Warriors and people that were sacrificed received great glory in the Aztec culture. The Aztec culture was full of human sacrifice and electing candidates for it. The Aztecs believed that depending on how the person died, that was how their afterlife would be like. If you were a warrior that died in battle or by sacrificing themselves, they were well respected and their afterlife was going to the East towards paradise, or joining the war God “Huitzilopochtli” in battle. Women who died in childbirth were also treated as courageous and respected. These woman went to paradise towards the West, in their afterlife. People who died from natural disasters, violent deaths or certain diseases went to “Tlalocan” a paradise owned and guarded by the God …show more content…
They also get many people to write speeches about the person’s life and death. Four days after the announcement of a death, images of the dead person are carefully made and they praise their loved one with a devoted song. The funeral practices were much like the burial rituals, but there were ceremonies to honor the dead as well. The Aztecs were remembered by artwork. Aztec dreams, people, myths and the illusions of life and death were depicted in and represented by sculptures, and that is how they were respected when they died and how they practiced a person’s death ceremony. If someone died from natural causes, their death ceremony depended on their social standing and how they died. If they died of old age, people would prepare the corpse by wrapping the body in paper, then cremating it along with a dog so they would have a companion to travel the underworld with. If you died a hero death or by sacrifice, the hero was buried in the ground with objects resembling images of the mountain gods. The Aztecs wrapped their bodies in cloth decorated with birds and butterflies to show the greatness of their
It was clear through the human sacrifice that the Aztecs practiced that they had no regard for the quality of human life and did it for the benefit of their society. First of all, they would kill thousands of people at a time, and then they ate the arms, thighs, and heads leaving the bodies to feed to the wild animals (Document G). This shows that the Aztecs did not care about the people that they were killing, only about sacrificing to the gods. Secondly, many say that the Aztecs sacrificed human beings for the sole purpose of pleasing the gods. In the eyes of the Aztec religion, if then gods were happy with the Aztecs, then that they would be blessed. It is clear the Aztecs sacrificed to make their civilization the most successful of their time. In contrast, it is also a popular belief that the reason for human sacrifice was for cannibalism. It is a possible that since they had no animals such as cattle or lamb, they had to resort to eating human beings (Document J). This theory demonstrates that the Aztecs valued the well- being of their society over human life. Regardless of what approach regarding human
The reasons that the Aztecs did things like human sacrifice was that they trying to please the gods for the safety of the people and the success of the crops. Human sacrifice was a part of their religion and accepted in their culture.They thought that the human sacrifices they were doing was for the people and was the right thing to do. What the Aztecs did to the walking god ( which is what they called the people they sacrificed) was they killed them and took out their hearts. Then they held up the heart and presented it to the gods. Then the gods would take the heart and then they would roll the body down the stairs of the pyramid.
The Aztecs were describe as warrior. The Aztecs ruled on the empire on the city of Mexico, from 1325-1521. From their capital city of Tenochitlan, presently the site of modern day lake Texcoco. The Aztecs were known for two things in especially for their farming and Human Sacrifice. Historians should emphasize the rule of Human Sacrifice in Aztecs culture""It was Human Sacrifice that led to the Aztecs expanding their empire.
The ancient Aztec civilization is usually thought of as a barbaric, unintelligent people throughout modern society. This could be an ideal carried down from the Spaniards that concord the native lands or even something as simple as today’s society creating overblown stereotypes because of conjoined lack of understanding and overall knowledge. But, because of the extensive research and studies done by Miguel León-Portilla we are able to discover the true nature of the Aztec peoples way of life. Within the book “Aztec Thought and Culture” the author explains the develop of the Aztec civilization through education and philosophy as well as describing the Aztec people as an advanced society rather than the popular belief of a savage people and culture.
