Aztec+religion

=**Aztec Religion**=

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The Aztec religion started around the 1400's. The Aztecs left their home in search of a new one. They arrived in the valley of Mexico and settled near Lake Texco, where they found and began a new life in Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs claimed this area, where they found an eagle with a serphant in its mouth, perched on a cactus growing from a rock.They had many beliefs and traditions that were based off nature. They would sacrafice people to to their gods. The priests always had the highest power, therefore they recieved a lot of respect from the people. The Aztecs didn't have much technology, however they were able to create a new type of writing.======



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Aztecs believed in many gods, but the three most common were Huitzilopochtili (humming bird wizard), Tezcatlipoca (smoking mirror), and Quetzalcoat (sivereign plumed serpent). Among these gods were gods of rain and growth. The people had to sacrifice other people to satisfy the gods by nourishing them with human souls. They would sacrific captives and bring them back to the temples. Sometimes even 1 out of 1,000 would be sacrificed at a time. An incision would be made in the ribcage by the priest which takes out the living heart. Afterwards the corpse would be thrown down the pyramid and they would burn the heart. The type of sacrifice would depend on the god.====== Every time someone was sacrificed, it would bring balance and peace to the world. The priest, also called Hamacazqui (giver of all things), made sure that the gods were satisfied with the ceremonies and sacraficies. They even had a 260-day religious calendar.

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Aztec's beliefs were based in their perception of nature, its time space, and cycles. Most of their rituals are means of avoiding the destruction and chaotic forces of nature. The Aztecs really cared about nature, always trying to find harmony and avoiding any kind of desturbance.The Aztecs had many beliefs. They believed the sun fought the darkness every night to save mankind. They believed that if they fed the sun blood then it would rise. They had a belief in 13 heavens and many other unexplainable sequences of ideas. There was no way that they could prove this, but they did respect their Gods very much. The Aztecs worshipped over 1,000 Gods, but the one they worshipped the most was the sun. Religion always played a great role in Aztec life. They put their greatest efforts into building strong, beautiful temples to please their gods. The Aztecs had art that related to their religion. They drew pictures that told about their gods. They recorded religious events with hieroglyphics and even number signals.======

Women would wear clothing like short sleeve blouses and a skirt. Men wore a cloak around the hips and had a knott on one shoulder. The rich Aztecs had cotton clothing while the poor people had maguey fibers. Their social rank would depend on how many accessories they were wearing. The distinction of class in clothing was important to the Aztecs. So people that were not in a high power postition were not allowed to wear cotton clothing or sandals even though they could afford them. Most of their clothings had lively colors with beautiful designs and featherwork. Nobels wore jewlery made of gold such as necklaces, braclets, and gemstones around their arms and ankles. The men pierced their ears making them larger over time to insert precious metals.

[] [] [] [] [] LIfe among the Aztecs by Eleanor J. Hall Aztecs-encycolped