INFORMATION ON THE AZTEC GODS
Added on: 26th Jan 2016
HUITZILOPOCHTLI NEEDED HUMAN BLOOD
TO FIGHT EVIL
Huitzilopochtli was a warrior sun god who required blood sacrifice
to help him win the battle against darkness and evil spirits.
Fortunately for humans, this was not always in the form of
human sacrifice and sometimes just a little bloodletting was enough.
OXOMOCO AND CIPACTONAL WERE THE
ADAM AND EVE OF AZTEC CULTURE
The Aztecs believed that Oxomoco and Cipactonal were the first
human couple, and so they were for Aztec culture and religion
what Adam and Eve are for Judaism and Christianity. They bore
a son named Piltzintecuhtli, who married a maiden, daughter of
Xochiquetzal. Oxomoco was later upgraded to an Aztec deity:
the goddess of night, astrology, and the calendar.
FEW PEOPLE STILL WORSHIP
AZTEC GODS TODAY
When the Spanish colonizers forced the locals to convert to
Christianity, the Nahuas, who were pure descendants of the
Aztecs, carried on worshiping their old sun god (Tonatiuh) in the
form of Jesus. Very few still worship Tonatiuh today.
HUEHUETEOTL WAS THE OLDEST GOD OF ALL
Every Aztec “household” had a little shrine to the oldest god
of all, Huehueteotl, the fire god. A typical celebration in his
honour consisted of feasts and a time of ceasing hostilities.
The Aztecs would cut out the hearts of human sacrifices,
followed by burning them on coal. As a result, the people
would regain Huehueteotl’s favour through his
elements—fire and blood.
CIHUATETEO WAS THE ULTIMATE
FEMINIST GODDESS
Cihuateteo embodied all female spirits and the souls of women
who died in childbirth. Childbirth was considered a form of
battle in Aztec culture, and its victims were honoured as
fallen warriors. However, Cihuateteo and her army of female
souls loved to haunt crossroads at night, stealing children and
causing sicknesses, especially seizures and madness
and seducing men to engage in sexual misbehaviour.
HUITZILOPOCHTLI WAS THE
“BOSS” OF THE AZTECS
Despite there being a dispute between scholars who study Aztec
culture, it seems as if Huitzilopochtli was the great god of the
Aztecs. His worship fuelled the battles and sacrifices of the people
and his temples were built in the hearts of cities. The Templo Mayor
contained his temple and his image was on Moctezuma’s throne.
THE AZTEC GODS DIDN’T ALL COME
FROM THE SAME SOURCE
Many different cultures made up the empire, so their gods were
frequently adopted and either added to the descriptions of existing
gods, or simply put into the pantheon.
GODS WERE MORTAL AND COULD DIE
IN THE AZTEC RELIGION
Aztec gods could die and be reborn more than once. For that
matter, the gods would often sacrifice themselves to set the
world in motion but soon after would be reborn.
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