The Aztecs had many different customs they followed in their daily life. One of those is that they baptize their children as soon as they are born. The midwife who performed the delivery would then act as the priest. The midwife would also name the child after preforming many rites in front of the family. Another custom the Aztecs did was when you passed away, what was then done with your body would be determined by how you died. If you were a woman that passed during child birth, you would be
Many people tried to make the practice a negative thing, but it was a religious act central to the Aztec’s beliefs. The Aztec people did whatever was necessary to receive blessings of the gods, so they sacrificed what was most important to them- life. (Document J) Not only does this show that the Aztec lifestyle was revolved around religion, it shows that the people were forever grateful and devoted to the sun god by offering him their most prized possessions. Overall, religion was the top priority of the empire that ruled the peoples
Ever wondered what Aztecs were anticipating the moment they were about to die? THESIS: Aztec afterlife was not seen as death, but just as another level of consciousness and existence, and learning about Aztec
The religion of the Aztec, including their beliefs, customs and religions, acted as a tremendous influence on their government, economy, and culture. Religion was the foundation for the infamous culture of the Aztec Civilization. Through ceremonies of sacrifice, and the infusion of cosmology into their religion, the Aztecs sculpted a culture unlike that of any other civilization, and left behind a legacy to be studied and admired for generations to come. Religion ultimately shaped the unique civilization of the Aztecs, through cultivating the general outlook and values of the Aztecs, expanding the empire, and influencing the architecture and layout of their city.
Aztec afterlife was not seen as death, but just as another level of consciousness and existence, and learning about Aztec beliefs on death and the afterlife is the most important way to shed light on the world
At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.
The temples, pyramids, tombs, and religious artifacts left behind all tell us that the Ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection of the dead. Their belief in immortality was the fundamental driving force behind their religion. “The formulae which were declared to have been recited during the performance of ceremonies were written down and copied for scores of generations, and every pious, well-to-do Egyptian made arrangements that what had been done and said on behalf of Osiris should be done and said for him outside and inside his tomb after his death.” (Liturgy of Funeral Offerings, pg.2) This illustrates just how important the ceremony and the process was to the Egyptians. Their belief in the afterlife and the importance of the ceremonial steps taken to get them there caused them great concern with their own funerals. Today, everyone has an idea of what they would like to do for their own funeral as well. We may follow in the same patterns as our family heritage has done for generations with either a traditional funeral or cremation, or we may have a newer alternative in mind for our self. Even though we may not be preparing for an afterlife, we still have an
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 .
At the typical egyptian funeral men and women would plaster themselves with mud and dance around the town, and beating themselves. Mummification was a common Egyptian death ceremony after the funeral. When a person died a priest mummified the body, to do this he would remove the organs and put them in canopic jars, put natron salt to dry out the body, and wrap it in a linen cloth.
The Aztecs had one of the most successful and advanced empires of all time. They had a dwelling culture The Aztec civilization was located directly in the middle of two mountain ranges in the central valley of Mexico ( Platt 10). Although the Aztec empire eventually came to an end they were able to do well as an empire. Contributing factors that led to the rise of the empire was their political structure, social components, and religious traditions which they preformed earnestly.
Death. Something that no one wants to think about much less encounter. Yet we all must come face to face with death in some way or another. The whole process of losing a loved one and taking care of the remains made me wonder why we honor the dead the way we do. Why do we bury them or burn them? What dictates that religion, environment, culture? What is the point of doing anything at all for the dead? To honor their memory or ease the pain for those left behind? Death in the ancient world held a deeper meaning than it does today, in the ancient world they look out for your soul and the journey it is about to embark upon. Our traditions today are merely warped versions from these ancient traditions. As I examined some of the ancient texts from different cultures, I found something very surprising, even across different cultures the dead were tended the same way. You would never notice these similarities, because the rites and meanings are so different, leading me to the conclusion it wasn’t all culture. Environment plays a small role but it was insignificant, in comparison to religion. Religion or the lack thereof was what made these death rites so different and distinctive. Religion affects the practices and different rituals surrounding how the dead are laid to rest in the ancient world as we see in Beowulf, the Iliad, and the Bhagavad-Gita.