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The Sacred Landscape
Aztec Gods

The Aztecs believed that the gods
controlled every aspect of their
world and lives



As such, they looked to the
gods for signs as to how to live
their life
The Aztecs believed in many
gods, which means they were a
polytheistic society as opposed to
a monotheistic one
They believed that some gods
were greater than others, however

This helps us understand their
values and culture
Group Assignment
•
Please form into groups of around 4
•
Need to have 5 groups
•
You will be reading a small description of an
Aztec god or goddess and then answering
some questions
•
You will then be teaching the class about your
god or goddess
The Aztec
Calendars
•
The Aztec calendar emphasized the
close connection between gods and
human beings, and between the physical
and sacred landscapes
•
There were two calendars: solar
calendar and a sacred calendar
–
Solar: 365 days, follows the
seasons
–
Sacred: was 260 days long; took it
52 years to “catch up” with the
solar calendar
•
The great stone calendar (15th C) was
dedicated to Huitzilopochtli
•
The Aztecs believed that there were four
eras before the present one and each
had been destroyed
–
Jaguars, hurricanes, fiery rain,
flood
–
The fifth will be destroyed by
earthquakes
How it Works:
• Think of two wheels
joined together
•First wheel is numbered
1-13
•Second wheel has twenty
glyphs, or symbols on it
•In the starting position,
number one and the first
glyph are lined up
•Then the second glyph
and number two
•After 13 days of this, a
week has passed
•The first wheel starts
back at one, whereas the
second wheel goes on to
the fourteenth glyph
•After 260 days of this, the
wheel is back at the one
beginning position
Human Sacrifice
•
Why did they believe it was
necessary to give gods human
blood?
•
It had a deeply religious significance
for the Aztecs
•
It was the strongest expression of
their devotion to the gods
•
They believed the blood nourished
the gods
–
They would die without it
–
The world would end
•
War was important because it gave
an opportunity to capture new
people for sacrifice
•
Think-Pair-Share: What do you
think of human sacrifice? Does it
make sense in this context? Why or
why not?
New Fire Ceremony
•
The New Fire ceremony is an
important religious ceremony
which took place every 52 years
•
It had to be performed correctly
or they thought the world would
end
•
All fires would be put out,
thrusting the empire into
darkness
•
They people would also fast
•
A sacred flame was then lit at
the top of Uixachtlan, a sacred
mountain
•
Citizens would wait on their
roofs until a courier came and lit
all other fires from this important
fire
Historical Perspectives on Aztec
Religion
[Cortes] said to Montezuma [sic] through our
interpreter, half laughing: “Senor
Montezuma, I do not understand how
such a great Prince and wise man as
you are has not come to the conclusion,
in your mind, that these idols of yours
are not gods, but evil things that are
called devils, and so that you may know
it and all your priests may see it clearly,
do me the favour to approve of my
placing a cross here on the top of this
tower . . . and you will see by the fear in
which these Idols hold it that they are
deceiving you.”
- Bernal Dial des Castillo, The Discovery of
the Conquest of Mexico
Montezuma [sic] replied half angrily (and
the two priests who were with him
showed great annoyance), and said:
“Senor [Cortes], if I had known that you
would have said such defamatory things
I would not have shown you my gods.
We consider them to be very good, for
they give us health and rains and good
seed times and seasons and as many
victories as we desire, and we are
obliged to worship them and make
sacrifices, and I pray you not say
another word to their dishonour.”
- Bernal Dias del Castillos, The
Discovery of the Conquest of Mexico
Q: What do these two quotes tell us about Spanish society and Aztec society?
Q: What do they tell us about cultural contact?
Tenochtitlan: The Centre of the World
•
•
The Aztecs believed that the world was a
round, flat disc
–
It was divided into four sections
–
Tenochtitlan was situated in the
middle, where the four sections
met
–
Why would they think this?
Tenochtitlan itself was also divided into
four sections
–
This symbolized the four cardinal
directions
–
In the middle of the city was a
square which contained many
temples, one of which was the
Great Temple
–
What does this structure tell us
about their worldview?
Tenochtitlan Continued
•
The Aztecs believed that their
gods lived in the skies
•
With this in mind, why would
many of their temples be on
mountains?
•
The Aztecs were an urban
people, so they needed to
have temples built in their
cities
•
Tenochtitlan had hundreds of
temples, many in the preferred
pyramid shape
•
The Great Temple, also called
Temple Mayor, was the most
important
–
It was dedicated to two
gods (Huitzilopochtli and
Tlaloc)
Homework /10
1) Create a web which shows how important religion
was to the Aztecs. Provide four main points and
then information explaining each point further, with
examples, etc. See below. /6
2) What do you think of Aztec sacrifice? What is your
response to it? Is it evil? Understandable? Where
do you stand? /2
Religion