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For the Aztecs, religion was as much a part of daily life as eating or breathing.
The city of Tenochtitlan was filled with huge open-air temples. The largest, the Great Temple, was in the center of the city. The priests at the temple were central to Tenochtitlan’s religious life. The Aztecs believed they lived in the era of the fifth Sun and that the world would end violently one day. To delay that day, they performed human sacrifices.
Huitzilopochtli (we-tseal-oh-POCH-tli) was the god of war, and one of the most important gods. The Aztecs believed that he and the Sun god Tonatiuh were owed human blood, because the gods’ own blood had given birth to human beings. ▶
Each new ruler wanted to leave his mark on the Great Temple, so it was rebuilt seven times. Every ruler tried to make his temple more impressive than the last one.
Take a tour of the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan
◀ The Aztecs had many different gods, each with different powers and purposes. Quetzalcoatl (kay-tsal-ko-WATL), the Feathered Serpent, was the god of music, education, farming, and art. The Aztecs believed that he would someday come back to Earth. His return would mean the end of the Aztec peoples.
The quetzal (KAY-tsal) bird had to be brought in from the jungle. Craftspeople used its long tail feathers to make clothing and jewelry. These items were worn during the ceremonies honoring Quetzalcoatl. ▼
◀ Holy smoke! This mirror was one of the tools priests used to predict the future. A priest would stare into the mirror and see clouds of smoke. Hidden in the clouds was a vision, or a holy message, that only the priest could see.
At the height of the Aztec empire, priests sacrificed thousands of people in one year. The priests killed their victims and ripped out their hearts, offering them as a sacrifice to the gods. Most victims were prisoners from subject states or criminals. But some Aztecs volunteered to sacrifice themselves, thinking of it as an honor. The dagger below was used for human sacrifices. ▶
Priestly Pursuits
▲ Boys training to be priests started at an early age. They learned to read and write glyphs so they could understand religious calendars and writings. Girls could go to school, but they could not become priests.
▲ Priests who were training had to learn discipline. They fasted for days, bathed in icy cold water, and pricked their ears with sharp thorns.
▲ They also painted their bodies black and sometimes smeared a paste made of dead bugs on their skin. Chemicals in the bugs helped them stay awake for days.
▲ Priests ran the schools and organized religious ceremonies. They kept temple fires burning and carried out sacrifices. They also predicted the future by looking at the stars.
