Introduction
According to History Revealed, it is estimated that around twenty thousand people were sacrificed a year in the Aztec Empire. Several sources such as Cortes, Diaz, and Duran, have repeatedly given similar accounts of observations about Aztec human sacrifice where “each Aztec temple-complex dispatched two to six victims every twenty days” (Kerkhove, 1). I don’t know about you, but that is such a big number of casualties for just one year, multiply that by several hundred more years and it accumulates. Whenever people hear about the Aztec human civilization, often times the first thing that comes to mind are the human sacrifices that were performed during their reign. Growing up I knew very little about the Aztecs. I had always heard about their customs and the only thing I knew about them was that they were once located in Mexico. The thesis for this research paper revolves around the logistics of human sacrifice that the Aztecs performed and casualties that came along with them.
What will be looked into is who the Aztec empire was and the planning, control and implementation of these sacrificial rituals and storage of related information from rise to fall. Do their customs, beliefs, and point of views justify the practice of human sacrifice or are they seen as barbaric and completely inhumane. The thesis will start off by explaining who the Aztec empire was, their location, and custom and belief systems that justify their sacrificial rituals to get a better context about who they really were and what they stood for. Then, an analysis of what Aztec human sacrifice is, methods of sacrificial rituals, and casualties will be explained.
Overview of Aztec Culture
The Aztecs were Nahuatl speaking people that reigned a large empire which is now central and southern Mexico. According to History, the exact origins of the Aztecs are not quite determined, but it is believed that they originated from a group of hunter gatherers from their homeland of Aztlan which is also known as “White Land” (A&E Television Networks, History). Not only were they known as Aztecs but they also were known as Tenochca or Mexica. They were known as Tenochca due to Tenochtitlan being their capital city and Mexica, due to the name of their country. They were believed to come into appearance in south central region of Pre-Columbian Mexico in the early thirteenth century. Their arrival into Mesoamerica came after the fall of the Mesoamerican civilization, which were the Toltecs. Due to their nomadic ways, it is claimed that they saw an eagle on a cactus near the southwest border of Lake Texcoco and that was what determined that they would settle. The sole foundation of Aztec success relied on the creation of the agriculture system, which also included systems of irrigation and something that is known as swampland. The advanced number of productivity of these systems made their lands rich and fertile and the most powerful empire to reign at that time.
Origins of Human Sacrifice
The Aztec civilization was a complex empire that was feared by many due to their sacrificial practices that were made to please their gods. The selfless acts the gods committed in the “Legend of the Five Suns,” was to give up their own life for the creation of the world and the sun. This was one of the reasons the Aztecs thought it was necessary to practice human sacrifice. They believed the gods wanted a sort of honor and remembrance for their own sacrifice and actions they did. According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, their idea of repayment was in regards to the myth of the reptilian monster Cipactli, also known as the Tlaltecuhtli. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, gods of the Aztecs, destroyed the creature into pieces in order to create what is now known as the Earth and sky (Cartwright). Various other body parts of this creature created mountains, rivers, trees, and valleys. Due to the fact that they had to destroy Cipactli in order to create Earth, they offered human hearts and blood to calm, soothe, and feed her. This was one of the only ways that would console her spirit after the gods had completely destroyed her. Not only is there this myth of the origin of human sacrifice, but there are others as well. Other sources take in consideration that human sacrifice was some sort of compensation for the crimes of the gods in regards to the creation of the human race. According to Aztec mythology, Ehecatl-Quetzalcóat stole bones from the Underworld and used those exact bones to create the human race. Due to the crimes committed, the only way to compensate the gods for its’ actions was to sacrifice human flesh and bones just how they had once stolen bones from the Underworld as a lifelong apology. Due to this the Aztecs believed that the “human body was the vulnerable nexus of vital cosmic forces and was filled with divine essence that needed periodic regeneration. One means to this generation was called teomiqui, to die divinely, which meant human sacrifice” (Carrasco 1999: 73). Human sacrifice was the highest level of apology that the Aztecs could ever offer to the gods. All these different belief systems made it justifiable and a norm for this civilization. Although, it is completely a horrific act, many Aztecs thought they were doing the right thing and it should be honor to any that were sacrificed because it was done to honor and repay the gods for everything they believed they had done for them.
In addition, the Aztecs relied highly on calendars when it came to performing the human sacrifices. Human sacrifices were done at certain times of the month with a certain amount of live people (Human sacrifice in Aztec culture, Wikipedia). They were given five calendars “a divinatory calendar of 260 days, a solar calendar of 360 days with 5 “dangerous days” at the end, a 52-year calendar, an 8-year calendar, and a 4-year calendar” (Nicholson, Pacific Ritual Sacrifice 4). At a certain point in the calendar different ceremonies would be performed and always began with music, dances, and performances. According to the calendars, most common sacrifices were not so extravagant and often times small, but human sacrifices were highly valued and the most dramatic.
