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AZTECS By: Stephanie
Osorio
RELIGION ORIGIN
 Aztec religion is a South American religion combining
elements of polytheism, (many gods) shamanism and animism
(worship of nature spirits) which was guided by the seasons
and the stars. Like other South American religions, it had
elements of human sacrifice in connection with a large
number of religious festivals which were held according to
festivals of the Aztec calendar.
WHO STARTED IT
 The Aztecs had their patron deity, Huitzilopochtli, and then a
ton of other deities that already had a long history in other
parts of Central America. Many of these deities have Olmec
origins, like Quetzalcoatl. Huehueteotl, the Old God of Fire,
actually has origins older than the Olmec. Tlaloc can be
traced back to at least Teotihuacan, as can Xipe Totec.
SCRIPTURES
 The head of the gods was Huizilopochtlid, god of war and god of
sun. This god had told the Aztecs to wander until they found an
eagle with a serpent in its mouth perched on a cactus growing
from a rock. When they found this, they claimed the area around
it, which is now known as Tenochtitlan.
 The Aztecs worshipped Tlaloc, the rain god, in the main temple.
This god was very important to farmers because drought was a
threat in the area.
 Quetzalcoatl was a feathered snake who represented arts,
crafts, and self-sacrifice.
 Priests and priestesses were very important people. They acted
as doctors, and taught science, art, writing, music, dance,
history, and counting. They also had to know astronomy and
astrology. They had to perform difficult ceremonies.
 Religion played an important part in Aztecs' lives, and human
sacrifice was used to pay homage to their gods.
ICONS
 Symbolism was a par t of ever y day life for t he people of central
Mexico. Symbols were used in writing, in keeping time and dates, in
names and titles, on buildings and in ar twork , and even in clothing. It
identified and explained the gods, showed social level, and foretold good
and bad for tune. In keeping with the culture of the Aztecs, much
symbolism was focused around religion and war. The gods were
por trayed, as were warriors and battles. These things were por trayed
using realistic human forms , as well as forms of nature. For example,
jaguars, snakes (rattlesnakes were a favourite), dogs, birds and even
insects were common. The human forms have come to be known as a
defining characteristic of the Late Postclassical period in central
Mexico. Of course, these things of ten had various meanings
inter twined. There were basic meanings for animals, for example, that
would grow in complexity as they came to represent gods or a warrior
class. The frog represented joy. Butter flies symbolized
transformation. The monkey represented dance and
celebration. Combined with other symbols, a rich stor y could be told
PRACTICES
 Aztecs worshipped the sun and sacrificed according to the
seasons of the sun.
 They sacrificed defeated enemies by cutting out their live
heart from their chest and severing it from their body. This
was a sign of respect and obedience to the sun god.
 Sacrifice was a practice known throughout Mesoamerica, but
the Aztecs sacrificed at an alarming rate. During the rebuild
of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, the main sacrificial
pyramid of the Aztec Empire, the Aztecs sacrificed 84,400
prisoners over the course of four days
SONGS
 Aztec music was a constant and important part of life. Not
only was music used for enjoyment, it was a way of passing on
culture, of sharing an understanding of religion, of making an
emotional connection with the events of life.
 When a child was sent to school, music and the playing of
instruments was an important subject to be learned. Students
between 12 and 15 would learn songs that were important in
their culture. And, as we see in the quote above, music was
important enough that the nobles often had their own band,
song writers and studio right at home. Edlers in the home
would teach children the songs they needed to know .
AZTEC MUSIC
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laWtr7MIzBM
PRAYERS
 The Aztec held many religious ceremonies. The most impor tant
obser ved planting, har vesting, and other events in the agricultural year.
The purpose of many ceremonies was to motivate people to work
together to ensure good crops by winning the favor of the gods.

 Human and animal sacrifice played a vital role in the ceremonies. The
Aztec regarded the human body and all living things as gif ts from the
gods. They believed that a divine power resided in three par ts of the
body—the head, the hear t, and the liver. The Aztec thought that the
gods required a ritual payment in the form of human hear ts and blood
to remain strong. Human sacrifices were elaborate, dramatic
ceremonies designed to magically transform the human victims into
living representatives of the gods before they were sacrificed. Of ten,
priests slashed open the chest of a living victim and tore out the hear t.
Wor shipper s sometimes ate por tions of a victim's body. They may have
thought that the dead per son’s strength and braver y passed to
anyone who ate a por tion of the flesh. Most victims were prisoners of
war or slaves. The Aztec also sacrificed women and occasionally, to the
god Tlaloc, children.
WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE SERVICE ?
 The tlacatecuhtli , or "chief of men." controlled all the
religious ceremonies and was also the military leader. Under
the tlacatecuhtli were several religious and other of fices
which included military generals. Priests and priestesses were
very important in society.
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH
 They were those who live in the empire and had to be really
devoted to them.
BASIC BELIEFS
 The Aztec people were quite religious. They worshipped over
1 ,000 gods. They believed the gods controlled all life from the
birth of a baby until the death of an older person. Therefore,
the Aztecs had to please the gods. The Aztecs would conquer
other lands and use some of the captives as human sacrifices
to please the gods. They felt that keeping the gods happy
would result in good crops, good weather and sunny days. The
Aztecs never took the gods for granted. They continually tried
to please them.
AZTEC EMPIRE
SACRIFICES
AZTEC CALENDAR
MUSIC
AZTEC SUN