The Aztecs and Human Sacrifice

            After learning about the Aztecs’ in class, I found their methods of human sacrifice particularly fascinating. As a highly urbanized civilization under the roof of a vast empire, it’s interesting to see them still resort to seemingly primitive tactics to demonstrate their faith to the gods. They had large, bustling markets of over 60,000 people, male children went to school until the age of fifteen where they were handed over to the “House of Youth,” and high moral values were a very prominent part of the female attitude and cultural behavior. The religious mindset of the Aztecs, however, was extremely complex as it was a blend of traditions inherited from those they conquered. They had three major gods and each new day brought either a creator god or destructive god to serve duty and watch over the people.

            Because of this perpetual duality, the Aztecs had to ensure the gods were always happy because the destructive tendencies innate to some (or one) would always be a part of their civilization. So, they partook in fatal sacrifice and non-fatal sacrifice to nourish the gods with the blood of their people. In some cases, the sacrificed would be laid down on a table with a very large incision made on the lower abdomen, which another man would stick his hand inside, reach up to the chest, and pull out the beating heart. In other cases, they would simply mutilate one another, allowing blood to seep from the ears and/or legs onto strips of paper before being burned and used as incense in the face of religious worship.

            Prisoners of war usually made for good candidates for such practices. The Aztecs chose the most handsome and the most courageous fighters to feed to the gods to satisfy their hunger. These ceremonies of sacrifice were carried out in temples at the top of massive pyramids (of which we still don’t know how they were built), and the heads of the victims were often displayed as memorabilia pieces while the flesh was sometimes eaten by priests or head warriors.

Sources: http://www.ancient.eu/Aztec_Sacrifice/