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.