I came across hundreds and hundreds of Aztec gods. Each god had its own reason for existing to the Aztecs. Therefore, Aztecs sacrificed a human as an offering to that gods for a better chance of making it to the next realm (the afterlife). If not for that reason, the Aztecs wanted to please the gods because, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like when a spewing mountain erupts two feet away from me (volcano), or a wall of water propels my house into the depth of the ocean (hurricane), or the sun is lining up to crash into the Earth (eclipse). Nowadays we know better than to live next to a volcano…that’s erupting; and if there’s a flood, we know to do our best to get out of the situation fast. We know what is happening in the sky thanks to Google, Yahoo News and NASA.com. But the Aztecs of course did not have this knowledge, and yet the irony is we still do not have some of their knowledge. Although we know about space and weather and why things happen, the Aztecs believed things happened because they were thought out by a particular god. So if the corn was doing great that year, the earth god was pleased. If there was a drought and nothing was growing, the Aztecs thought they were being punished and had to give something back to the god in order for the god to be pleased again. And what better gift to give then a beating heart ripped from one’s chest? Hallmark has nothing on the Aztecs.
While the Aztecs were at the market picking out fruits and vegetables, they could also buy slaves because they were sold there, right next to the corn. But who would purchased these slaves, and for what reason? The high priests and merchants. They would seek out the best-looking and most talented slaves. If you could sing and dance and were really smart, all the better. For you weren’t about to be put on a dating website to fill in your profile answers, but sadly you were the best man for the job of being sacrificed to please a god.
In the build-up to the sacrifice, there were many festivals. There were grand feasts for the noblemen and merchants. The slave of course entertained while the other Aztecs got a pat on the back for picking such a great slave to be given to the gods. Nine days before the slave was given up he was washed in holy spring water given to the Aztecs by one of their many gods, such as Huitzilopochtli, a war god who took many different forms and meanings with each altered spelling of his name. The slave then began religious preparations for his own sacrifice. On the big day, the slave was led four times around “the Great Temple” (the gods’ temple) and brought up the steep steps of the pyramid to the high priest. The priest, dressed as the god the slave was being sacrificed for, lay the slave across a sacred stone. The chest was then sliced open and the palpitating heart was torn from its cavity. The Aztec daily life was quite simple. In fact, Aztec family life was very similar to many modern day cultures. For example, the husband was primarily responsible for supporting the family and the wife’s role was to provide the family with clothing and food. As such, the Aztec daily life for many of the men was to farm or engage in craftwork. The female Aztec life, on the other hand, mainly consisted of weaving and cooking.
Most Aztec households included the husband and wife and their unmarried children. In addition, many of the husband’s relatives lived with in the home. The Aztec daily life was filled with work. Every member of the household, including children, helped in the household. Many also created goods that could be used by the empire in trade for goods that were highly valued in the Aztec culture, such as Jaguar skins.
While the Aztecs were at the market picking out fruits and vegetables, they could also buy slaves because they were sold there, right next to the corn. But who would purchased these slaves, and for what reason? The high priests and merchants. They would seek out the best-looking and most talented slaves. If you could sing and dance and were really smart, all the better. For you weren’t about to be put on a dating website to fill in your profile answers, but sadly you were the best man for the job of being sacrificed to please a god.In the build-up to the sacrifice, there were many festivals. There were grand feasts for the noblemen and merchants. The slave of course entertained while the other Aztecs got a pat on the back for picking such a great slave to be given to the gods. Nine days before the slave was given up he was washed in holy spring water given to the Aztecs by one of their many gods, such as Huitzilopochtli, a war god who took many different forms and meanings with each altered spelling of his name. The slave then began religious preparations for his own sacrifice. On the big day, the slave was led four times around “the Great Temple” (the gods’ temple) and brought up the steep steps of the pyramid to the high priest. The priest, dressed as the god the slave was being sacrificed for, lay the slave across a sacred stone. The chest was then sliced open and the palpitating heart was torn from its cavity. The Aztec daily life was quite simple. In fact, Aztec family life was very similar to many modern day cultures. For example, the husband was primarily responsible for supporting the family and the wife’s role was to provide the family with clothing and food. As such, the Aztec daily life for many of the men was to farm or engage in craftwork. The female Aztec life, on the other hand, mainly consisted of weaving and cooking.
Most Aztec households included the husband and wife and their unmarried children. In addition, many of the husband’s relatives lived with in the home. The Aztec daily life was filled with work. Every member of the household, including children, helped in the household. Many also created goods that could be used by the empire in trade for goods that were highly valued in the Aztec culture, such as Jaguar skins.
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