Andean/Incan People

The Egyptians beliefs in the gods and goddess they worshipped came from their reliance on the land; that in their creation stories and many of the god and goddess creation stories have references to important land marks in Egypt. In Egyptian culture there are two version of the creation story, everything stays constant between the stories except for who was the first god. In one version, the king of the gods Atum (also the sun god and ruler of Heliopolis) arose from Nu; while in the other account, Ra the sun god takes the form of Khepri. It is believed Atum created himself from thoughts and will, having no place to stand he created a hill where his temple was built. It is believed, Atum represents the hills left behind by the Nile River after its annual flood, which the Egyptians also used to grow their cro... ... middle of paper ... ...raoh of Egypt making their rules ligament.

But they worshipped the sun god the most. Religious ceremonies took place in a temple called a teocalli. This temple had sacred pools for ceremonial cleansing, gardens, living quarters for a priest, and racks to hold the skulls of victims. Religion played a great part in Aztec life. Although religion was an important motivator in Aztec life, farming was the common activity.

Human sacrificing was a major part of the Aztec culture in the sixteenth century. At the time they considered it a crucial part of survival. The Aztec’s believed they owed the gods for creating the tribe and all the world’s natural elements. The Aztecs considered offering up blood and human life a way to repay the gods. They also believed that if they continued to repay the gods would stay happy and natural disasters would be avoided.

The Aztecs believed that there were multiple heavens and hells, and that the sun wrestle with darkness. They believed in sacrificing humans to please their gods.... ... middle of paper ... ...the end of the Inca empire and is now currently Chile and Colombia. The Aztecs and the Incas are compared and contrasted in multiple ways. With their views on religion they believe in some of the same gods but the Incas religious views are less violent and more peaceful. Both economies are strongly based on agricultural production, goods and services, trades, and ways of transportation.

The Egyptians believed that mummification make sure the ba and the ka would find the body when they returned to the body to transport it to the underworld. The Egyptians also believed that they were the ‘ cattle of the gods', and were controlled by them. They also believed that the gods owned all the land, so they sold all their crops at the temples. Furthermore, their idea of heaven was that it was in the milky way, that stood for a fertile Nile and where good crops grew every year. Their belief in a hell was that the soul was devoured by a savage animal called the ‘Devourer of Souls' and then thrown into a pit of fire.

The idea that the god Ra was the first king is the seed for the belief that a Pharaoh was both King and god. After Ra gave up his kingship to ride across the sky, Osiris became king with Isis as his queen. Osiris is recognized with teaching men to be civilized, and for teaching mankind to worship the gods and to build temples. Almost every god and goddess was associated with one or more animals and in some instances might appear in the form of their chosen animal-familiar. This was called anthropromorphic.

Spirits of the dead were also able to guide the living. There were numerous gods, but the most prevalent and lasting gods were Ra, Ma’at, Isis, Horus, Osiris, Bast, and Bes (Gods and Mythology). The Egyptians believed that Ra, the Sun God, was the creator of the world, and the sun was viewed as the symbol of creation. Ra became greatly associated with the pharaoh during the late 2nd Dynasty and the 5th Dynasty. The pharaoh ruled the mortal realm, while Ra ruled the greater universe, which made them “a mirror image of each other.” Ma’at was Ra’s closest ally; she was the “personification of the fundamental order of the universe.” Order and justice was revered and even the gods were known to worship Ma’at.

He was "the father of the gods, the fashioner of men, the creator of cattle, the lord of all being". He is the god of the sun in most of these accounts and is shown as a man with a falcon's head. He carries a staff and the symbol for life, the ankh. The symbol of the sun, also known as the solar disc, is above his head. Despite the fact that he was a very important figure to Egyptians, he had few templ... ... middle of paper ... ...ts that the gods should "give the office of Osiris to his son Horus," she declared, "and do not act wickedly, else I become angry, and send heaven crashing to the ground."

These offerings were made for the gods, temple consecration, the rise of a new leader and during natural disturbances such as drought and disease. They used animals like deer, dogs, jaguars and birds as offering. They cut the bird’s head of an... ... middle of paper ... ...th a reptile shaped body with a long nose, sometimes with a tear coming out of his eye. There is a sun god called Kinich Ahau. Kinich ahau is the main god in the city Itzamal, it says that he visited the city at noon every day.

Being an agriculturally dependant empire, the Aztec’s religion was based highly on the forces of nature and worshipped them as gods. The god of war, Huitzilopochtli, was the most important deity. They had many other important gods, such as Tlaloc, the god of rain, Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind and of learning, and Tenochtitlan, the sun god. The Aztecs believed in order to appease these and many other gods that they needed to perform human sacrifices. The main purpose of the great Aztec pyramids was, in fact, human sacrifices.