religious sacrifices
There were some sacrifices not as bad as others for example blood-letting and self-harm from the ears and legs. A common form of sacrifice was getting a blood soaked paper strip and burning it. Another type of sacrifice was killings animals like deer, butterflies and snakes. Precious objects were handed over to the gods for them to enjoy. They would offer things like precious metals, jade and shells which could have been ritually buried. An interesting offering was the dough images of gods, they were made from ground amaranth with human blood and honey. They would eat or burn the effigy.
The god impersonators were the most honoured sacrificial victims. They were specially chosen people who dressed up in a particular god before the sacrifice. The Tezcatlipoca impersonator was treated like royalty for exactly one year before the ceremony. He was treated like royalty until his final moment. The impersonator of Xipe Totec who at the end of the ceremony was skinned to honour Xipe Totec as his name means “flayed one”.
At Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, the sacrifices included stretching a victim across a special stone then they would cut open the chest and remove their heart using a flint knife or obsidian. After, the heart was placed in a stone vessel or a chacmool. Then burnt as an sacrifice to the god. The victim would be decapitated after. This sacrifice was only for females who impersonated gods such as Chalchiuhtlicue. There were videos showing dead bodied being flung of the edge of the steps of the tower. Some people could be sacrificed by fighting in a gladiatorial contest. It was unfair as the victim was tied to a rock and had a feathered club to fight and the others had a razor-sharp obsidian sword. There were two other methods. One the victim would be tied up and someone would repeatedly get shot by a bow and arrow and the worst one of all someone would be repeatedly get thrown into the fire then had their heart ripped out. After the sacrifices the heads of the victims would be placed in a storage rack, and the flesh would most likely eat the flesh.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SACRIFICES
Skinned Alive- Xipe Totec, the flayed god is typical. The god of fertility would get victims sacrificed in honour of this god to be flayed (skinned alive) After flaying the victim, priests would wear his skin. This symbolised the new annual spring renewal of vegetation. In other words the renewal of the earth’s skin.
Sacrificial Rites- The Aztecs sacrificed people in many different ways. One way was to choose a young man, he would impersonate the god Tezcatlipoca for a year, he was given everything he desired even for beautiful girls as his wives, but at the end of the year he was sacrificed. On another occasion captives were thrown ito fire alive but, before they died, they were pulled out to have their hearts ripped out from them. At the end of the ceremony, people took home the victims’ flesh and ate it in a stew.
Gifts To Nature- The Aztecs believed that sacrifices were necessary to make the sun rise again, sacrifice was pay-back which fed the gods. Huge number of victims were killed. 80,400 were said to have been sacrificed at one ceremony. Ornate knives like the one in the picture were crafted
for sacrifices.
Sacrificial Rites- The Aztecs sacrificed people in many different ways. One way was to choose a young man, he would impersonate the god Tezcatlipoca for a year, he was given everything he desired even for beautiful girls as his wives, but at the end of the year he was sacrificed. On another occasion captives were thrown ito fire alive but, before they died, they were pulled out to have their hearts ripped out from them. At the end of the ceremony, people took home the victims’ flesh and ate it in a stew.
Gifts To Nature- The Aztecs believed that sacrifices were necessary to make the sun rise again, sacrifice was pay-back which fed the gods. Huge number of victims were killed. 80,400 were said to have been sacrificed at one ceremony. Ornate knives like the one in the picture were crafted
for sacrifices.
SACRIFICES TO DIFFERENT GODS
Tezcatlipoca was normally known as the most powerful god and the god of night and destiny. Tezcatlipoca means smoking mirror or obsidian. Many Aztecs thought that Tezcatlipoca created war to give food and drinks to the gods. He was an enemy of Quetzalcoat but an ally of Huitzilopochtli. He had the power to relief disease. In the 20 day month of Toxcatl. Someone who impersonated Tezcatlipoca would have to be sacrificed. The young man chosen for a year would dress as Tezcatlipoca and be treated like the god himself but on earth. He would get four women as his wives. After a year had passed the man would climb the pyramid, break his flute and surrender to the priests
Huehueteotl was the fire god. The Aztecs had a sacrificial ceremony where they would make a large feast and at the end they would burn captives. Before they died their hearts would be cut out. The Sacrifice was an offering to the deity.
Tlaloc was known as the god of rain. The Aztecs thought that if they didn’t sacrifice in honour of Tlaloc the rain would not come and their crops would not grow. Leprosy and rheumatism were diseases caused by Tlaloc. As part of the sacrifice Tlaloc would need tears of the young, the priests made children cry during their immolation. If this was done Tlaloc would wet the earth in the raining season.
Huehueteotl was the fire god. The Aztecs had a sacrificial ceremony where they would make a large feast and at the end they would burn captives. Before they died their hearts would be cut out. The Sacrifice was an offering to the deity.
Tlaloc was known as the god of rain. The Aztecs thought that if they didn’t sacrifice in honour of Tlaloc the rain would not come and their crops would not grow. Leprosy and rheumatism were diseases caused by Tlaloc. As part of the sacrifice Tlaloc would need tears of the young, the priests made children cry during their immolation. If this was done Tlaloc would wet the earth in the raining season.