' gods.  He was quite a gentle god compared with some of the others.

What Happened To Aztecs?

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The Aztecs wandered around Mexico for about 200 years before they settled down in the Valley of Mexico. Other tribes were living in the area. Rather than start a war for a place to live, the Aztecs settled down in the swampy land around Lake Texcoco.

They were clever people. They adapted to their environment. They built canoes to fish and hunt. They filled the marshes with a combination of reeds and stones and dirt to create more farmland. They built dams and dikes to free even more land. Their engineers successfully built a bustling city, with wide plazas and many shops, on a swamp.

After they had settled in, the Aztecs began conquering neighboring tribes. Soon, the entire Valley of Mexico was under their control. Other tribes had to pay tribute to them in the form of food, clothing, goods, and captives to feed the hungry Aztecs gods. The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice. That was one of the many reasons the other tribes hated and feared the Aztecs. But the Aztecs seemed unstoppable.

It was not until the 1500s, when the Spanish arrived, that the Aztecs were conquered. The Spanish brought guns, dogs, horses, and disease. It was disease that conquered the Aztecs. The Aztec Empire collapsed. The Spanish took over the entire region.

Today, in Mexico, there are about one million descendants of the ancient Aztecs, living and working. Human sacrifice is no longer part of their festivals, but beautiful Aztec art and clever Aztec games

 are still enjoyed today.

Ancient Aztec History Part 4: The Power Of The Empire

The ancient Aztec government did not rule an empire in the way we often think of the word. The control didn't stretch into every corner of life - rather, conquered lands were forced to pay tribute, but left a certain amount of freedom. Warriors made small attacks on surrounding peoples and took prisoners which would be sacrificed. Read more about the concept of the Aztec empire here.

Although the expansion of the empire was often good for the conquered people - better trade and infrastructure, for example, the conquered people still obeyed in fear. Their hatred would cause many of them to turn on the empire when the Spanish gave them the chance.


Ancient Aztec History Part 3: The Huey Tlatcani

In the leading city of Tenochtitlán, the city leaders led the empire. The city council has been compared to the Roman senate. The leader was known as the Huey Tlatcani, or Great Speaker. This was the emperor, who was worshipped as a god. His rule was supported not only by the city council, but also the priests, judges, governors, and a host of other officials. Moctezuma II is the famous Huey Tlatcani who ruled when Hernan Cortes arrived in the New World.

The Huey Tlatcani did have absolute power in a sense. However, he did come to power by a semi-democratic system, and he could be removed from power. How this position was decided upon is not fully understood - it doesn't seem to have been hereditary, but family lines did play some part.

Ancient Aztec Government Part 2: The Calpulli

After the family, the basic unit of ancient Aztec government was the calpulli. Families didn't individually own land, the land was owned by a group of families, the calpulli. This structure of local government existed long before the Aztec empire. The leadership in the calpulli would be responsible for the basic needs of the group. They would set up the telpochalli, a school for common citizens (read more about the telpochcalli and other aspects of Aztec culture). They were also responsible to make sure taxes were collected from the group.

In the cities, calpullis became less family-related and more regional. As is the case today, city life brought many different individuals of different race and culture together.


Ancient Aztec Government: Part 1

Ancient Aztec government got its structure from units of society that existed long before the Aztec empire was founded. First, of course, was the family unit, as a basic structure of society. The government was built up from there

