Sacrifice In The Aztecs

Words: 417
Pages: 2
Open Document
Of all beliefs and practices in ancient religion, sacrifice, both animal and human, is the most striking, certainly from a modern standpoint (Watson, 99). When we think of sacrifice in terms of religion we usually picture large gatherings and animals being slaughtered. Religious sacrifice pertains to a cultic act in which they offer certain objects to higher gods or other supernatural powers. Many religions around the world indulge in such practices, with some offering either animals or humans, and some offering both. One might question, what is the primary influence towards religious sacrifice? In some aspect, the reason behind such a practice has not quite been fully understood, especially since it is performed throughout various parts of …show more content…
The Aztecs, however, were involved in both animal and human sacrifice, and for many different purposes. Human sacrifice often included both self-sacrifice and the sacrifice of other human beings. Self-sacrifice, like bloodletting, consisted of cutting or puncturing oneself, while the other form was simply killing another human. Human sacrifice often involved death by extraction of the heart. Many victims were specifically chosen based on their appearance and their correlation to the gods. Some gods were offered war captives and others with slaves. For Mexica people, “Human sacrifice fulfilled multiple purposes, both at the religious and socio-political level. They considered themselves the “elected” people, the people of the Sun who had been chosen by the gods to feed them and by doing so were responsible for the continuity of the world” (Maestri, 2017). Furthermore, the Aztecs gained so much power in Mesoamerica that human sacrifice added value to political publicity. They required surrounding states to offer human sacrifice as a way of retaining total control. This practice aimed to vanquish neighbors and address a political message to fellow citizens as well as foreign authority. Ancient documents show that human sacrifice also might have been offered for agricultural purposes such as harvest. The Aztecs showed the process most clearly, for an adolescent girl was beheaded at the temple of the maize god in a ceremony performed when the crop was ripe (Watson,
Show More

Related Documents: Sacrifice In The Aztecs

Aztec Sacrifice

In the texts, human sacrifice is very important to many people, tribes, or cultures. These people do sacrifices for various reasons and beliefs. In the texts, it talks about who and why they do this. In text #1, Aztec Sacrifice, it talks about why the Aztecs perform human sacrifice. It states that the idea of human sacrifices is to repay reptilian monster (Cipactli) and the great gods (Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca). ¨… idea of repayment was especially true regarding the myth of the reptilian monster…The…

Words 344 - Pages 2

Human Sacrifice In The Aztecs

The Aztecs were a disliked and distrusted who ruled an empire in Mexico City from 1350 to 1519. Two things the Aztec culture is known for is: agriculture and human sacrifice. However, historians should emphasize the role of: human sacrifice in the Aztec civilization."""It was human sacrifice that led to the Aztecs expanding their empire.Based on Document D, the people who are being sacrificed are the ones who are captured in the " flower wars ". The priest would slice open the chest and extract the heart…

Words 181 - Pages 1

The Human Sacrifice In The Aztec Culture

The Aztec was once one of the most powerful tribes in Mesoamerica. They are mostly remembered for their horrendous human sacrifices, performed on people to please their gods. Even though they are remembered for the bad things they did, there are still some good things about them. From the human sacrifices, to the city they built on a lake, to the temples they created, the Aztec have one of the most interesting cultures in the world. The Aztec, or Mexica as they called themselves, started of as a…

Words 955 - Pages 4

The Enigma Of Aztec Sacrifice Summary

When I first starting reading “The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice” by Michael Harner, I very much doubted that the Aztecs were cannibals. After all, I had never heard about them doing that from school, media, books, or anywhere else. When he told the story of the men who witnessed it first hand, though, I began to wonder if maybe they actually did cannibalize. Then he began discussing the few herbivorous, domesticable animals in the area, and I thought “What does this have to do with cannibalism?” I…

Words 666 - Pages 3

Aztecs: Agriculture Or Human Sacrifice?

The Aztecs: Agriculture or Human Sacrifice The Aztecs had a very interesting agriculture and also sacrificed human lives for their Sun God, Huitzilopochtli. But then again, they influenced modern Mexican traditions. Historians should concentrate more on the agriculture of the Aztecs more than the Human Sacrifice because, they developed an organized system for their crops, they also had a type of “system” for both women and men, types of chores that were assigned to them, finally, their conquer of…

Words 463 - Pages 2

Sacrifice Played A Role In Aztec Civilization

thousand miles of land that was claimed by an ancient civilization. The Aztecs are an ancient civilization that started around 1350. They claimed their land in modern mexico and had an estimated eighty thousand square miles of land. Their capital was an island called Tenochtitlan. Agriculture should be focused on because it was vital to everyday life and the contraptions they made were brilliant. Sacrifice played a role in aztec life but it had no real significance on the survival of their civilization…

Words 501 - Pages 3

Essay on The Aztec

The Aztec Pyramids Esai Palacios Medieval History to Early Modern times Mr. Underhill May 5th, 2014 Aztec pyramids are a religious thing for them it is the most value able thing for them it is like there heart of the village. If it gets destroy they will build it again that were they keep their water and food source. In the 1500s – 1600s the Aztec was a strong empire in Mexico. The Aztec was really good at hunting. Aztec is people that wear…

Words 816 - Pages 4

The Aztec Empire's Religious Beliefs

The Aztec How much do you know about the Aztec Empire’s religious beliefs? The Aztecs worshiped many Gods, and even believed in higher-beings that created those Gods. They had their own religious rituals, involving sacrifice, which is what the Ancient Aztecs are most commonly known for. They also had many festivals, and traditions as with any other religion. The Aztecs, called themselves the Mexica. They were very family oriented, which also revolved around religious beliefs. The Aztecs originated…

Words 1190 - Pages 5

Compare And Contrast Aztec And Byzantine Empires

During the post classical age, the Aztec and the Byzantine empire shared similar economic tactics which allowed them to successfully trade with other regions and empires. However, they were different religiously, the Aztecs were polytheistic, while the Byzantine Empire practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which made it monotheistic. The Aztec and the Byzantine empire had similar economies in which trade played a major role in regulating economy. The capital city of the Byzantine empire, Constantinople…

Words 550 - Pages 3

Aztec Dbq Analysis

Ahhhh. Imagine: The screams of a prisoner echo through the hallowed halls of the square around the god's temple. After a year of being treated royal the day of sacrifice had finally come. The prisoner slowly hobbled to the top of the temple with the priest. When they reached the top everyone stopped cheering and was silent as the priest held his blade to the sky then lunged it at the prisoner's chest cutting it open. As the prisoner oozed blood the priest grabbed his heart and held it to the sky…

Words 626 - Pages 3