Beliefs:
The Ancient Aztec religion was extremely complex and concentrated on the interaction of the gods, dates, directions and colours.
Aztecs were very preoccupied with their religion, as they had a fear of nature and the end of the world.
By the time the Aztecs Empire was at its climax, the political and religious systems were closely intertwined.
The Ancient Aztec religion was extremely complex and concentrated on the interaction of the gods, dates, directions and colours.
Aztecs were very preoccupied with their religion, as they had a fear of nature and the end of the world.
By the time the Aztecs Empire was at its climax, the political and religious systems were closely intertwined.
Gods and The Creation of the World:
According to ancient Aztec religion, it took the gods 5 tries to create the world. These attempts were obstructed because of bickering between the gods themselves.
They worshiped many gods, when they took over a new tribe or culture they often adopted the new tribe's gods into the Aztec religion. This is why they had so many.
According to ancient Aztec religion, it took the gods 5 tries to create the world. These attempts were obstructed because of bickering between the gods themselves.
They worshiped many gods, when they took over a new tribe or culture they often adopted the new tribe's gods into the Aztec religion. This is why they had so many.
The Sun & Human Sacrifice:
The Sun was a crucial aspect in the Aztec religion. The Aztecs called themselves the “People of the Sun". Their main belief, regarding the Sun was to perform rituals and sacrifices to give the Sun strength, to rise each day. This included the Sun needing the blood of human sacrifice every day.
The Aztecs performed thousands of human sacrifices, some historians think that more than 20,000 people were killed when the Great Temple was first dedicated in 1487.
Where was their place of worship?
The religious center of the Aztec capitol, Tenochtitlan, was a walled worshiping structure that housed several smaller temples.
Within this larger worshipping structure, there was a vast temple in the shape of a pyramid built called the Great Temple.
On the top of this pyramid, were two separate sanctuaries built on top of the Great Temple.
One of the sanctuaries belonged to Huitzilopochtli, the most powerful god of the Mexica (Aztecs); while the other sanctuary belonged to Tlaloc, the God of Rain.
The Main Aztec Gods:
Despite worshiping many gods, there were certain gods that the Aztecs considered more important and powerful than the others. The most important god to the Aztecs was Huitzilopochtli.
Huitzilopochtli:
The most fearsome and powerful of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli was the god of war, the sun, and sacrifice. He was also the patron god of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. The Great Temple in the center of the city was built in honor of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc.
His name is thought to mean “left-handed hummingbird" and was also often drawn with feathers and holding a scepter made from a snake.
Quetzalcoatl:
Quetzalcoatl was the god of life and wind. His name means "feathered serpent" and he was usually drawn as a serpent which could fly, very much like a dragon.
When Hernan Cortes (Spanish Conquistador), first arrived at the Aztecs, many thought that he was the god Quetzalcoatl in human flesh.
Tezcatlipoca:
Tezcatlipoca was a powerful god associated with many things including magic, the night, and the earth.
He was a rival god to Quetzalcoatl. According to Aztec mythology, he was the first god to create the sun and the earth, but was struck down by Quetzalcoatl and turned into a jaguar.
There was a large temple built to him in the city of Tenochtitlan just south of the Great Temple.
His name meant "smoking mirror".
Quetzalcoatl was the god of life and wind. His name means "feathered serpent" and he was usually drawn as a serpent which could fly, very much like a dragon.
When Hernan Cortes (Spanish Conquistador), first arrived at the Aztecs, many thought that he was the god Quetzalcoatl in human flesh.
Tezcatlipoca:
Tezcatlipoca was a powerful god associated with many things including magic, the night, and the earth.
He was a rival god to Quetzalcoatl. According to Aztec mythology, he was the first god to create the sun and the earth, but was struck down by Quetzalcoatl and turned into a jaguar.
There was a large temple built to him in the city of Tenochtitlan just south of the Great Temple.
His name meant "smoking mirror".
What were the Priests roles?
The Priests were responsible for making sure that the gods were offered the correct offerings and sacrifices.
Priests had to perform all sorts of ceremonies in the temples to ensure that the gods were not angry with the Aztecs.
Priests had to undergo extensive training, this resulted in a well-respected and powerful status in Aztec society.
The Afterlife:
Aztecs believed in a number of levels of heaven and the underworld.
They believed that the manner in which you died would determine where you went.
Those who died in battle would go to the top level of heaven. Those who drowned would go to the underworld.
Aztecs believed in a number of levels of heaven and the underworld.
They believed that the manner in which you died would determine where you went.
Those who died in battle would go to the top level of heaven. Those who drowned would go to the underworld.
Festivals:
New Fire Ceremony Festival - Celebrated every 52 years.
The Aztec calendar divided the year into 18 months of 20 days each, plus a five-day "unlucky" period.
They also knew a religious period of 260 days, made up of 13 months with 20 named days in each.
When one cycle was overlaid on the other, a "century" of 52 years resulted.
At the end of each of these 52-year cycles, the Aztecs were scared that the world would come to an end, therefore the most impressive and important of all festivals were held in these periods.
Widely known as the New Fire Ceremony, this Aztec festival involved the putting out of the old altar fire and the lighting of a new one, as a symbol of the new cycle of life. This was represented by the dawning of the new era.
Primary Source No. 1
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)