Aztec Law

The term "Aztec" refers to the seven indigenous tribes who share the common language of Nahuatl and who settled in the Valley of Mexico prior to the Spanish conquest. These tribes, which include the Xochimilca, Chalca, Tepaneca, Colhua, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalteca, and Mexica, began migrating to the Valley of Mexico from their legendary homeland of Aztlan in the early 12th century. The Mexica were the last of the tribes to arrive in the Valley in approximately 1250. According to legend, the Mexica established their homeland in 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco where they found an eagle on top of a prickly pear cactus (as had been prophesied by one of their priests). They named their island city Tenochtitlan. As the Mexica consolidated their power, Tenochtitlan became the capital of the Aztec Empire.
Tenochtitlan formed a strategic alliance with the neighboring Aztec city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan in 1428. This alliance was known as the Triple Alliance and was created to provide security for the region and to ensure an equitable system of tribute from the conquered territories. Under this alliance, Tenochtitlan and Texcoco each received 2/5 of the tribute, and Tlacopan received the remaining 1/5 portion. Although Tenochtitlan was the political and military leader of the alliance, each member retained its own legal, economic, and religious systems. Moreover, the Aztecs usually did not impose their laws or customs on the people that they conquered. The Triple Alliance dissolved in 1515 after Tenochtitlan won a power struggle with Texcoco for control of the leadership of the Aztec Empire.

By the time of the Conquest, approximately 1 million people were living in the Valley of Mexico, with 250,000 in Tenochtitlan alone. The Spanish conquistadores who arrived in the region in 1519 were stunned by the advanced Aztec civilization and compared Tenochtitlan to the city of Venice. The Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in 1521, destroyed the great temples and vestiges of this civilization, and built Mexico City on top of its ruins. However, the legacy of the original Aztec empire survives today through its archaeological treasures and the indigenous Nahua people, who are the modern descendants of the Aztecs.



Aztec Political Structure

The Aztec empire was made up of a series of city-states known as altepetl. Each altepetl was ruled by a supreme leader (tlatoani) and a supreme judge and administrator (cihuacoatl). The tlatoani of the capital city of Tenochtitlan served as the Emperor (Huey Tlatoani) of the Aztec empire. The tlatoani was the ultimate owner of all land in his city-state, received tribute, oversaw markets and temples, led the military, and resolved judicial disputes. The tlatoani were required to be from the noble class and of royal lineage. Once a tlatoani was selected, he served his city-state for life. The cihuacoatl was the second in command after the tlatoani, was a member of the nobility, served as the supreme judge for the court system, appointed all lower court judges, and handled the financial affairs of the altepetl.

New emperors were elected by a high council of four nobles who were related to the previous ruler. Emperors were usually chosen from among the brothers or sons of the deceased ruler. They were required to be nobles, to be over the age of 30, to have been educated at one of the elite calmecac schools, to be experienced warriors and military leaders, and to be just. Although the emperor had absolute power and was believed to be a representative of the gods, he governed with the assistance of four advisors and one senior advisor who were elected by the nobility.


Aztec Daily Life

Ancient Aztec children were usually born with the help of a mid-wife. After the umbilical cord was cut, the mid-wife washed the baby and prayed to the water god Chalchiuhtlicue. Soon after the prayer the name of the child was announced. Most Aztec children survived on a strict diet of corn cakes and mothers milk. At the age of three the boys education was entrusted to his father. The father would teach him about gathering and carrying wood for the home. Growing vegetables in the floating gardens called chinampas was also learned. Then as they got a little older they learned about trade and the great marketplaces. In addition, Aztec boys were shown how to fish, hunt, and maneuver a canoe. The education with the father usually lasted until the age of fifteen. Likewise, little girls were educated by their mothers. From birth they watched their mothers spinning thread, weaving, and embroidering. It was not until they were six that they too could participate in the spinning of cotton. Next, they would learn how to grind the maize and clean the house. The very last thing that they would be taught was how to use the loom.
Boys dressed in a small cloak until the age of thirteen. Then, at the age of thirteen they were allowed to wear a loin-cloth. Girls dressed in blouses and skirts. The older they became the longer the skirts. All of the lower classes went barefoot. Laziness was severely punished. Some were allowed to attend school between the ages of six and nine years. At the age of fifteen, boys chose between two types of schools. Some might choose to become priests and they entered in the calmecac. Each temple had its own calmecac, and they all worshiped the god Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was the god of self-sacrifice. Others may have chosen to enter the telpochcalli schools which were run by the master warriors. The telpochcalli produced ordinary citizens. Their god was Tezcatlipoca, the god of the night sky who protected his warriors.
The majority of homes were made of sun-dried brick. The house usually contained a room where the entire family slept, a small shrine room, and a kitchen that sat on the families courtyard. Bathrooms were built separately. When the families wealth increased, they added more rooms. Children passed the days playing in the courtyard. Most of the houses were very plain with whitewashed walls and little furnishings. All o f the homes were kept warm with wood fires. Bathing was done daily in the surrounding lakes and waterways. They didn’t have soap, but instead they used the fruit of a tree and the root of another plant that worked just as well. Also, the Aztecs loved flowers, and flowers could be seen growing in their courtyards as well as on rooftops. In addition, family pets were very common. The average family had pet dogs, rabbits, turkeys, parrots, and macaws. Many of the dogs were raised, fattened, and eaten.

