Welcome to Aztec Sacrifice

The Great Temple

The Great Temple was the main temple in the Aztecs capital, Tenochtitlán. It was raised higher than any other buildings, reaching towards the heavens. The Great Temple was used for religious purposes. There were twin shrines at the top, dedicated to the gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. The god Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of Tenichtitlán, and the god of sun and war. Tlaloc was the god of rain and fertility. Many sacrifices took place on the Great Temple, as it was the Aztecs main temple.

Types of Sacrifice

In Aztec sacrifice, there were many ways to be sacrificed. One of the most common ways was by heart extraction. The victim would be led up the temple steps, seized by four priests, and layed over a sacrificial stone. A fifth priest would use an obsidian knife, cut open the victims chest, rip out the heart, say prayers to the gods, and lay the heart in a figure-shaped bowl called a chacmool. The captives head would then be cut off, and placed on a skull rack will other decapitated heads. The blood from the body would be poured down the temple steps, and the limbs cut off and thrown into the crowd. The warrior who captured the victim would collect the limbs, bring them home, and cook them in a soup.

Heart Ripping Ceremony

Tonatiuh

The Aztec god Tonatiuh was the personified sun. Tonatiuh was sacrificed by Quetzalcoatl to create a fifth sun and begin a new world. Sacrifice was then considered just and necessary, because the gods had performed it. The Aztecs believed that Tonatiuh needed the blood from sacrifice to rise again, and create another day, and more life.

Capturing Victims

Victims for sacrifice could be captured in many ways. Aztec warriors would go to small villages and tribes and engage in "flowery wars". A flowery war was like a mini war, where the sole purpose was to capture sacrifice victims. Aztecs would also go to real wars to capture victims, as they were in constant demand. The more the Aztec sacrificed, the more victims they needed, the more wars they battled, and the more land they conquered.

Journey and Waiting to Be Sacrificed

The prisoners were roped to each other, their hands tied. The victims were not allowed any water, food, or to rest on their way to Tenochtitlán. Once they reached the great city, the captives were held at a prison. Each prisoner was kept in a wooden cage. Priests would come in and take note of the prisoners condition. Ugly, sick, weak, old, or mentally disturbed victims would not be sacrificed, as only the most perfect people would be suitable for the gods.

Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish explorer who came to Tenochtitlán with a small army of followers. He was rumored to be the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, coming to reclaim his land. Not sure what to make of this rumor, the emperor Montezuma II greeted him warmly with gold and other gifts, hoping that then he would leave. But, the gifts had the opposite affect on Cortés. The lavish presents only strengthened his thirst to conquer the civilization. He took captive of Montezuma, imprisoning him in his own palace. Later, the Aztec people rebelled against Cortés, throwing rocks and other items at the palace where Cortés was, coincedentally the same where Montezuma was staying. It is not known whether Montezuma II was killed by the ambush of his own people or murdered on Cortés' orders. However, the Aztec empire soon fell, and the Spaniards built an new city, Mexico City, on Tenochtitlán's ruins.