Principal Beliefs
What was central to Aztec beliefs
the sun
What is a sacred space
A place of special religious significance, usually a site for prayer or ritual
Aztec was a monotheistic religion, true or false
false, they were polytheistic, believing in several gods.
What was the most common ritual in Aztec religion
Human sacrifice
Religion bought adherents of all generations together, this created a what?
Sense of belonging
How many heavens and how many underworlds did the Aztec believe that there were.
13 heavens, 9 underworlds with an earth in between
What is an example of an Aztec sacred space
The seven caves of Chilcomoztoc, Caves or volcanoes, pyramids
What did human sacrifice do to the Gods
energise them
What was Toxcatl?
This occured every May and involved the human sacrifice of an individual who had impersonated the god of Tezcatlipoca over the past year. And Toxiumolpila also know as the ‘new fire ceremony’ that occurred every 52 years and symbolized the world starting a new cycle.
How could one please the gods?
Sacrifice, gratitude, protect the universe
What did one the sacrifice of the sun include
1. Aztecs believed that they had to repay their debt to their gods.
2. They also believed that the sun wouldn’t move across the sky without these sacrifices to appease the gods.
3. The Aztecs believed that the universe was extremely volatile and could end catastrophically at any moment.
What is the capital Aztec city
Tenochtitlan
Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Xipe Totec, Coatlicue
What were some other rituals
some others included bloodletting, where priests or others would cut themselves and give their blood as an offering to the gods, and animal sacrifices. There was usually a major ceremony every month, in attempt to honour one or more Gods.
What were the three big goals that shapped Aztec life
Pleasing the gods, achieving a good death, sense of belonging
What is the concept of god or the many gods called
Teotl
What were the shrines on top of the temples called
Teocalli
What did were gods believed to control
Everything, such as the sun, human life, afterlife, weather, agriculture
What were the two main reasons that human sacrifice was performed
To honour the gods (they thought that the blood would energize the gods and fulfill their hunger to keep the sun moving across the sky for the better of all. They also thought that these sacrifices would bring good to their lives)
For individual rewards (The nature of a person's afterlife depended on the way that they died à human sacrifice was considered a good way to die, granting the victim a place in the Aztec heavens )
How could someone achieve a good death?
Sacrifice themselves in a ritual, give them blood, praise the gods, contribute to festivals
What did the gods provide if they were kept happy
Protection, good weather, healthy crops, a new life
What way did the temple staircases always face
West
Name a god and what they are the god of.
Huitzilopochtli, He was the god of war, the sun and sacrifice
Tezcatlipoca, The God of time, the night sky and ancestral memory
Quetzalcoatl, God of intelligence, wind and rain
Xipe Totec, The God of seasons and agricultural fertility
Coatlicue, Goddess of earth
What did human sacrifice consist of?
Human sacrifice was the most popular and important Aztec ritual. They were performed on prisoners of war, children, volunteers and criminals. In this ritual, victims were made to walk up a staircase of one of the great Aztec pyramids, then priests would stretch the victim across a stone alter and cut their abdomen with a blade. Then they would pull out their still beating heart right from the body. Their blood was smeared over statues, the head was placed on a skill rack decorating the temple, and the remaining body would be tossed down the pyramid stairs. Sometimes, the skin was flayed and made into a robe.
Explain each of the three life goals for Aztec people
Pleasing the Gods
Pleasing the Gods was in the Aztec adherents forefront of their minds in everything that they did. They aimed to show gratitude, protect the survival of the universe and win favour to achieve this.
Achieving a Good Death
Aztecs believed that achieving a good death that pleased the gods would land them a spot in one of the 13 heavens
Sense of Belonging
Religion was the one thing in Aztec society that brought together all generations and individual, despite different opinions and conflicts that were occuring