Aztec Games

The Aztec ball game was actually a revision of an ancient Mesoamerican game that was played by many peoples including the Mayans. It may have originated with the ancient Olmec civilization. It became a very important part of the Aztec Empire, not just as entertainment, but for political and religious reasons as well. When the Aztecs started a new settlement, there were two things they would do. First, build a shrine to the god Huitzilopochtli, and then build a ball court next to it. In Tenochtitlan it was surrounded by the palace and temple. The Aztec ball game, known as ullamaliztli, was a priority.The Aztec ball game had a distinctive court known as the tlachtli or tlachco.The ball court was usually in the shape of an I, although there were some variations. Around the court was a slope, surrounded at the outer edge by walls about 8-11 feet high. The court was usually between 100 and 200 feet long, with a centre line, and six markers along the sloping walls. At centre court against the walls were two stone-carved rings, roughly 35 inches in diameter, often ornately carved in the form of an animal.Surrounding the court were areas for spectators, nobles and judges. The structure would often include skull racks (tzompantli). These had a base with upright wood posts. Bars ran from post to post, adorned with the skulls of sacrifice victims. Sometimes the walls would show reliefs of the winners and losers of the past.The ball, or ulli, was made of hard rubber and weighed about 9 pounds. Due to the rough surface of the court itself, protective gear was worn by the players. Players wore deerskin guards for the chin, hip, thigh, hands, and cheeks. Even with this protection, players would end the game bruised and bleeding, since they often had to throw themselves to the ground.The teams would face each other on the court. The object in the end was to get the ball through the stone hoop. This was extremely difficult, and so if it actually happened the game would be over. In fact, according to historian Manuel Aguilar-Morenao, some courts didn't even have rings. Another important rule was that the ball was never allowed to touch the ground. Players couldn't hold or even touch the ball with their hands - only the elbows, knees, hips and head were used. As you may imagine, this made for a very fast paced game, and the players had to constantly throw themselves against the surface of the court to keep the ball from landing. The players were skillful, and the ball could stay in the air for an hour or more.Because it was so hard to get the ball through the hoops, there were other objects as well. Players could hit one of the six markers along the sides of the court. Or, they would be given points for other skillful plays. Fouls were also given if the players couldn't get the ball across the centre line, or if they touched the ball with the wrong part of the body, such as the hand or calf.During the Aztec ball game, gambling was common among the spectators. Gambling reached high levels in the Aztec empire. Just about anything could be gambled, from ornate feathers to land to children. It was common for a person to actually sell themselves into slavery in order to pay off the debt. This was voluntary slavery, with some parallels to the way someone today would work at a job he or she doesn't like for years just to pay off a debt.

Aztec Religion

Religion was extremely important in Aztec life. They worshipped many gods and goddesses, each of whom ruled one or more human activities or aspects of nature. The people had many agricultural gods because their culture was based heavily on farming; also they included natural elements and ancestor-heroes.

Aztec religion is the Mesoamerican religion practiced by the Aztec empire. Like other Mesoamerican religions, it had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large number of religious festivals which were held according to patterns of the Aztec calendar. It had a large and ever increasing pantheon; the Aztecs would often adopt deities of other geographic regions or peoples into their own religious practice. Aztec cosmology divided the world into upper and nether worlds, each associated with a specific set of deities and astronomical objects. Important in Aztec religion were the sun, moon and the planet Venus - all of which held different symbolic and religious meanings and were connected to deities and geographical places.

