Religion, according to Melford E. Spiro author of "Religion: Problems of Definition and Explanation" can be narrowly defined as an institution consisting of culturally postulated superhuman beings.(2) Religion, was a major part of the Aztec culture, which was polytheist. The main god that was worshiped was the sun god, Huitzilopochtli who was also the god of war. In the modern world, there are people that still worship Aztecan gods, through dance, and other rituals. Concheros is a group of people that follow traditions of Aztec worship with a more modern outlook.(3) Concheros is also a dance performed by many Ballet Folklorico groups, that reenacts the worship and rituals relating to Huitzilopochtli.
The Aztecs were a large group of Indian tribes.They were originally migratory and as they migrated they assimilatated other tribes. Through this process they joined together and became rich in civilization. The tribes the comprised the Aztecs were the Toltect whom the Chichimec [Aztecs] conquered in the early 1300's A.D. The Toltect embarked on conquests, which resulted in the Aztecs becoming a dominate civilization of their time.(1) Their migratory pattern stopped on the southwestern border of Lake Texcoco as they discovered an eagle sitting on the stem of a cactus, holding a serpent in his talons with his wings open to the sun. This as an omen from the gods.(4) The Aztecs finally settled in central Mexico, where Mexico City is now located, and began building Tenochtitlan in 1325. Over time the civilization's control spanned from Tenochtitlan east to the Gulf of Mexico and south to Guatemala.(1)
Throughout this time the Aztecs conquered civilizations and occasionally combined the rituals and traditions, which helped ...
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...e="2"> The Anthropological study of Religion handout
Journal of American Folklore Review http://www.docfilm.com/mexfilms/tec/jaftec.htm. 18 November 2003.
Aztec Culture. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/mesoamerica/
aztec.html.18 November 2003.
Hand out 9- Main Themes for Anthropology 120 Revision
Roberts Jr., Frank H. H. Indians of the Americas. National Geographic C. 1958. Washington D.C.
Bernal Diaz: The Conquest of New Spain
"Encomiendas." 8 December 2003. http://www.bookrags.com/essays/story/2003/11/17/20368/591
Aztec Gods and Goddesses. www.crystalinks.com/aztecgods.html
December 2003.
During 1325 a newly homeless Aztec tribe who were chased away by the angry ruler/father of a princess they sacrificed to the sun god, were traveling through swamps . they saw a small island with an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. This was told to be a sign of where the tribe was to create their new home. This new city was named Tenochtitlan. Soon this will become the capital of the Aztec empire. Tenochtitlan started out with only a temple to worship the war god Huitzilopochtli, and huts for the tribesmen.
Thus, historians ought to emphasize the significance of human sacrifice, and not their agriculture, when discussing the Aztecs. Religion is clearly a vital part of the Aztec culture. They had at least 128 gods, including but not limited to the divine beings of “rain, fire, water, corn, the sky, and the sun.” They were honored in numerous ways: ceremonies and festivals, dances and feasts, and by having humans sacrificed to them. Background Essay:
Print. Waldman, Carl. " Sioux." Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition.
The Aztec Empire was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time. They dominated the valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Aztecs were an advanced and successful civilization that built beautiful, sophisticated cities, temples, and pyramids. They also created a culture full of creativity with mythological and religious traditions. Aztecs lead a structured and evocative life that let their society to become a very superior civilization. The Aztec’s communication skills were very well developed for their time; through religious beliefs, government involvement, and family life they lived a full and productive life. Until in 1519 when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, and defeated the Aztecs.
Zigmond, M. L. (1986). Kawaiisu. In W. C. Sturtevant, Handbook of North American Indians (Vol. 11, pp. 398-411). Washington: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data.
Calloway, C. G. (2012). First peoples A documentary survey of American Indian history (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
According to their own history, the Aztecs, who called themselves the Tenochca or Mexica, started as a small nomadic tribe originating from a place called Aztlan. Aztlan existed somewhere in the southern part of California or the north west of Mexico. At this time they were Nahuatl speaking. During the twelfth century they started a period of wandering and in the thirteenth century they came across Mexico's central valley. There they decided to settle.
