Aztecs Religion

The Aztecs were a fearsome collection of people. From complex waterways well beyond their time, to their barbaric sacrificial rituals, the Aztecs were from a unique time period. The conglomeration of the sacrifices and rituals gave rise to the need of a provider of human sacrifices, and thus began the elite society of ancient warriors. Revered highly by all, these warriors were immortalized through the usage of sculptures, paintings, clothing and more. Their religion is what drove the warriors, and many of their artifacts reflect this. Highly praised, they reached heights of divinity, and had temples built for them that reflected the people’s thoughts towards them. The Aztecs had a high regard for their religion, which made the center

These men, would be comparable to generals in our age. In order for men to attain the rank of jaguar warrior, they would have to acquire atleast four prisoners of war. However, for the tlacochcalcatl, the men would have to acquire atleast six captives, and in some cases they could acquire the rank of tlacateccatal, or a commanding general. But what did this mean for a soldier in their time period? Even more lascivious than both the Eagle and Jaguar warriors, the men became almost nobility. As seen in the codex Mendoza, they would have brilliant banners of the general, gold ornamentation, and of further interest to the context is that the face paint and shield were symbolic of the gods of death. That makes sense, as specifically, the God of Death Mictlantecuhtli presides over the underworld and of death. A skeleton usually represents the God of Death with a heart protruding from the chest. Although it is difficult to tell, the codex Mendoza makes it look like the war paint on the faces of the Tlacateccatl could actually be in the shape of skull. That would make sense, as in order to become, what is similar to a general, they would have to acquire a high number of captives, which would be used as sacrifices. Thus, the face paint alone gives the impression, that these men would be like the God of Death and usher the enemies into the

They were known to be a mercenary race, or soldiers for higher, which clarifies their warrior statuses. A commoner, could rise through the ranks, and become a rival of even nobility if they had the courage in battle and were able to acquire captives. The best documented of these, were the houses of the Jaguar and Eagle. This is most likely due, to the excavation in Mexico city that had found the Templo Mayor which had indications of those two houses. However, they were not the most prestigious of the warriors, there were others, such as the Tlacateccatl who were allowed to wear gold, dine in the palace, and even sometimes to stay at the palace. There are some remaining sculptures from this time period, but gold and silver are mainly lost, and therefore the hierarchy seems to be underrepresented, but the codices allow one to peer into the past. The Aztecs warriors, were not only a cornerstone of their country, but figuratively, the foundation that had made the ancient civilization of the Aztecs a