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What Was The Brutality Of The Aztecs

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The Aztecs were a civilization that lasted in Mexico City from 1350-1529. It had lots of mountains that had many different types of climates. They had a polytheistic religion and focused on farming a lot.. Human sacrifice affected culture the most, which can be seen through rituals and intimidation.

In order for the Aztecs to work for their gods by performing rituals. They performed brutal rituals to slaves and criminals. “Aztec priests, using razor-sharp obsidian blades, which were used to slice open the chests of victims, then gave their beating hearts to the gods.” The Aztecs were very brutal when pleasing their gods; they did wrong things and right things to please their gods. So overall the brutality of the Aztecs was wrong but they only did it to please the gods because they thought they would get things in return like fortune and safety.They also did it because The rationale for Aztec human sacrifice was, first and foremost, a matter of survival. According to Aztec cosmology, the sun god, Huitzilopochlti, was waging a constant war against darkness, and if the darkness won, the world would end. To keep the sun moving across the sky and preserve their very lives, the Aztecs had to feed Huitzilopochtli with human hearts and blood. …show more content…

The Aztecs expanded with intimidation and by killing.Acor”The Aztecs expanded with intimidation and they captured soldiers, slaves, and Aztec citizens.” They scared people away from their empire, they intimidated people for example The ritual killing of war captives and the large-scale displaying of skulls were visceral reminders of the strength of the empire and the extent of its dominion.They did it so nobody would mess with them or try to hurt them because people were scared of the aztecs if they did not do

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Also, it was to honor their gods, the god will feel stronger and the Aztecs will believe that if they unpleased the gods they will destroy the world. Additionally, some Aztecs will have a spiritual connection to the gods by offering themselves to be sacrificed. When they will be sacrificed there blood was given to the gods. Based on a interview from an Aztec shown in Document E, the Aztec

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Tragically, with the takeover, the great Aztec people were enslaved and turned into landworkers. In return, they were given basically no legal rights, little food and water, and worked for no pay. These poor slaves were often abused and mistreated. Additionally, what they were promised was never fulfilled by the Spanish people. The New Aztecs hierarchy was now changed to one called the encomienda system.

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Introduction The Aztecs lived in a mountainout area with lots of rain. They had a good connection with water to support their farming systems. The Aztecs also participated in human sacrifice. They were polytheistic, meaning they believed in many gods, which they sacrificed people in order to please. Human sacrifice affected culture trhough intimidation and rituals.

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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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Oleg Kubay Professor Ortega History 23 22 September 2014 Warfare: Aztec & Spanish The fall of the Aztec empire was one of the major events that lead to the Spanish colonization of America. There were many factors contributing to the fall of the Aztec Empire like sacrificing their own people, which significantly lowered them in ranks making them a weaker colony. Also being the first people to sacrifice other people in the name of religion made them a threat to the Spaniards and Tlaxcala and many others. The Aztec and Spanish Warfare lead to the fall o f

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Everything was eaten: lizards, swallows, maize straw, grass that grows on salt flats…and they chewed at…wood, glue flowers, plaster, leather…” Anything that could possibly be eaten, was consumed to some degree. In this way, many of the Aztec people died off without Cortés having to kill them

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This ritual symbolized the renewal of the cosmic order and the eternal cycle of life and death. Another important ritual was the practice of bloodletting. It was believed that blood, as the life force, had the power to nourish and appease the gods. Aztec priests and nobles would often pierce their bodies to draw blood as an offering. This act of self-sacrifice was seen as a way to maintain balance and ensure the well-being of the community.

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The Aztec people had significant ups and downs. Human sacrifices were made for their deities, while big farming improvements were being made. They believed sacrificing people for their gods could give them better farming seasons, luck in war, and the sun to come back up. Farming also played a big rule in sacrifice, because of their relationship. However the organization of farming shows that they didn’t do it for sport, moreover that it was a whole ceremony.

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The tribes that lived closest to them mostly feared them because of their high thirst for human blood. As we have been able to learn more about the Aztecs, we have been able to learn and see how they were terrible and magnificent people at the same time. The Aztec are mostly known for being murderers to other humans, their treatment of women, and their double standard of gender. If you are able to look past these horrible

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Historians believe that the Aztecs sacrificed their people for many different reasons. Most historians think it was for the Aztec religion. The article states," Many scholars have seen it as a religious act central to the Aztec's belief that humans must sacrifice that which was most precious to them - life - to receive the sun, the rain, and other blessings...." This shows that they did this

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The Aztecs had a very tight way of running things. If one did not follow the rules they would be punished very severely by death. Their system was based upon sacrifices for their beloved gods, and it ran that way for many generations, until the Spanish came. Hernan Cortes, was the Spanish expedition leader, eased his way into Tenochtitlan’s throne to become emperor. He faked being a sacred god called Quetzalcoatl, so the Aztecs would be on their knees praising him and doing whatever he wished.

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The author gives insight on how many ways the Spaniards used their power to assist in the downfall of the Aztecs. The reason why the Spaniards became victorious, was because the Spaniards were looked upon as if they were gods because of their outer appearance. The Aztecs broke bread and welcomed the Spaniards with gifts and parties. The Aztecs triggered their relationship with the Spaniards by holding a ritual for the arrival of the god which included a human sacrifice. The Spaniards didn’t agree with the rituals and began to despise the Aztecs.

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The Aztecs thought that the sun was weakening and needed sacrifices, and especially those of human blood, to be able to follow its course and not destroy the world. Human sacrifices were made on a large scale. The sacrifices were carried out on top of huge pyramids, to be closer to the sun, so that the blood spilled down the steps. The book: The Broken Spears, shows us how the king had no mercy for his people. Motechuzoma said to a messenger “You may rest now.”

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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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The Aztecs’ main god was the sun or Huitzilopochtli. They believed that the sun needed constant replenishment so that it could move across the earth everyday and prevent the world from ending. However, the only way to keep this from happening, and provide mobility for the sun was to offer human sacrifices; he needed human flesh and blood. This accounts for the human sacrifices that the Aztecs had as well as the many festivals, which their ultimate goal to sacrifice humans for Huitzilopochtli and other gods as well. It is important to point that the Aztecs believed that they were living in the 5th and last era, but that they needed to keep the world from ending.

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