Download No Slide Title

The Aztec Practice
of Human Sacrifice
Great Temple Stairs, Mexico City
The Great Temple in Tenochtitlan had two stairways of access to
the top, where there were two shrines or chapels dedicated to
Tlaloc, the god of water on the left side (as you face the structure),
and to Huitzilopochtli, god of war, on the right side. Human
sacrifices were conducted in these shrines.
Victims would ascend the steps of the pyramid,
wearing a sacrificial mask, where priests would
then stretch them across a convex stone and rip
their hearts out with a sharp knife.
Folio 58 Magliabechiano Codex
Sacrificial Knife currently in the British Museum. The
sacrificial knife was called Tecpatl Ixcuahua, "The Knife
With the Broad Forehead".
Scene from the Florentine Codex
After the sacrifice, bodies were thrown down the
temple steps. There the bodies were divided up
and pieces given to the captor and to the king.
The Wall of Skulls, Tenochtitlan
Skulls were displayed in the plaza
around the base of the Great
Pyramid.
Scene from the Codex Durán
In Mesoamerica, the most obvious practice of human
sacrifice was found in the Aztec Culture. Under the
leadership of the king, sacrifice became a key element in
their ritual and worship to many gods. The Aztecs were
constantly at "war" with neighboring tribes and groups.
The goal of this constant warfare was to collect live
prisoners for sacrifice. The Flower Wars began with a
mutual agreement between the Aztecs and the Tlaxcalans
to capture live men for future sacrifice (Meyers &
Sherman:65).
Folio 54 Magliabechiano Codex
The Aztecs worshipped a war god called Huitzilopochtli,
who took on the likeness of the sun over time. It was
thought that in order to insure the sun's arrival each day, a
steady supply of human hearts had to be offered in holy
sacrifice (Hogg:43). They believed that the sun and earth
had already been destroyed four times, and in their time of
the 5th sun, final destruction would soon be upon them. In
order to delay this dreadful fate, the practice of human
sacrifice became a major element in Aztec society and
livelihood (Meyer & Sherman:67).
Scene from the Codex Durán
The most common form of sacrifice was performed
outside, on the top of a great pyramid. The victim was
spread-eagled on a round stone, with his back arched.
His limbs were held, while a priest used an obsidian knife
to cut under the rib cage and remove his heart. This
method was used when honoring the sun god,
Huitzilopochtli.
Each god apparently preferred a different form of sacrifice. For the
fertility god Xipe Totec, the person was tied to a post and shot full of
arrows. His blood flowing out represented the cool spring rains
(Meyer & Sherman:69). The fire god required a newly wed couple.
They were thrown into the god's altars and allowed to burn and at the
last minute they were taken out and had their hearts removed as a
second offering (Hogg :48). The earth mother goddess, Teteoinnan,
was extremely important. At harvest time, a female victim was flayed
and her skin was carried ceremoniously to one of the temples. Her
skin was worn by an officiating priest who then symbolized the
goddess herself (Meyer & Sherman:44)
No.
The Aztec Civil
Calendar
The solar year was the
basis for the civil
calendar by which the
Aztecs determined the
many ceremonies and
sacrificial rituals
linked to agricultural
cycles. The calendar
was made up of 18
months, each lasting
20 days
Name of Month
Patron Gods and Rituals
Tlaloc, Chachihutlicue
I.
Atlacacauallo (ceasing of water)
Children sacrificed to water gods
Xipe-Totec
II.
Tlacaxipehualiztli (flaying of men)
III.
Tozoztontli (little vigil)
Gladitorial sacrifice; dances by priest
wearing the flayed skin of victims
Coatlicue, Tlaloc
Flayed skins buried, child sacrifices
Centeotl, Chicomecacoatl
IV.
Hueytozoztli (great vigil)
Blessing of new corn; maiden sacrificed
Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli
V.
Toxcatl (dryness)
VI.
Etzalcualiztli (meal of maize & beans)
VII.
Tecuilhuitontli (small feast of the lords)
VIII.
Hueytecuihutli (great feast of the lords)
IX.
Tlaxochimaco (birth of flowers)
Impersonators of these major gods
sacrified
Tlaloques
Impersonators of water dieties sacrified
by drowning; ritual bathing and dances
Huixtocihuatl, Xochipilli
Impersonators of the gods sacrificed;
ceremony of salt workers
Xilonen
Feast for godess of young corn, lords
offer gifts and feast for commoners
Huizilopochtli
All the gods festooned with garlands;
feasting on corn-meal cakes and turkey
Xocotlhuetzin (fall of fruit)
X.
XI.
Hueymiccaihuitl (great feast
of the dead)
Ochpaniztli (sweeping of the
roads)
XII.
Teoleco (return of the gods)
XIII.
Tepeihuitl (feast of the hills)
XIV.
Quecholli (precious feather)
XV.
Panquetzaliztli (raising of
the banner)
XVI.
Atemoztli (water decends)
XVII. Tititl (streching)
XVIII. Izcalli (resuscitation)
Nemontemi (empty days)
Xiuhtecuhtli
Ceremonial pole climbing competition
Sacrifice to fire gods by roasting victims alive
Tlazolteotl
Sweeping of house and roads; mock combat
Tezcatlipoca
Ceremonies welcoming gods returning to earth;
ceremonial drunkeness, sacrifices by fire
Tlaloc
Ceremonies for mountain rain gods; human sacrifices
and ceremonial cannibalism
Mixcoatl-Camaxtli
Ritualistic hunt following fast; sacrifice of game and
ceremonial feasting
Huitzilopochtli
Homes and fruit trees decorated with paper banners;
race-procession; massive sacrifices
Tlaloc
Festival honoring water gods; children and slaves
sacrificed
Llamatecuhtli
Sympathetic magic to bring rain; women beaten with
straw-filled bags to make them cry
Xiuhtecuhtli
Image of god made from amaranth dough; feasting on
tamales stuffed with greens
Five unlucky days; no rituals, general fasting