AZTEC RELIGION
Aztecs had very strong beliefs , their religion was a important part of there lives. As a farming civilisation the aztecs knew the damage that nature could caused and worshipped them as gods. the most important aztec god was Huitzilopochtli he was the god of the sun and also the god of war, As the aztecs were always at war and needed sun for the crops to grow. Aztecs believed in good gods and bad goods, they Made human and animal sacrifices to the ggod gods to keep them strong and happy so that they could figh t the bad gods.
SACRIFICE
They believed they had to feed the gods so that they would keep the world alive. Human sacrifices were very common, the victim was generally a slave that had been captured at war. Victims had to be good looking and healthy because it was considered rude to sacrifice ugly people. Warriors were known to volunteer to be sacrificed as it was an honour and that they would be joining the sun god in the battle against the evil gods. The sacrifice was held at the top of a temple aztecs carved out the heart of the person the heart and body was then thrown down the stairs of the temple and part of the body was given to the warrior that caught the slave.
Aztecs had many religious ceremonies and celebrations. They took there religion very seriously and had many religious rituals.
They believed that if these rituals were not performed that they would be punished by the gods.
NEW FIRE CEREMONY
The new fire ceremony was a ritual performed by the aztecs every 52 years at the end of the aztec calendar. It started 5 days before the cycle ended and people were believed to participate in strange preparations such as fasting, blood letting , absence from work and breaking of household items.It was supposed to scare off the end of the world. The ceremony was complete once all the fires in every city was out and the priests walked up a mountain called Huixachtlan were there was a temple platform in which as the stars arose they sacrificed a man with a fire dagger , this was to be the start of the new cycle.
The aztecs believed that if they did not complete this ritual that fire gods would come down to the earth and consume we every thing in fire. The aztecs were not the first to perform the ceremony it is thought multiple other civilisations performed it before the aztecs. The last ceremony was performed in the year 1509 ten years before the spanish invade the aztecs.
MARRIAGE
Marriage was an important event it was supposedly when you transformed from child to an adult. Men did chose who they were to marry but it was the job of their families. Once they had thought of suitable bride they sent an to. older lady called the matchmaker, off to meet the family of the girl and ask for their permission Usually they said no on the first request, but when asked again the answer would generally be yes.
The ceremony was a massive celebration, of feasts and parties for 5 days long.The wedding ceremony took place at the grooms house. It started when matchmaker carried the bride from her house to the grooms. i fire was lit in the hearth of the house and offerings were burnt to the gods.the grooms parents would give fine gifts to the brides and the match maker would tie the brides skirt to the end of the grooms cape, this symbolised the bond of marriage. The rest of the days were filled with celebrations and feasts.
SACRIFICE
They believed they had to feed the gods so that they would keep the world alive. Human sacrifices were very common, the victim was generally a slave that had been captured at war. Victims had to be good looking and healthy because it was considered rude to sacrifice ugly people. Warriors were known to volunteer to be sacrificed as it was an honour and that they would be joining the sun god in the battle against the evil gods. The sacrifice was held at the top of a temple aztecs carved out the heart of the person the heart and body was then thrown down the stairs of the temple and part of the body was given to the warrior that caught the slave.
Aztecs had many religious ceremonies and celebrations. They took there religion very seriously and had many religious rituals.
They believed that if these rituals were not performed that they would be punished by the gods.
NEW FIRE CEREMONY
The new fire ceremony was a ritual performed by the aztecs every 52 years at the end of the aztec calendar. It started 5 days before the cycle ended and people were believed to participate in strange preparations such as fasting, blood letting , absence from work and breaking of household items.It was supposed to scare off the end of the world. The ceremony was complete once all the fires in every city was out and the priests walked up a mountain called Huixachtlan were there was a temple platform in which as the stars arose they sacrificed a man with a fire dagger , this was to be the start of the new cycle.
The aztecs believed that if they did not complete this ritual that fire gods would come down to the earth and consume we every thing in fire. The aztecs were not the first to perform the ceremony it is thought multiple other civilisations performed it before the aztecs. The last ceremony was performed in the year 1509 ten years before the spanish invade the aztecs.
MARRIAGE
Marriage was an important event it was supposedly when you transformed from child to an adult. Men did chose who they were to marry but it was the job of their families. Once they had thought of suitable bride they sent an to. older lady called the matchmaker, off to meet the family of the girl and ask for their permission Usually they said no on the first request, but when asked again the answer would generally be yes.
The ceremony was a massive celebration, of feasts and parties for 5 days long.The wedding ceremony took place at the grooms house. It started when matchmaker carried the bride from her house to the grooms. i fire was lit in the hearth of the house and offerings were burnt to the gods.the grooms parents would give fine gifts to the brides and the match maker would tie the brides skirt to the end of the grooms cape, this symbolised the bond of marriage. The rest of the days were filled with celebrations and feasts.
