The term Aztec refers to the seven indigenous tribes who speak the common language of Nahuatl and who settled in the valley of Mexico before the Spanish conquest. The Aztec people were heavily influenced by their religious beliefs, which in turn affected many aspects of the traditions they participated in each year. Aztecs were heavily interested in human sacrifice to please a god or gods that they believed in. Aztecs were thought to be afraid of their gods and would do whatever it took to make them proud. The Aztec people worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses, each of which ruled one or more human activities or aspects of nature. Ancient Aztec religion was a complex interaction of gods, dates, directions, and colors. Individually, they tried to live prudently and modestly to achieve harmony with the forces that affected their lives. Aztecs had many agricultural gods because their unique culture was based mainly …show more content…
The Aztecs believed they owed everything to the gods who created themselves as well as the world around them. Most of the preoccupation in the Aztec religion had to do with the fear of nature and fear of the end of the world. In both public temples and within the privacy of their own homes, Aztecs called upon the sacred forces and made offerings to them on a regular basis. Aztecs believed that the world was in a complex yet unstable balance susceptible to forces within their control. Ritual, prayer, and thanksgiving were an integral part of the daily routine. Aztecs did what they could to keep an ordered and balanced world. Drought or downpours, frost, lunar and solar eclipses, and stars that appeared at night were all indications of worldly imbalance. The Aztecs felt it was their duty to correct them so they would perform sacrifices in order for a good crop yield or weather. The myths and underlying fear of their gods make up the complex Aztec rationale for human