Aztec Masks : The Aztecs Essay

The Aztecs had human beings for sacrificial rituals. Aztec society was based on agriculture, and influenced by religion that encircled life of the Aztec empire. The Aztecs were polytheistic and worshipped gods that represented natural forces. These sacrifices were vital to their agricultural economy. All of the sacrifices were at a giant stone pyramids topped by temples where sacrifices were provided the gods. Human sacrifice played an important role to the indigenous tribes in the central Mexico. However, the Aztecs brought human sacrifice to excessive deaths that had never been practiced before. The Mexica Indians and other indigenous tribes believed it was necessary to constantly gratify the gods through human sacrifice. They performed this ritual spilling the blood of human beings onto the ground. The priests believed it was a way paying tribute to the gods for the weather, and good crops. If the blood flowed, then the sun would rise each morning. This would allow the crops would grow, and the gods would provide perfect weather for the

The elaborate performance of this ritual was a display of the Aztec mastery of weapons for the gods, other warriors, and the onlookers from other neighboring tribes. This showed, that Aztec warriors were so tough that they could still manage to defend themselves and it was a way to show how the Aztecs thought societies, the world, and the cosmos worked.

Masks gave life to various mythological, primitive, bird and animal figures which the tribal members claimed as their ancestors from long ago and were to believe to invoke supernatural powers. These mythical beings gave way for privileges and special powers to individual tribal families and helped to form a family's crest, song or dance. The family would then personify distinct mythological figures as part of their heritage. The animals and mythological creatures represented in the masks and a host of other carvings derive from the Northwest Coast's rich oral tradition and celebrate the mythological origins and inherited privileges of high-ranking families (Gardners, 864). The majority of the masks displayed intricate and mastered use of line in their smooth concave and convex curves, with crisp sharp lines used to bring focus on a specific feature of the mask. The features usually being brought to the forefront were delineated nostrils, eyes and lips that were accentuated by deep cut carving and the use of contrasting color which helped to add form and realism to the mask. Geometric and organic lines were used to contrast between the parallel lines which would help create to enhance the features of the mask. The paint colors typically used by the

Noble Eisenlauer, author of Review of Aztec Sculpture, “the stone mask was likely made by an Aztec artisan who most likely specialized in stone sculpture. According to Eisenlauer, Aztec sculpting was a niche art and only practiced by commoners that lived in specific Calpolli (neighborhoods) dedicated to the trade. These artisans often worked for Aztec nobleman, and although being technical part of the common class, could often times be fairly wealthy compared to farmers or other commoner professions (3)”

So the Spanish could easily penetrate any armour the Aztecs had, but the Aztecs would have lots of difficulty trying to break any of the Spanish armour. They also had horses, which the Aztecs had never seen in their life, which gave them a height advantage, and makes it harder for Aztecs to hit them. http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-enabled-spanish-defeat-aztecs-353188 Fri 7 August

In the book Daily Life of The Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest by Jacques Soustelle you are walked through what life was like for the Aztecs. You are in 16th Century Mexico, or to them Mexico-Tenochtilan. Soustelle does an excellent job immediately putting you in character with the introduction of the book. The book is broken down into seven different main chapters detailing major aspects of the Aztecs lives in the late 1500’s. You learn about where they lived, to the wars they fought, and what life was like for them from birth to death. In this paper I will further discuss four topics that were very crucial in the daily lives of the Aztecs. I will help you find a better understanding in their daily life as well as the many changes they migrated through over time. The four topics I will be discussing are: 1. Culture and Customs of the Aztecs 2. Civilization vs Barbarism 3. Art and Architecture 4. Education and Home Life.

They believed that the gods would be angry if they weren't worshipped enough. If the gods got angry, the world would end. So the Aztecs built temples to their gods. They had special sections in these temples for sacrifices and holy festivals. (Most Aztec sacrifices were human.)

A lot of Aztec art was associated with animals and religion. Art would often illustrate gods, priests or Aztec warriors in their garments. Often the gods painted would resemble various animals. The drawings were often harsh, pointed and brilliantly coloured.

Aztec masks were used as ornaments, and were sometimes worn as part of a ritual, or in death as a death mask. They usually represented one god or another, and the Aztecs did have countless gods. Like the artistry and materials, the Aztecs worshipped gods collected from a variety of cultures. A common type of mask would have snakes on it, a representation of the god Quetzalcoatl or perhaps Tlaloc. The masks generally then were used for worship of the gods, whether by being displayed in a temple or worn by a priest.

The Aztec civilization was a very complex society that was feared and known well for their various gory sacrifices done to please their many gods in their polytheistic religion. The much feared civilization began by the exile of one of the two Toltec leaders, which lead to the decline of the Toltec state that was later replaced by Mexica, or the Aztecs. According to the Aztecs, the land chosen to build their main city was chosen by the portrayal of an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. Through military might, the Aztecs managed to become the most powerful civilization in the mid-fourteenth century. They maintained their power through military might and the fear they caused other civilizations because of the human

Aztec religion focused on how the gods, humans and nature was interconnected. Their worship was strong in Wuitzlopochti. The warrior was glamorous in that society, capturing prisoners was a key for a warrior to rise in their ranks. Prisoners were a symbol for young men. Sometimes they would wear helmets with the insignia of their order. Higher classes wore brighter feathers. The higher the rank, the more elaborate the costume would be. Aztec warriors could also carry flowers as a privilege normally reserved for the nobles. The warriors would get polished stone put in their lip. The appearance f the stone would change as the warrior rose in the ranks showing the people he was a mighty fighter in battle.

     The Aztecs were an American Indian people who ruled a mighty empire in Mexico from the 1400's to the 1500's. The Aztecs had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas and built cities as large as any in Europe at that time. They also practiced a remarkable religion that affected every part of their lives and featured human sacrifice. The Aztecs built towering temples, created huge sculptures, and held impressive ceremonies all for the purpose of worshipping their gods. The Spaniards destroyed their magnificent empire in the year 1521, but the Aztecs left a lasting mark on Mexican life and culture .

The modern concept of art as a form of individual expression would not have made much sense to most Aztec artists, particularly those in the visual arts--painting, sculpture, and metalworking. For most Aztec artists their works were not meant to express feelings or thoughts, nor were they meant to be beautiful or pleasing to view. Art was almost entirely in the service of Aztec religion. Since the Aztec common people could not read, art was the central means of conveying the ideas and stories of the spirit world and communicating religious truths to them. Sculptures of the gods were necessary for worship. These statutes, often made in the detailed image of one of the gods, existed in every Aztec home. There were thousands in temples and in

African masks were to establish a different identity for the wearer in order to amuse, teach, or sacrifice.

     Masks were created to be placed over the face, on the top of the head, or even over the head. Most masks represent spirits of ancestors (Fetzer 106). Some villages make masks with full costumes and use them with music to dance in ritual performances. They used masks for social control,