Download File - Mr. O`Sullivan`s World of History

Who helped the Aztec’s worship and what did
they do?
Learning Objectives:
1) To understand the
role of Aztec Priests
2) To understand why
the Priests sacrificed
people.
Starter Activity:
What is the role of a Priest?
Use your own knowledge or an example
from your own religion.
Think: What jobs should a priest do
and how could he look after his people?
Meet an Aztec Priest
Your teacher has been turned into an Aztec
Priest.
This is your chance to ask them questions
to learn about what an Aztec Priest might
be like.
You have two minutes to think of a
question each that you can ask the Priest.
Remember: You are trying to learn what an
Aztec Priest’s job is!!
Popcorn Reading
An Aztec Priest and Sacrifices
The Aztecs were very religious people who relied on the forces of nature.
They believed that if they kept the God’s happy then they would be able to
live happily.
Their religion was so important to them that they had Priests to make sure
that they were living how the God’s would like. The Priests were holy
people and often had other jobs. For example they could be Doctors and
Teachers.
As priests, their main job was to sacrifice people because they were
responsible in making the sun god happy. Human sacrifices were offerings
to the sun and earth so that food would grow.
The priests would dress up as the supreme gods and wait on the top of an
extinct volcano. When the evening star reached the top of the sky, the
priests would stretch the captive over an altar, or a special stone. Then the
high priest would light a fire on the victim's heart and tear it out. After the
heart is cut, the priest would hold the heart to the sun, then put it in a
sacred dish. Most Aztec’s would be happy to be sacrificed as they would
be helping the sun to come up and they would be sent to heaven.
Paragraph Writing
Write a paragraph about what an Aztec Priest’s role is and how he
helps people worship.
Success Criteria:
1) You must explain what an
Aztec Priest’s role is,
including the other jobs he
does
2) You must explain why he
sacrifices people
3) You must explain why
Aztec’s thought their
priests were so important
Extension:
Can you compare Aztec
Priests to your religious
leader?
Use this picture to create a
story about what you have
learnt about the Aztecs.
Success Criteria:
1)You must explain briefly who
the Aztecs were
2)You must explain the Aztec
religion
3)You must explain what is
happening in this picture.
4) You must explain why they
sacrificed people
Optional:
5) You might want to pretend that
you are the priest and express
how you would feel about doing
this act.
Plenary
Who would like to
read their story?