Furthermore, the location where the human sacrifice would be taken place was very important. Due to the fact, that these sacrifices were made for religious reasons, they took place in holy locations such as the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan or a sacred mountain. There are many archaeological evidence that proves that these sacrificial offerings were made in temples because modern day excavations have found thousands of human skulls at the sites of old temples. It is not a surprise that they wanted to make the human sacrifices in holy locations because their sacrifices were dedicated to the gods. They worshipped these gods and wanted to give them the highest sort of sacrifice which would be nonetheless, the shed of human blood and flesh. In addition the temples that were used by the Aztecs for these sacrifices were those of Tlaloc, the rain god, and Huitzilopochtli, the sun god (Legends and Chronicles). The primary goal was to place the offering as high as possible so it would have a higher chance of reaching the gods. Others have the opinion that this concept is irrelevant because if they were truly the all powerful gods they would be able to receive the offering regardless of the location and height.
After discussing the belief systems of how human sacrifice was justified in the Aztec civilization, there will be a discussion about the methods used to perform these sacrificial rituals. There were many different ways the Aztecs used to perform their human sacrifices. Many of the victims were “thrust onto the stone, where a temple priest cut through their chest wall with a ritual flint knife,” where in fact the heart was “[offered] to the sun for vitality and nourishment,” (Winkelman, Aztec Human Sacrifices). In human sacrifice, ripping the heart out of the chest was a symbol of liberation and reunion with the Sun. Additionally, many accounts of texts have been found throughout the years of people describing their observation of these Aztec human sacrifices. Some visuals are found in several codices that were made specifically for Spanish patrons. Juan de Grijalva, who was one of the first Spaniards to explore Mexico in 1518, describes blood pouring into vases, hearts being torn out of the victim’s chest, burnt, and offered to whomever god they were trying to please (Wikipedia, Human sacrifice in Aztec culture). Although there are various primary sources of people’s experiences and observations with Aztec civilization, many have given thought that they may be a little bit over exaggerated. Even though human sacrifice is a horrific action, many think that the Spaniards have added so much drama and created a monstrous image for the Aztecs. In Conquest of New Spain, Bernal Diaz adds onto Juan Diaz’s history and experience with Aztec human sacrifice. He describes them “opening the Indian’s chest with flint knives and tearing out the palpating heart, with the blood, presenting it to the idols” (Wikipedia, Human sacrifice in Aztec culture).
In addition to heart extractions, the Aztec society used cannibalism as a method of human sacrifice. Toxactl is one of the Aztecs earliest public ritual sacrifices. This public ritual sacrifice was known to be the “nextlaoalli” which means debt payer to the Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca. This god was known as the creator god. It was believed that he turned into a jaguar and was related to the establishment of the capital. Each year, they would choose a captured athletic warrior to honor Tezcatlipoca. After a year of several physical transformations and an attempt at reproduction with four women, he would make his way to the temple in the city of Chalco. According to sources, they went willingly with such pride and honor to fulfill their destiny, many “sang and danced to their deaths 'with great joy and gladness'. Others walked up 'purely of their own will, and the poets chanted otiquittaco quinequi moyollo yehua itzmiquitla: 'You came to see it. .. your heart desires it: it was death by the obsidian blade” (Kerkhove, 7). After the transformation of the body, it was known as “eagle man,” the head was placed onto Tzompantli, and later eaten by the noble men. According to Bernal Diaz, human sacrifice alongside with cannibalism was a common thing. He claimed that the victim’s legs, arms, and internal organs were torn off and eaten “just as in our country we eat beef bought from the butchers” (Wikipedia, Human sacrifice in Aztec culture). The Aztec people doing this proved that to their culture and beliefs it was okay to sacrifice people and eat them. Just how it is normal for other cultures to eat animals such as cows and pigs, it was normal for them to sacrifice and eat human flesh.
In conclusion, Aztec human sacrifice was something that was very common for their civilization. Due to not having enough information or researching, many people think Aztecs did human sacrifices because they thought it was fun, but that is sincerely not the case. The Aztec civilization had a certain amount of beliefs that urged them to make these sacrifices. They felt like if they owed it to the gods and had to live their life in response to the gods. To recap the information provided, human sacrifices in Aztec civilizations did not occur in any random location. Often times they had to be performed in holy locations such as temples and sacred mountains. In addition, these locations had to be a certain height because they believed the highest in altitude they offered the sacrifice, the higher chance the offering would reach the gods. There are many different ways the Aztecs did their human sacrifices, but only two were named here. One of them is by extracting the human heart out of their chest. The other includes the human sacrifice alongside with cannibalism. Many other civilizations and cultures have their own traditions and rituals that may not be similar to one another. Some rituals are completely harmless, where in fact others may be deadly.