Aztecs

By Kenyon Geetings

While many people believe that the Aztec-Mexica's large-scale human sacrifices were nothing more than a sacrifice to the gods, I would argue it was much more simply the fact of self-preservation and their unwavering belief that these sacrifices kept them alive. At first glance it may seem counterintuitive to focus on these gory practices instead of focusing on their everyday ways of life, but to misrepresent the religion of the Aztec culture would be to overlook one of their most crucial functions of their society by which they formed their actions and behaviors of day to day life. Even though there is still much to be learned about the Aztecs, the human sacrifices made by this group were thought to rejuvenate the earth and harvest, were seen as a way to please the gods and keep the sun moving across the sky, and because of this the battles and sacrifices were recognized as a heroic and valiant way to surrender their lives in order to enter paradise.

These rituals of human sacrifice, like the Feast of the Flaying of Men, coincided with the Aztec's agricultural cycles and at its core were seen as synonymous with these functions of planting, farming, and harvesting. In order to truly understand how these two seemingly very distinct actions were related, a basic knowledge of how their agriculture sector worked is first required. The Aztecs had complex terraces of irrigated fields that were a sort of floating garden on shallow lake beds, which were called Chinampas. These raised beds were used to grow all types of crops, and were imperative to the survival of their society. These Chinampas were viewed as analogous to the human body, where the water that fed the plants was like human blood, and the produce was like human flesh. The Aztecs believed that in order to avoid drought and famine, large-scale sacrifices were necessary to secure water and food.

In conjunction with sacrifices relating to their agriculture, sacrifices were seen as a way to appease the gods. For example, the hearts of those sacrificed could be given to the sun god, who so graciously kept the world from darkness, or to Xipe Totec the god of planting and seeds, who provided crops to grow (Joseph 64). These captives that were taken as sacrifices were made to believe that their sacrifice was a way to give back to both the gods and to their fellow humans. To some warriors, this way of death was seen as the only way to enter paradise. In a sense, this created a social hierarchy, where the gods were seen to be at the top of the pyramid, while those that grew up in a lower class of warriors could make their way towards the top as a distinguished warrior.

In conclusion, some members of Aztec-Mexica saw themselves as simply doing what their religion requested of them, as a way to give back to the gods for all that they had done. While others saw these large-scale rituals as a way to climb the social ladder, or even as a way to enter paradise. Whatever reason they may have had, it ultimately comes back to one's instinct: the human nature of preserving themselves from destruction or harm.