Aztec Tradition

The driving creation beliefs of the Aztec religion begin with the dual god, Ometecuhtli/Omecihuatl. * This god created itself and it was both male and female, bad and good and, chaos and order. * The Aztecs believed that the contrasting aspects in the world would create balance and unite the origins of the world. * The god had four children and each of them represented the four directions of the world north, south, east and west. The Aztecs believed that their empire was at the centre of the universe and therefore the directions mentioned in the creation story link to this. * The four gods created the water and then other gods who then created Cipactli a creature who was part crocodile and part fish. * This creature begun to eat all the creations made by the gods and were eaten. * The four direction gods attacked the Cipactli and stretched him into the four corners and the world was created when it was defeated. * It is believed that the head contained the 13 heavens, the body contained the world and tail held the 9 underworlds Principal beliefs of the Aztecs: * The Aztecs beliefs were based upon the theme of nature * Aztecs believed that the gods needed to be nourished by humans and therefore sacrifice is an integral aspect of Aztec tradition * They believed that the world was divided into five eras, or suns. Each previous era had been governed by one deity and it had ended with the destruction of the elements or phenomena after which it had been named. They believed they were living in the fifth and last era. They believed this era was the era of movement as they believed an earthquake would end the world and time would come to an end. The Aztecs believed in an underworld and a paradise where in which there were 13 heavens and 9 hells in which one could go after death * The sun fought against the darkness every night and rose to save mankind * The Aztecs saw the Earth as a giant flat circular disk (sometimes imagined to be an enormous alligator, whose scales were mountains), surrounded by water as far as the distant horizon, where it joined the sky Identify and describe the role of the supernatural powers and deities in the religion: * The Aztec tradition is a polytheistic religion and is credited over 100 gods and creatures that possess supernatural powers. They worshipped many gods and goddesses, each of whom ruled one or more human activities or aspects of nature. * Many of the gods were agricultural based as the Aztec period was heavily based on farming * Some of the deities were benevolent while others had terrifying characteristics and feared the people * The deities needed to be fed fresh blood in order for the chaos in the world to be avoided. If this was not done the Aztecs believed they would wither and die. They believed that the processes that make life possible like the rain or solar energy and that the destiny of people depended on the will of these gods * Many of the Aztec deities belonged to a number of tribes, cultures and regions Discuss the relationship between sacred spaces and the beliefs of the religion * Aztecs called their temples Teocalli and they were used to worship, pray and make offerings to the Gods. * Some spaces were built purely for specific celebrations of the Aztecs * Many of their sacred spaces were used to carry out the blood offering to the Gods. The temples were a dwelling place on earth for a particular deity and hence why the sacrifices were chosen to be done within this space * The Aztecs believed that once an area is used as a sacred space it is incredibly important and essential that it remains this way * The size of the space which was used for worship was not relevant as long as it was sacred and remained separate and was distinct to the other areas of the house * It is a common belief amongst the Aztecs that this sacred space needs to be present even if it is simple and basic. It must be respected regardless of the size. Identify the principal rituals and examine their significance for the individual and community * The loyalty, respect and even fear which was felt towards the Gods lead to the establishment of various rituals * The main rituals of the Aztec traditions are: Sacrificial Blood letting Deity impersonation Reenactment of myth * The Aztecs had 18 months in one cycle, and for each of the 18 months there was ritual sacrifice. The victim would be painted as a part of the ritual, they would be placed on a slab where their heart would be removed and held up to the sun. The body would be thrown down the stairs of the temple/pyramid. The body would be disposed in several ways including being fed to animals and it is even believed cannibalism took place amongst the Aztecs * Blood letting was a ritual amongst the Aztecs where people would cut themselves to offer their blood to the gods. Such blood-letting was tied to rank: the higher one was in social or priestly rank, the more blood one had to sacrifice * It was the role of priests or another elected individual would dress up and achieve the likeness of a specific deity. This individual would be the physical manifestation of the god until the inevitable end when the gods likeness had to be killed as the ultimate sacrifice under great circumstance and festivities * Similar to the impersonation of gods, the purpose of the reenactment of myth was to remind the Aztec community of the past mythical events but was also to perpetuate the word by spreading the