The Aztec culture is one of the most well-known and talked about ancient cultures in society today. This is true due to the fact that The Aztec Empire was in power when Mexico was conquered by Spain. One particular area of the Aztec Empire that has held constant, universal attention is their architecture. Aztec architecture can range from buildings to sculptures. One could even consider the famous Aztec Calendar to be a form of architecture due to it being carved into stone. I argue that all Aztec architecture was dedicated to their religion and gods.
The Aztecs had many gods they worshipped and almost everything they did, whether it be sacrifices or the way they built their buildings, it all coordinated with their dedication to these gods. Why would their architecture be any different? The answer is, it is not any different. All of their architecture was obviously made to honor their gods. I can definitively state this due to many factors. One factor is the fact that their buildings almost always had some form of art carved into the rocks on the outsides of the buildings. An example that shows this to be true came with the excavation of the site Teopanzolco.
This excavation came shortly after the discovery of the site during the Mexican Revolution. The site’s main structure included a large building in the center, known as a twin stair pyramid. These pyramids were built this way as a reference to Teotihuacán, which contained two separate pyramids. These two separate pyramids were dedicated to their gods as well. One pyramid being dedicated to their moon god and the other being dedicated to their sun god. However, Teopanzolco differs in the fact that it is one structure, with two sides. Even with this major difference the same precedent is in effect. One side of the twin stair pyramid was dedicated to a local deity, in this case this deity happened to be Ehecatl the wind god and the other side was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli the god of war. This was done to honor their god of war for the conquest that had taken place while still being able to worship their own deity at the same time.
Another example of this temples being dedicated to their gods comes with the excavation of the site Calixtlahuaca. The structure deferred in the fact that it was not a twin stair pyramid but was a round pyramid. These structures began to disappear during the Classic period but began to reemerge as the Aztecs entered into the Post classic period. Upon excavating this round pyramid round at the center of Calixtlahuaca they discovered figured clay figurines and a standing male god with a Buccal Mask. This appears to display Ehecatl the wind god once again. Due to this discovery all round buildings are now believed to be dedicated to Ehecatl in some portion (Paszatory).
This also holds true with the round structures discovered outside of the main twin stair pyramid at Teopanzolco previously discussed. It is believed that these structures were used in sacrifices to Ehecatl due to this previous association and accounts left behind by Spanish Chroniclers that interacted with the Tlahuican people. These buildings are also relevant to their religion due to how these cities were planned. Outside of the main temple was usually a large courtyard area where ritualistic dances and ceremonies would be held in order to dedicate these structures to their patron deity.
Another factor to consider when connecting the dots between Aztec architecture and religion is the presence of walls throughout their cities. These main temples and courtyards that were placed in the middle of their cities almost always had a large wall separating the area from the rest of the city. These walls signified the importance of the temples held within them due to the fact that they separated these important buildings and also by the height of the wall and enclosed buildings. The height of the wall and temple inside signified its importance. These walls were also covered in some form of art dedicating them also to a god of the peoples choosing (Paszatory).
One example of a wall that is associated with a god is the wall found at the excavation site at Tenayuca. Tenayuca was also a twin stair pyramid, however, this particular structure was covered in serpents that had been carved into the walls of the main building as well as the large wall surrounding this area. This excavation’s drawings differ in the fact that they were not dedicated to completely different gods on the opposite sides (Domenici). Instead, serpents covered the whole building and were painted blue on the south and half of the west side and black on the other half of the west side and north side. These separate colors stood for their gods of Tlaloc, the god of rain, and Mixcoatl, the god of war and hunting. There is also a very large wall surrounding the area that is covered in these same serpent carvings. These serpents are believed to be dedicated to their god, Quetzalcoatl, since he was a very important god in their culture along with Tlaloc and Huizilopochtli. This is also believed due to the fact the word coatl is the work for serpent in Nahuatl, the language that all Aztecs spoke during the time period that these buildings were erected.
The way that their buildings faced also had a large religious significance to these people. If a building were facing east, it was in reference to the sun rising and if it were west it was in reference to the sun setting, in respect to their sun god, Huizilopochtli. Their doorways also had a religious significance. While the main religious structures were usually rectangular and tall, each major city also had at least one round building with a low hanging door. One could only enter these buildings by crouching or crawling into them. When erecting these doorways and round buildings the people were referencing Coatlicue or Tetoinan, the goddess of the earth, and mother of all gods including Huitzilopochtli. They were also paying respect to Mictlantecuhtli, the god of the underworld. Round structures having these low hanging doorways and being dedicated to the god of the underworld, who’s main role is to preside over the dead and their festivals makes connecting the dots much easier when put into context with the previously mentioned site of Teopanzolco.
Aside from the main twin stair pyramid discovered at Teopanzolco, there were also several smaller, round structures that were used for sacrificing members of the community to Ehecatl, this particular civilization’s local deity. We know that these altars were used for ritualistic sacrifice due to the uncovering of the southernmost altar. Upon excavating this altar archaeologists discovered a sunken chamber, much like the previously described chambers dedicated to Mictlantecuhtli. Inside of this chamber researchers discovered human skulls and vertebrae, due to a ritual where humans had been decapitated as sacrifices to Ehecatl. Researchers also discovered several ceramic bowls which were believed to have been used in these ritualistic practices, however, this is not certain.
Another excavation at the site Tenochtitlán, a main Aztec civilization found a similar scene (Keber). However, this site was much crueler. After excavating the building known as the Templo Mayor a horrific scene was discovered. A similar chamber was discovered but this time they found the ashes of what were believed to be cremated elites in the society along with the remains of at least fourty-two children. This was done as a sacrifice to the god Tlaloc, a major god to the Aztec people. It is also believed that these children were tortured before ultimately being murdered as part of the sacrifice, due to the fact that Tlaloc requires the tears of children in order to accept the sacrifice and bless the people with rain. We know that this site was dedicated to Tlaloc due to the Templo Mayor being marked with the summer solstice which to these people was the beginning of the wet season. We also know this due to findings in the chambers that have been discovered. In these chambers we have found goods associated with water. This includes coral, seashells, and depictions of symbols of water on ceramics that have been found. The other half of the Templo Mayor was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and was marked with the winter solstice, the beginning of the dry season and the time marking the beginning of warfare season (Smith).
Other rituals that took place at this site confirm the dedication to Huitzilopochtli. The main reason for this is the history of Huitzilopochtli. The main temple at Tenochtitlán is referred to as Coatepec, or Serpent Hill, and is known as the birth place of Huitzilopochtli, one of their main gods. This is also where Huitzilopochtli killed his sister Coyolxauhqui. A discovery of the Coyolxauhqui stone confirmed this. This is one reason why so many sacrifices were done at this site, they were reenactments of Huitzilopochtli’s victory. We also have found this site to be dedicated to Ehecatl. Once again, we find a smaller, round building housing human remains similar to those discovered at numerous other sites (Smith).
This is my argument for why I believe all Aztec architecture was dedicated to their gods and religion. While this is just an explanation of a few sites and excavations that support my argument, the same evidence can be found across all Aztec architecture. Some evidence is easier to find such as depictions of these gods that have been found in the areas, while other evidence is harder to put together and must be inferred but still matches up perfectly with the reasoning of previous excavations.