How Did The Aztec Religion Interact

MAIN BELIEFS

The Aztec’s arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. In great cities of the Aztec empire, magnificent temples and palaces and statues embodied the civilisation’s unfailing devotion to the many Aztec gods. Aztec Religion was a combination of astronomy and cosmology. Huge importance was given to gods, humans ad nature. The practice of this religion revolved around the Aztec calendar which had various festivals, rituals and sacrifices. The forces of the sun and the moon affected the balance of nature which required balance. All aspects of human life activities were also influenced by religion including childbirth, agriculture, and the Aztec seasons. The role of humans was to maintain this balance through appropriate

The creation myth according to the Aztecs is a continuous story of creations and disasters, it is called the Legend of the Fifth Sun. Creation began when the dual Ometecuhtli (Lord of Duality) and Omecihuatl (Lady of Duality) created itself. This god gave birth to four other gods. These gods created the world. When the first creation was completed, a cycle of 5 suns followed which corresponded to 5 world ages, each one ending in elimination. According to the Aztecs, we are currently in the Fifth Sun: The legend foretells that this era will end with earthquakes. Aztec legends play a prominent role in creation, and quarrels between gods determine the course of

This feast was held in respect of this god of rain which favoured the farmers and was of great importance for crops. Then there was the Tlaxochimaco Festival which celebrated the god of Merchants. The largest ritual of all was the New Fire Ceremony which was held every 52 years in order to prevent the world coming to an end. At this ritual, the high priest would sacrifice a human to the gods, and then light a fire on that person’s chest signifying the importance of this sacrifice. The Aztecs believed that the sun needed the blood of human sacrifice in order to rise each day.

The Aztec’s mass human sacrifices and grim afterlife painted a picture of a civilization that could be harsh both in life and death. Aztec poetry and prayers provided a softer contrast to this harshness to the Aztecan’s. They mourned the loss of all of those who died and the loss of their home and their way of life by the activity of worship and prayer in their homes/