Quetzalcoatl

their talents ranged from having a powerful sense of smell for determining when rain was coming to merging both their knowledge of the planets and architecture to build their great pyramids. Although these societies became incredibly powerful, they never abandoned their precious corn. From the laborers harvesting it to the elite altering their head in order to resemble it, corn was always around. This irreplaceable crop allowed the indigenous to thrive for thousands of years and develop a well-rounded system for ensuring their survival. What had thrived for so many years was abruptly destroyed when Cortez took power in 1591. The Aztecs believed that “the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, whom they credited with the creation of humans among other notable feats, was set to return to Earth. Thinking that Cortés could be Quetzalcoatl, Montezuma greeted the party with great honor” (Szalay). His entrance to the city made Cortez realize of the riches that the Aztecs had in the possession, and without knowledge, introduce diseases into the civilization. “In the first sixty years of the occupation an estimated 90 percent of the indigenous population died from disease. Dissipated by illness, exploitation, and poverty those remaining could not keep up with the colony’s needs. Most significant, the system interrupted the communal sacred relationship with the earth, sun, water, and corn.” (Morton 31). Once Cortez conquered the city and took the Aztecs as slaves, the role of corn would never be the…

civilization started in Mesoamerica between 1345-1521 CE. The modern day reputation for that culture is stated on the acient.edu link as follows: “blood thirsty human sacrifice was the highest honor to the gods and was considered necessary to ensure man kinds continued prosperity.” Research has found that thousands of people sacrificed each year at the great Aztec religious sites. Their sacrifices were used as a repayment that the Gods had made. The best candidates for sacrifices had to be the…

Huitzilopochtli is the god of sun and warfare and is also one of the principle deities of the Aztec religion. In Aztec mythology, the god is the offspring of the supreme earth goddess known as Coatlίcue (Britannica). The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli needed “daily nourishment” in the form of human sacrifice, as the “people of the sun” were required to provide the god with blood and hearts for strength. The sacrifice was offered to the sun, or the “eagle who rises,” and burned in “the…

that drove Columbus to oppress indigenous people. * Gold was a sign of wealth. Columbus was greedy and tried every way to get his hands on as much as he can. He also wanted to find a shorter route to India. He imprisoned Arawak people because he thought that they would lead him to whatever he wanted. 8. What was the ultimate fate for the Arawak Indians? * The ultimate fate for the Arawak Indians was death. They either died of sickness or were killed. Most of the Arawak Indians died…

Interestingly this tends to be sky gods. The Aztecs patron and second principle deities, as well as their patron of priests and merchants were all related in some way to the sky. As the patron deity of the Aztecs, one identities Huitzilopochtli was known for was the god of the sun. Tlaloc, the second principle deity, was the rain god, worshiped for his connection to fertility, wealth and food, among other things. And Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent who was the god of wind among other…

The Aztecs were a harsh and cruel empire. The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice, which caused them to be feared by others (Cornale,2). Many of the sacrificed people were captured from neighboring Indian tribes. Cortes really did not like the thought of human sacrifice (Livescience). This was a reason that helped him make allies with other Indian tribes. The other Indian tribes supported Cortes and his men by helping them fight the Aztecs. This helped Cortes and his men defeat the Aztecs because…

The Aztecs believed the five suns were, had been the key in the rebirth of the world. Although the first thing created by the Aztecs was a fire and a half sun. The Aztecs then undertook the creation of humanity by sacrificing a god whose blood drops on a mass of ground-up bones produced the first man and woman, named Oxomoco and Cipactonal respectively. The birth of each individual took four days. The cycle of 5 suns followed, which corresponded to 5 world ages, each one ending in destruction.…

Tenochca, and Texcoco. Temples were buildings that the Aztec had used for Religious purposes. To construct the temples they had used primitive tools such as stones, chisels, and blades. To form the base of the temple they used colorful and easy to cut volcanic stone called tezontle and they used rubble and limestone. Tenochtitlan was built on the island of Lake Texcoco. The Aztec religion had two shrines on top of the building and it was the most important religion. The shiners represent…

Theocratic Violence: Consequence or Coincidence? The correlation between religion and violence plays an interesting part in the history of the world. While some societies have used their religious principles to positively impact their legacy, other societies may have deteriorated because of them. While religion does not always beget violence, we must accept that in some cases it may. In this essay, we will explore the nature of violence in society and the role that religion played in shaping…

When the Spanish first arrived in the New World they encountered two powerful empires: The Aztec and the Inca. However, the Inca and the Aztecs used different methods to control their empires, especially in the areas of economics and state religions. These methods, although different in structure, did contain some similarities. This demonstrates that empires can be equally powerful, but use different methods of organizing economic and religious systems. The Aztec economic system can be split…