The Aztec religion is the Mesoamerican religion of the Aztecs. Like other Mesoamerican religions, it had elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large number of religious festivals, which were celebrated with the Aztec calendar masters.
This religion was polytheistic; that is, he recognized a large number of gods and goddesses. Generally, the Aztecs incorporated in their religious practices deities whose cults came from other geographical regions and other people.
Aztec cosmology divides the world into thirteen heavens and nine terrestrial layers of underworld; each level was associated with a specific set of deities and astronomical objects.
The most important celestial entities in the Aztec religion were the Sun, the Moon, and the planet Venus. All these elements had different symbolic and religious meanings, as well as associations with certain deities and geographical places.
Its veneration was originated in the significant relevance of the Sun and the Moon, whose natural functions are of great importance for the Earth.
Many deities of the Aztec parthenon were praised by previous Mesoamerican civilizations. For example, gods such as Tlacoc, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were revered with different names in most cultures throughout Mesoamerica's history.
Six main characteristics of the Aztec religion
The Aztec religion focused on how gods, humans, and nature were related. The six most relevant characteristics are listed below:
1- Generation of Huitzilopochtli
There was a great emphasis on the veneration of Huitzilopochtli.
The military conquest and ritual sacrifices were related, and concentrated on helping Huitzilopochtli keep the Sun alive, to avoid a disaster every 52 years.
2- Creation of the world in five attempts
According to this religion, it took the gods five attempts to create the world.
The first creator, Tezcatlipoca, became a jaguar and destroyed the world. At one point, Quetzalcoatl created humans with the help of his own blood.
3- Human Sacrifice
This religion was based on keeping nature balanced. In heaven there was a constant struggle between light and darkness, a battle that would one day be lost.
Since the gods needed blood to win the battle against the darkness, a human sacrifice was made. Sacrifices became commonplace in Mexico. Battles were often fought only to capture prisoners for the sacrifice.
4- End of the world every 52 years
Every 52 years people were afraid that the world would end. All the religious fires were extinguished, the people of all the empire destroyed their belongings and practiced the mourning.
When the Pleiades constellation appeared, the security of the world was guaranteed for another 52 years.
5- The world divided into four parts
For this religion, the world was divided into four quadrants, and in the center was the city of Tenochtitlan. The skies were divided into thirteen ascending layers and the underworld into nine descending layers.
The heavens and the underworld were described as wheels within wheels, a form more common to the Aztecs than the layers or moons.
The temple of Tenochtitlán was the place where the forces of the sky and the Earth met.
6- Life after death
The prophecies were a large part of the Aztec religion.
The life after a person's death was based on how he died. Some, like those sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli, would join the battle against the darkness.
According to mythology, some people would eventually be reincarnated in birds or butterflies and, eventually, in humans.
Others would be spirits that would roam the Earth for a time; at some point, most would have to make the grand voyage through the nine levels of the underworld.
The people were buried in a squatting position, with objects that would help them along their journey. In the end, they would live in the dark.
Practices of the Aztec religion
Religion was controlled by the tlatoani, and the high priests ruled the main temples and ceremonial precincts. The tlatoani was the head of the cult and religion of the Aztec empire.
This religion involved monthly festivals and a number of rituals centered around the ruling dynasty, trying to stabilize the cosmic and political systems. These rituals involved human sacrifices.
For example, during the Tozozlti Huey, the same ruler sacrificed himself to ask for rainfall from the gods.
Each stratum of society had its own rituals and deities. For example, the Pochteca merchants were involved in the Tlaxochimaco festival; and the plebeians, in the one of Ochpaniztli.
On many occasions people represented the gods; dressed like them and acting histories of Aztec mythology. The Aztec calendar played a very important role in their lives: festivals and ceremonies were governed by it.
The Aztecs believed that they lived under the fifth and final Sun. They feared that the day would come when the fifth Sun would die, killing the world.
Major Aztec Gods
1- Huitzilopochtli
He was the most powerful and feared Aztec god. Huitzilopochtli was the god of war, the sun and sacrifice.
He was also the patron god of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The Great Temple in the center of the city was built in honor of Huitzilopochtli and Tlacoc.
Its name is thought to mean"left hummingbird". It was often drawn with feathers and holding a serpent-shaped scepter.
2- Tlaloc
He was the god of rain and water. Although Tlacoc helped the Aztecs by sending them rain so that plants could grow, he could also get angry and send thunderstorms.
Tlaloc was praised in the Great Temple in the city of Tenochtitlan and on the top of a mountain called Mount Tlacoc. It was often drawn with fangs and giant eyes.
3- Quetzalcoatl
He was the god of life and the wind. Its name means"serpent with feathers"; was often drawn like a snake that could fly, much like a dragon.
When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés first arrived in the region dominated by the Aztecs, many thought that it was the god Quetzalcoatl in flesh and bone.
4- Tezcatlipoca
He was a mighty god associated with many elements, including magic, night and Earth. He was the rival god of Quetzalcoat.
According to Aztec mythology, he was the first god to create the Sun and Earth, but was defeated by Quetzalcoat and transformed into a jaguar.
There was a great temple built in his honor in the city of Tenochtitlan, just south of the Great Temple. Its name means"smoking mirror".
5- Chicomecoatl
Chicomecoatl was the Aztec goddess of agriculture, growth and corn.
It was often drawn as a young girl with flowers, or a woman using the sun as a shield. Its name means"seven serpents".
References
- Aztec empire: religion, gods and mythology. Retrieved from ducksters.com
- Aztec religion. Retrieved from wikipedia.org
- Ancient aztec religion. Retrieved from aztec-history.com
- Aztec religion. Retrieved from crystalinks.com