Aztecs were located in mexico, the king specifically mentioned in this account was King Montezuma, the last ruler of the Aztec empire before the spanish took over. He was a well respected warrior and leader, during the 16th century. Hernan Cortez was the spanish conquistador that came to the Aztec’s empire. When Cortes arrived to mexico in 1518 it was the beginning of the end of the Aztec empire. Hernan was a liar, the first thing he said to montezuma was that he (Montezuma) had nothing to fear and they wanted to be friends. Cortes ended up taking advantage of the friendliness and hospitality of the Indians. The spanish’s method of taking over was to provoke fear within the Indians so they would listen to everything they ordered. To do so “the Spaniard fired one of their cannons” This confused the indians because they thought the spanish were supposed to be friendly so the indians panicked and “were all overcome by terror.” Whenever a Spaniard asked for something Montezuma would deliver, this made his people angry and they lost respect for their great leader. The Spanish raided the Aztec empire of all their gold and valuables, even the kings stash. From what only they thought was beautiful. Whatever they didn’t want was destroyed or burned. They were greedy and cruel people that wanted all of the gold they could get. After robbing the empire of all of its stored gold he forced slaves to find him more. Fear is what made the Indians obey Cortes and his
Edu/LA260/Aztecs.htm> Benson, Sonia. The “Aztec Religion” Culture, and Daily Life.” Early Civilizations in the Americas: Almanac Vol.2.Ed. Deborah J. Baker, Ph.D. Michigan: Farmington Hills, 501-527. Print.
Josephy, Alvin M, The American Heritage Book of Indians, New York, American Heritage Publishing Co,1961
Once a new territory had been conquered, however, the Aztec did not maintain a strong presence. Instead, they opted to take captives for use as slaves or human sacrifices and left the remaining population to their own devices with the understanding they were to pay tribute to the Aztec Empire. Any rebellion against Aztec authority met with swift and brutal force to quell the uprising. The Aztec also entered an alliance with two neighboring towns—Texcoco and Tlacopan—which aided in the expansion of the empire far beyond the Valley of Mexico region.1 However, eventually the Aztec emerged as the dominant force of the alliance and the other two became subordinate. The ability of the Aztec to organize resources for sustenance and trade also allowed them to support such an enormous population under their
middle of paper ... ... The Aztecs were defeated, partially because they had been weakened by smallpox, but also because the Spanish fought together as a single force, while Aztecs fought as individuals (Schweikart 6-7). These three civilizations were focused on their religions, causing some similarities. They all built cities as religious centers.
In Northern Mexico, a group of people known as the Aztecs arrived and became the dominant
Calloway, C. G. (2012). First peoples A documentary survey of American Indian history (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
The Aztecs came from Azatlan which is the mythical place of origin(Aztecs of Lost Civilization). Huizilopochtli, the god of war, told the Aztecs to leave Azatlan and wander until they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a rock and eating a snake(Los Aztecas). The Aztecs traveled many years to find the legend and finally found it while at Lake Texcoco. Lake Texcoco was ruled by the Toltecs between the 10th and 11th centuries(Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia). Since many other tribes also migrated to Lake Texcoco at the same time, the Aztecs were pushed out to the westside of the lake to a swampy area. The only piece of dry land they had was a little island surrounded by marshes. Over a long period of time they built their empire with chinapas. Chinapas were formed by piling up mud from the lake bottom to make little islands(Aztec Empire History). Tenochtitlan (currently Mexico City), which means "Place of the Cactus", became the capital in 1325 and soon there came many islands in which bridges were built to connect the mainland (Los Aztecas). They also dug canals and constructed aqueducts. There were many religious structures, and they built temples and pyramids. By 1502 the Aztec Empire expanded from Guatemala to San Luis Potosi which is in Central and Southern Mexico and extended 800 miles along a northwest-southeast axis. The Aztecs conquered many cities and all became part of the empire which was wedged between high mountains and surrounded by lakes(Aztecs of Lost Civilization/ Azetc Empire History).