Large parts of the Aztec pantheon were inherited from previous Mesoamerican civilizations and others, such as Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, were venerated by different names in most cultures throughout the history of Mesoamerica. For the Aztecs especially important deities were Tlaloc the god of rain, Huitzilopochtli the patron god of the Mexica tribe, Quetzalcoatl the culture hero and god of civilization and order, and Tezcatlipoca the god of destiny and fortune, connected with war and sorcery. Each of these gods had their own temples within the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan - Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli were both worshipped at the Templo Mayor. A common Aztec religious practice was the recreation of the divine: Mythological events would be ritually recreated and living persons would impersonate specific deities and be revered as a god - and often ritually sacrificed.

Aztec Technology and Education

Aztec education was an important part of their culture. The Aztecs were very advanced scientific thinkers and mathematicians. The Aztec number system was far more advanced than other cultures at the time. In addition, Aztec science relied heavily on math, such as the design of their calendar. Aztec astronomy was also an important component of their calendar, which reflected heavily on their gods.

The Aztecs were also advanced in the development of medicine. In fact, Aztec medicine was found in many forms, such as ointments, drinks, and salves. This spectacular area of Aztec technology has been recorded in the Badianus Manuscript, which was created by Aztec artists in 1552.

Aztec Technology and Transportation

Aztec technology had advanced in such a way that they were familiar with the wheel. The wheel was, however, only used in toys. In addition, the Aztecs did not have horses, mules or other beasts of burden. Therefore, they developed dugout canoes with which they transported themselves and their goods throughout the many canals, lakes, and waterways found in the Valley of Mexico.

Aztec Technology and the Development of Tools and Weapons

The Aztecs had no iron or bronze with which to make their tools and weapons. Therefore, the ancient Aztec people had to develop a means for creating effective tools and weapons without the benefit of these metals. For this reason, many Aztec tools were made with obsidian and chert. Near the time they were overcome by Spanish conquistadors, advances in Aztec technology had lead to the experimentation of making tools with copper. Axe blades, for example, were being made with either stone or copper. Aztec technology was so advanced that they even made drills, which were made of reed or bone.

The Aztecs also made a variety of weapons. One weapon, theatlatl, made it easier to throw a spear. In addition, this weapon was used to aid in fishing. The Aztecs also used a macuahuitl, which was a wooden club containing sharp pieces of volcanic glass, or obsidian. This weapon was used to disable an enemy or opponent without killing him. In addition, the Aztecs utilized bows and arrows.

Aztec Calendar

Aztec God Game

Aztec Quest Game

Aztec Civilization - The Aztec Life and Religion

The Aztec religion included human sacrifices in rich ceremonies to the gods. Dress was also important in all parts of Aztec life. The Aztecs worshiped hundreds of gods and goddesses; each represented a different aspect of life. Designing clothes, mainly in the upper class, was one form of art in the Aztec culture. Women usually made the clothing, and they richly decorated them with beads, flowers, and precious metals. Gold was often used and was abundant in the Aztec empire. In fact, the pursuit of gold was the main reason Cortez traveled to Mexico in 1519 (eventually leading to the Aztec demise). 

Ceremonies were very important during the agricultural seasons to ensure good crops as well as for Coronations. During these ceremonies human sacrifices were given to the gods. Many of the sacrifices were war prisoners or children. They felt that human hearts and blood gave the gods strength and appeased them when they were angry. Large temples were built to celebrate the offering of sacrifices. The famous Sunstone Calendar, which was twelve feet in diameter, represented the Aztec universe. It is thought that the hearts of human sacrifices were placed on this stone and presented to the gods. The Aztecs believed in many gods, to whom they paid tribute daily. It is estimated that over a quarter of a million people were sacrificed each year by the Aztecs.