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Aztec religious beliefs + Sacrifices (ritual + sacrifice (humans…
Aztec religious beliefs +
Sacrifices
humans
humans played a small roll-they died for gods-kept world in balance-predestined (life and death depended on gods)- their job to ensure sun sun never died
gods
huitzilopochtli-war + sun god
many gods + godesses
not complety good or bad
each had a role could transform into humans or items
looked part human/part animal
during ceremonies people would dress as gods
examples
huitz
tezcatlipoca
quetzalcoatl
ritual +
sacrifice
humans were sacrificed to maintain
balance
other sacrifices included food, paper, feathers, jewels, etc
they believed that without human sacrifices the world/universe would end
alters atop of temple used in sacrifices
large public events
warriors still beating heart was most important thousands could be sacrificed in just one day
medicine bundles
used in ceremonies
contained blessed corn, feathers, rubber, precious stones -
medicine
blend of religion magic and medicine
religion-certain gods were believed to send illness or heal them
magic-certain illnesses were believed to be caused by black magic of a sorcerer
medicine-aztecs knew healing power of certain plants and minerals
the arts
1: books and codices
manuscripts with no alphabet
used picture-writing that included:
pictographs
ideographs
number symbols
calendar symbol
- codices were written on deerskin, cloth, or ornate paper made from bark of fig trees
folded accordian style
2: sculptures
religious in nature
stone sculptures of gods were inside + under temples
statues of animals, like jaguars and snakes, showed belief of keeping balance with natural
statues placed below ground to show recognition of underworld
3: architecture
grandest + largest buildings were the temples
pyramid style divided at the top into two temples with two sets of stairs
temple mayor was the major temple in tenochtitlan + its 2 temples represented 2 sacred mountains. during equinox the sun rose between two temples
4: featherwork + luxury items - aztecs prized feathers more than gold - feathers used for ceremonial costumes, headdresses, and warrior shields - jewelry + luxury item were made for the wealthy
time
1), xiuhtlapohualli
365 day solar calender
18 months - a month=20 days
5 extra days at the end
each month named for a god - it regulated agricultural activities (planting + harvesting) + market days - each year began with a festival to honour rain god, tlaloc
-2 calenders
2). tonalpohualli - used to determine when religious ceremonies were held - 13 numbers +20 signs representing an animal, a nature element like water, or an abstract idea like movement - combined to make 260 individually named days. ex. 3 rabbit, 7 flint - named for the day you were born
3). xiuhnopilli - combines the 2 calendars - cycle of 52 years (time needed for the 2 calendars to complete their cycles) - equal to a century (100 years) - aztec believed that the world could end at the end of this calendar, if there had not been enough rituals and sacrifice
