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What Was The Reason Behind The Beliefs Of The Aztecs

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The ancient history of the Aztecs was written by Spaniards chroniclers and researched by many archaeologists (Aguade & Lory, 1997). More insight about the daily lives of the Aztecs was uncovered with the help of more research. The Aztecs, also known as the Tenochca were located in Latin America (Aveni el at. 1988). The historical findings show the reasons behind the rituals and politics. This paper will be discussing how the Aztecs created their cities and what their religious beliefs were. The Aztecs practiced human sacrifices and sometimes cannibalism as a religious belief (Anawalt, 1982). The custom of human sacrifices has been seen throughout the history of many cultures (Winkelman, 2013). Humans were used as an offering to the gods in many rituals. People like the Aztecs were very religious individuals and they wanted to give their gods anything they could provide. There could be a variety of reasons why human sacrifices are made like religious reasons or …show more content…

They left behind many beautiful architectures and artifacts. Many researchers have gone to these sites to learn more about the Aztecs history. Most of the research done proves that the Aztecs made human sacrifices. Aveni el at. (1988) cover the meaning behind the Aztec architecture. They discuss if the study of astronomy had any influence on the architectural layout of the buildings such as Templo Mayor. Isendahl and Smith (2012) go more in depth about the layout of the city. Their research mentions that the city layout was determined by the ranking of the people. At the these buildings, many artifacts were found. Gómez et al. (2014) found copal substance on the artifacts discovered at the temples. In their research, they describe how the use of copal played a big role in the rituals and spiritual artifacts. Most of the artifacts were used in the religious ceremonies. In these ceremonies, human sacrifices were made to the gods and then served as food.

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It also shows how the Aztec empire was growing causing the Aztecs to perform more human sacrifices. If the empire was growing more people will go and the human sacrifice will increase. Moreover, human sacrifice was something that the Aztecs will do often. Based on Document D, it explains that the Aztecs will perform approximately 2,300 human sacrifices from midday to nightfall. Aztecs will believe that the gods will do human sacrifice to scare other people and make them follow their rules.

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Everything was perfectly planned out. As the calendar says, they have to sacrifice one of their own to please the Gods. The Mayan people would get together as a whole to practice their religious ceremony at the temple. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations are two ancient civilizations that were located near Central and South America. The Mayan civilization was more remarkable than the Aztecs because of their advanced knowledge.

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The Aztecs were a civilization that have created a remarkable world-class society in the Americas, during the time period of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. While being known for ideas that were revolutionary and before their time, with every light there is a dark shadow. Human sacrifice was a terribly large part of Aztec culture. Three key points, being their religion, necessities of life, and society and cities, all support the claim that historians should emphasize human sacrifice in Aztec culture.

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The Aztecs were one of the most famous and successful early civilizations of the Americas that we know of, who ruled an empire in the modern day country of Mexico from 1350 to 1519. From their capital city of Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City, to their daily routines, the Aztecs had many achievements that they deserve recognition for. Two very important components in the history of the Aztecs are agriculture and human sacrifice. Although they both play huge roles in Aztec culture, historians should emphasize on their methods of farming. The reasons why historians should center their focus on the Aztecs' agricultural techniques are they affected the growth of their empire, were used on a huge scale, and were very unique in comparison to other

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Who wants human sacrifices which is not a good way to live? My first point is how the Aztecs were influenced in a good way by their government style/ structure. The Aztec society was composed of several social classes such as Nobles, Merchants,Commoners, and slaves. The nobles ran to government-owned land that the slaves worked on.

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While many worldviews exist, The fall of the Aztec empire was unavoidable. The Aztec’s were a group of people who were very religious and lived in Mexico for hundreds of years but one day a group of Spanish people arrived and executed all of the Aztec people. Many of them died from diseases the spanish brought with them like small pox. The others were killed by the spanish and some were taken to spain as slaves. This was led by an explorer named Hernan Cortes.

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This belief in the necessity of sacrifice was intricately woven into their worldview and provided a unique perspective on the meaning of life and the role of humans in the divine order. The Aztec religion was highly ritualistic, with a wide array of ceremonies and practices aimed at establishing and maintaining harmonious relationships with the divine. One of the most significant rituals was the "New Fire Ceremony." Every 52 years, the Aztecs believed that the world was on the verge of destruction, and a new era needed to be initiated. During this ceremony, a human sacrifice was offered, and a new sacred fire was kindled.

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Human sacrifice has been a part of many religions, so why do historians only emphasize the barbarities of human sacrifice and not why people were sacrificed? The Aztecs were one of the many groups of people to use human sacrifice. The reign of the Aztec Empire was during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Southern Mexico. The Aztec Empire had a huge population and was very influential in its time. Although influential and powerful the reign of the Aztec Empire came to an end in the year 1519 when Hernan Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, invaded the Aztec Empire and destroyed much of their culture.

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Compare and contrast the conquests of Mexico (Aztecs) with that of the Inca. What led up to the conquest? The goals of the Conquistadores. The results. Inca Empire Political: Most powerful figure in the Inca Empire was the Sapa Inca. For one to ascend to the lever of Inca, one must be descended from the original Inca tribe.

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The Aztecs, like most ancient civilizations, were practicing a polytheistic religion. The most well-known of those civilizations possibly being Ancient Greece. The similarities don’t end there; when most people think of the Aztecs and their religion, they think of their inimical ritual of sacrifice. Thousands of years before, in North Africa, the Carthaginians were sacrificing many of their people, even infants. Most researchers believe it was to appease their gods and even to control the population, which are also reasons Aztec experts believe to be true for the Mesoamerican civilization.

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One of the highest positions in the Aztec system of government was the High Priest. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, was chosen not because of strategic or environmental factors, but because they saw a religious symbol there (Britannica). The Aztecs based their daily life off of the religious calendar, and festivals and ceremonies were of the highest importance. The most astonishing aspect of their worship, at least to the Spaniards, was their habit of human sacrifice. Sacrifice was something that the Aztecs viewed as normal and even necessary, but it was met only with disgust by the Europeans.

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There are many wild theories about what the Aztecs thought about the Spanish arriving in Tenochtitlan. All these theories can be narrowed down to one outcome which was that the Aztecs thought that the leader of the Spanish, Cortes Herman was their god Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs thinking that Cortes was their god welcomed him with much honour and freedom in their city, but little did they know that it was their biggest mistake yet. When did Cortes arrive in Tenochtitlan, Mexico? Cortes arrival in Mexico was unwelcomed by many of the inhabitants in Mexico.

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The Aztecs performed brutal and gruesome human sacrifices towards volunteers and members of other tribes who were captured during war. Document G illustrates how the Aztecs would take "flint knifes and hastily tear out the palpitating heart that with the blood, they present to the idols in whose name performed the sacrifice." As a part of the ritual, the victim would be painted and placed on a slab. Once on the slab, the victim’s

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Although the Aztecs were not the only early civilization to practice human sacrifice, they are still heavily criticized because they were more documented than the others. Aztec sacrifice is looked down upon so much, mainly because of Hernan Cortes and the Conquistadors. Before Cortes met the

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Robert Frost once said, “Freedom lies in being bold.” Being bold is when you risk something, your physical danger, embarrassment, or reputation for others. Bold actions are worth the risk because you can be called a hero and people may benefit with success. People take bold actions everyday, and people benefit with success by taking bold actions. When you take a bold action or risk, you could be considered a hero for risking either your safety, embarrassment, or reputation.

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