Gods
The Gods and Goddesses Centzon Totochtin Other Names: "Four hundred rabbits." Description: Moon Gods. Depicted with black and white faces and moon-shaped nose ornaments. Chalchihuitlicue Other Names: "Precious green lady", "Precious jewel lady", "Precious jade skirt." Description: Special colors are blue and white. She loves flowers. Flowers were offered to her and cotton headdresses made in her honor. Unpredictable temper. Rules Over: Storms, youthful beauty, whirlpools, spring growth, love, flowers, spirits, streams. Chantico Description: Goddess of Fire. She symbolizes pleasure and pain together. Her symbols are a red serpent and cactus spikes. Rules Over: Fire, wealth and precious stones within the Earth. Chicomecoatl Description: Popular Maize Goddess as maize was considered the giver of life. She wore a large four-sided headdress and carried a double maize cob. Rules Over: Maize. Cihuacoatl Other Names: "Woman snake." Rules Over: Childbirth. Cinteotl Description: Corn God which also had female forms. During April festivals done in his honor, reeds were smeared with blood and put at the house doors and an offering. Rules Over: Earthly food. Coatlicue Other Names: "Snake Skirt", "Serpent Lady." Description: Earth Goddess, Great Mother. She was both positive and negative, could bless or harm. She had claws and a skirt of snakes. Rules Over: All Life, famines and earthquakes. Coyolxauhqui Other Names: "Golden Bells" Description: Moon Goddess. Wore golden bells on her cheeks. Huehuecoyotl Other Names: Ueuecoyotl, "Old, old Coyote." Description: Mischievious deity who was an uncontrolled and trickster God. Rules Over: Gaiety, physical sex, irrational fun. Huitzilopochtli Other Names: "Hummingbird on the Left (South)", "Left-Handed Humming Bird" Description: National god of the Aztecs. His festival was one of 25 days of a blood orgy with hearts and blood of prisoners dumped on his altar. Rules Over: Sun, death, war, young men, warriors, storms, guide for journeys. Ilamatecuhtli Description: Terrible aspect of the mother goddess. During her winter festival, a female's heart was cut out and her chopped off head carried during a parade. Itzcoliuhqui Other Names: "Twisted obsidian one", "Curved obsidian knife." Description: An aspect of the god Tezcatlipoca. Rules Over: Darkness, terrible cold, volcanic eruptions, disaster. Itzpaplotl Other Names: "Obsidian knife butterfly." Description: A very beautiful female goddess with death symbols scrawled on her face. A mixture of sensuality and death. Rules Over: Fate, stars, agriculture. Mayauel Description: She is depicted naked, holding up a bowl of pulque and seated on a throne of a tortoise and snake. Night was her sacred time and she carried a cord that she used to aid women in child birth. She is the Goddess who discovered and introduced the Gods to pulque. Rules Over: Pulque, Childbirth. Meztli Other Names: Tecciziecatl. Description: Represented as an old man with a white shell on his back and sometimes with butterfly wings. The physical Moon at its height. Mictlantecuhtli Other Names: "Lord of the land of the dead." Description: God of the Underworld and North. Depicted as a skeleton with red bones. Rules Over: The Dead. Mixcoatl Other Names: "Cloud serpent." Description: National god of the Chichimecs, god of the pole star. Victims to be sacrificed to him were painted white or red. It was thought that they turned into stars which were considered food for the Sun. Rules Over: Hunting, weapons that strike from a distance (spears, javelins). Quetzalcoatl Other Names: "Most precious twin", "Feathered serpent", "plumed serpent", "Morning Star." Description: Great priest, Master of Life. God of the wind, sea breeze and life-breath. A creator god who identified with the planet Venus. He is a 'good' god as he required only one human sacrifice a year. Rules Over: Civilization, the arts, metallurgy, fate. Tezcatlipoca Other Names: "Mirror that smokes", "The Shadow", "He who is at the shoulder." Description: One of two most known about gods of Mexico, he was a local deity of the Toltecs who was later adopted by the Aztecs. The dark aspect of Quetzalcoatl, his symbol was the jaguar. Evil God of warriors, magicians and sorcerers. Rules Over: Divination (especially black mirrors), drought, harvest, dancing, music, warriors, magick, cold, north, night. Tialoc Other Names: "The One who mankes things sproud", "Lord of the sources of water", "Lord of the waters." Description: An ancient Nature and fertility god who required constant human sacrifice. Shown holding four pitchers from which he pours the rain. Rules Over: Thunder, mountains, rains, hail, fertility, water, clouds, thunder, lightning. Tlauixcalpantecuhtli Other Names: "Lord of the house of dawn." Description: The morning star Venus. An aspect of Quetzalcoatl. Rules Over: Dawn. Tlazolteotl Other Names: "Goddess of Filth", "Dirt Goddess", "Earth Goddess", "Lady of Witches." Description: Goddess of the cresented moon. Terrible aspect of the Goddess. She rode naked on a broom holding a red snake and blood-smeared rope. Rules Over: Physical love, fertility, death. Tonatiuh Other Names: Pilzintecutli, "Royal Lord." Description: Sun God who received daily sacrifices of human hearts and blood. Rules Over: Fate, warriors who die in battle, women who die in childbirth. Tozi Other Names: Teteoinnan, "Our grandmother." Description: Mother of the Gods, personification of all the aspects of Nature. She had a festival; in August which honored midwives and women healers. Rules Over: Healing, sweat baths. Xipe Totec Other Names: "The flayed one." Description: The Aztecs celebrated his festival on February 22 by skinning prisoners alive to help the growing corn. Rules Over: Agriculture, west, goldsmiths, self-torture to give penance. Xochiquetzal Other Names: "Flower Plume", "Flower Feather." Description: Mother of the maize god. Goddess of the underworld and flowers. Rules Over: Underworld, flowers (especially marigolds which are laid on graves), sexual love, twins, children, craftsmen. Xolotl Other Names: "The Animal", Lord of the Evening Star, Lord of the Underworld. Description: A monster animal with its feet on reversed. The evil form of Venus and adversary of the Sun. He did bring humankind and fire from the underworld, though. Rules Over: Fire, Bad luck. Yacatecuhtli Other Names: "Lord Nose", "He who goes before." Rules Over: Merchants and traders. |