THE AZTECS : Religion

Now my favourite part of the Aztec civilization was religion. (Now I must warn you some parts in this might be gruesome as they contain human sacrifice.)

There were many gods but the 2 main gods were 'Tlaloc'(Rain god) and 'Huitzilopochtli'(War and Sun god) (still can't pronounce this name) also another important one was 'Quetzalcoatl'(The feathered serpent god).

Now a lot of human sacrifices were given to the god Tlaloc and there were mostly children (I know!)The Aztecs believed that if sacrifices were not supplied for Tlaloc, rain would not come, their crops would not flourish, and diseases caused by Tlaloc would infest the village. They also needed the children to be in pain as it was believed that their tears would bring rain to the earth. (I know...I know!)

Now Huitzilopochtli was worshipped at the Temple Mayor, which was the primary religious structure of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. When the Aztecs sacrificed people to Huitzilopochtli the victim would be placed on a sacrificial stone. The priest would then cut through the stomach with a flint or obsidian blade and The heart would be torn out still beating and held towards the sky in honour of the Sun-God. The body would then be pushed down the pyramid, where warriors would eat them (You know cannibalism!) and that would elevate their rank in the hierarchy.

The Aztecs spoke Nahuatl and called themselves 'Tenochca' or 'Mexica'(That's where the word Mexico came from)