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Aztec Religion

Aztec Religion

Sebby Decker

on 7 January 2013

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Transcript of Aztec Religion

Aztec Religion Calendars and Temples Human Sacrifice and Mythology 1.The Aztec had two calendars.
A.One calendar was the religious calendar, which had 13 months, 20 days each.
B.The other calendar was the solar calendar, which had 18 months, 20 days each, with 5 unlucky days at the end. Aztec Deities 1. The Aztecs believed in deities, or gods and goddesses, that were taken from many ideas in early Mesoamerica. Their deities represented things in nature and the universe; 8 main gods.
A. Most Aztec gods were bloodthirsty and craved for human blood, thus creating the human sacrifice ritual.
B. They were violent, warlike gods, patrons of conquering and victory, leading to the Aztecs' brutal military force.
C. Believing in myths of how their gods created them, made food and entertainment for them, the Aztecs tried to appease them
To learn more about the main 8 Aztec gods: 1. For each god or goddess, the Aztecs would sacrifice to them, with animals or the infamous human sacrifice.
Humans counted as a "double sacrifice" and were the way the Aztecs thought would satisfy their gods who thirsted for human blood. By Sebastien Fortes,
Samantha Hagan, and Ana Liu Slaves and war captives were usually the people sacrificed, but sometimes a commoner willingly volunteered, thinking they would go to the highest heaven of all. Method of Sacrifices The most common sacrifice was the single person sacrifice. A victim was held by 4 priests face up on a sacrificial stone, while the fifth priest cut open the chest with a black, obsidian knife. Then, they would stab out the still beating heart and raise it to the crowd. Men, women, and children were all sacrificed for their bloodthirsty gods. People who were sacrificed impersonated gods and goddesses and represented rites used to fertilize the earth, bless the people, conquer natives, or even to thank the gods for granting them victory. Rituals were religious, ceremonial acts that the Aztecs performed to appease their gods. Some particular rituals and sacrifices honored different gods. For example: To honor Xipe Totec, the god of spring and freshness, the Aztecs sacrificed someone and flayed all the skin, giving it to another live person to wear it. 2. Like many other ancient religions, the Aztecs used myths and legends to explain events of the world. However, most Aztec myths were developed from many pre-Hispanic stories. This particular story was purely Aztec, though: In general, after the sacrifice, the blood was spread on the ground and the bodies were rolled down the temple steps. Sometimes, the people would even eat the flesh, mount the skulls on racks, or the limbs cut and given out! Other Myth Game Link Aguilar-Moreno, Manuel. "religion, cosmology, and mythology, Aztec." Handbook to Life in the Aztec World. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. December 18, 2012 <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp >

"Aztec Temples." Aztec-History.com. 2006-2012. Web. 12/14/12.

Bunson, Margaret R., and Stephen M. Bunson. "gods, Aztec." Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesoamerica. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1996. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. December 18, 2012. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp>

Bunson, Margaret R., and Stephen M. Bunson. "calendar, Aztec." Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesoamerica. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1996. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Warburton, Lois. Aztec Civilization. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1995. Print. World History Series.

Wood, Tim. The Aztecs. Viking, 1992. Print. See Through History.

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=tec&id=601&typ=reg WHAT AZTEC GOD ARE YOU QUIZ LINK! Citations 2. The temples were considered "the god's house", (teocalli) and almost all religious ceremonies and rituals were performed there. People went to worship their gods.
A. Many priests, both male and female, took care of the temples, which were dedicated to their gods.
B. Mass sacrifices were sometimes performed, in the temple, to provide nourishment for their gods.
C. The calendars ended on the same day every 52 years. This was celebrated by burning many objects, including a sacrificial victim’s chest.
D. The day the calendars shared endings was called the Binding of the Years. Solar Calendar Quiz Time Religious Calendar 1. Which calendar is which? This is the _________ calender This is the _________ calender 2. The Aztecs sacrified _______________ in their temples in __________. A. Only humans; rituals

B. Humans and animals; passages

C. Only animals; rituals

D. Humans and animals; rituals 3. How many MAIN gods did the Aztecs believe in? A. 9
B. 8
C. 7
D. 0 3 BONUS!) Name 2!!!! 4. From the video, where were the temples located?
<<<What were the temples like? 5. Which god was the only one to have 2 separate parts to his name? http://gamestarmechanic.com/game/shared/90564/f6902e9f59bad28fd71a40e105e4c7a0 Aztec Pyramids Video Clip Aztec Pyramid Stop at 30 second mark!! Xipe Totec!!!!! http://www.quotev.com/quiz/2493833/What-Aztec-God-or-Goddess-are-you/ Gods: Fun Facts!!! Tlaloc was married to the goddess of flowers (Xochiquetzal), but lost his wife to Tezcatlipoca, who kidnapped his bride.
Xipe Totec is the only Aztec god or goddess that has two separate parts to his name.
All gods had good and bad sides or faces to them
The gods created and controlled the world and kept the sun moving
Roughly 2/3 of the gods were male, 1/3 were female.
The gods sacrificed themselves to get our world and life going
The Aztecs had to pay the gods back through human sacrifices
Gods, like people, could die and return to life - more than once! List of Major Aztec Gods!!! Huitzilopochtli: King god
Tlaloc: Ancient rain god
Tonatiuh: Sun, kindness, and warmth god
Tezcatlipoca: Violent god of death
Chalchiuhtlicue: Goddess of water and childbirth, only major female goddess
Centeotl: Mellow god of maize
Quetzalcoatl: Kind god of wisdom
Xipe Totec: Resilient god of spring and comebacks
Notes from video:
Aztec pyramids=temples for deities
Built up in steps to the top
Top of pyramid was the temple
Temples were usually dedicated to one god each
Had staircases leading to the top
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