How to Study Aztec Religion

The Aztec civilization came into power in Mexico during the 14th century after absorbing the Toltec empire. For hundreds of years, the complex Aztec civilization ruled a large area until they were conquered by the Spanish. Religion played a central part in Aztec culture. Follow these steps to learn more about Aztec religion.

Instructions

1. Understand the complexity of Aztec beliefs. In addition to an afterlife that included 13 heavens and 9 hells, Aztec people believed that the sun had to battle the moon or darkness in order to rise each day. Because the people recognized their dependence upon the sun, the sun god became the most important.

2. Know that the Aztecs had as many as a thousand deities or gods with the most important being the god of sun and fire, Huitzlopochtli, and Tatloc, the rain and fertility god. Other deities controlled the layers of heaven and hell plus other parts of nature. The Aztec people built temples to please the gods.

3. Learn about the complex religious ceremonies that took place in special temples. Priests performed the many ceremonies by first participating in a ceremonial cleansing in sacred pools. The priests also acted as doctors and teachers in the Aztec civilization. Just like societal classes, there were different classes of priests with a Quetzalcoatl as the head priest.

4. Find about more about the importance of human sacrifice in Aztec religion. The people viewed sacrifice as a way to pay back the gods for the gift of life. In addition to making the sun god happy, sacrifice became a central part in many religious holidays like God's Feast Day. One of the more important sacrificial rituals involved cutting out the heart to offer to the gods.

5. Read Aztec folklore and mythology to gain an understanding of the beliefs that guided the Aztec civilization. Many myths refer to the god who sacrificed himself into fire in order to become the sun god.

6. Recognize that Aztec religion and religious ceremonies corresponded closely to nature. The Aztecs knew the power of nature and thought that paying homage to the gods would help them avoid the destruction that came from the weather and volcanoes. Because of this, the Aztecs used two calendars, one related to the crops and the other a religious calendar.

7. Study the daily life of the Aztecs to see the important part played by religion. Daily rituals of prayer and food focused on religion in addition to the specific rites. Even the popular sport of tlachtli had a connection to Aztec religion.