important events of creation Explain the relationship between the religion and its society * The Aztec society was heavily related to the culture which was established. In many ways the Aztec culture was expressed in through their beliefs * The Aztec culture was incredibly creative and filled with rich and beautiful forms of art (music, tattoos, poetry). This art which they created linked to their beliefs and furthermore their unique tradition * The Aztec warfare is portrayed through their art and examples of this can be found in the form of paintings and pottery found in temples * Religion evidently played a large role in the Aztec culture. Many of their actions were linked to the deities. They were expected to work hard in order to please the gods and therefore keep the balance of the universe * The remains of temples are examples of how their lives were based around showing their dedication and lives towards their deities. The culture and way of life was based around keeping the gods content in order for their lives to be good Explain how the religion provides a distinct response to the search for meaning * As identified in the previous sections, the Aztecs have proven a culture which is unique through the way in which they conduct their rituals and way of life. The deep respect and honor the Aztecs have for their gods is an incredibly unique way of communicating their reason for being and search for meaning * In everything that they do they convey their love and dedication to pleasing the deities. It is evident through their religion and their culture it is very evident that their reason for existence is to please the gods * Many other traditions include similar bel iefs however for the Aztecs it provides their reason for being and the basis of their lives Identify the principal rituals and examine their significance for the individual and community: The Aztecs practice many rituals which are significant to their religious identity, and on a wider scale their culture. These forms of rituals explore and make the tradition unique and support and tie into the beliefs which are followed by the Aztecs. All the rituals are designed and performed in order to celebrate and honor the gods, and the world they have given to us. It is the central belief of the tradition that they exist to serve and show gratitude to the gods that placed them on this earth. The rituals which are common within the Aztec religion include blood –letting, human sacrifice, impersonation of deities and reenactment of myths. Even from the names of these rituals it is evident that the focus around the gods play a significant role. Blood-letting was the process by which elite individuals including community leaders and religious figures would cut themselves in front of a congregation. They would intentionally cut parts of their body usually their tongues and then collect the blood on paper and then burnt as an offering to the gods through the form of smoke. This was significant for the Aztecs as it demonstrated the strong connection the person performing the ritual had with the supernatural and gods. It was a way of showing respect to the higher beings. It was a way in which all individuals could be involved through joining as a community and observing a sacrificial practice. It was also integral because it provided as a form of maintaining political power and legitimizing the prominent social position of the chosen blood-letting figure. Human sacrifice was a ritual which the Aztecs are still known for today. This ritual required 5 priests to take the victim to the top of a temple where they would then tear the beating heart out of the body. This was because the gods required living human hearts for nourishment. The heart would be burnt and the corpse would be pushed down the stairs of the temple. Many people in the community would choose to impersonate deities and then died as a sacrifice to that particular god. Approximately 20,000 Aztecs were sacrificed each year and in comparison to other traditions at the same time this was incredibly high. This ritual was particularly significant to the Aztec religion because it was the most extreme form of sacrifice. Individuals in the Aztec community were chosen at random to be the sacrificial person and therefore each person needs to be prepared to do so. The beliefs of the tradition link to this ritual in the way that all people should be fully dedicated and show gratitude to the deities. As a community they were expected to respect this ritual and support the reasoning behind it. The reenactment of myths was a ritual where in which people in the community would gather together and reenact mythical stories of the deities. These reenactments were a special part within the community because they provided as reminder of the Aztecs of their creation story and their myths. The recreation of these myths ensured that the important events behind the religion were passed down through the generations. This is another way in which the community gathers in order to show their respect to their beliefs and furthermore show pride in their culture. It is clear to see that the Aztecs were a group of people who had a strong connection with their gods. They performed rituals that expressed the gratitude, which they had towards the gods. These rituals were a way in which individuals could convey their dedication to the higher beings.

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