Aztec And Mayan Culture Human Sacrifice

Seasonal rituals have existed for centuries, in many ancient civilizations they were a means to please gods to ensure that a good agriculture season happens or a means of reflection on oneself. In “The Lottery” the ritual that we see is an agricultural one; done every year. By the end of the ritual, one member of the community is stone to death by his or her fellow community member. This ritual represents one form of a ritual process, a sacrifice. A ritual that ends in sacrifices is a cruel practice that many old cultures followed; two notable cultures that considered human sacrifices essential to their success are the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. “The Aztecs the act of sacrifice… was a strictly ritualized process which gave the highest possible

They did this in payment to their gods, “In Mesoamerican culture human sacrifices were viewed as a repayment for the sacrifices the gods had themselves made in creating the world and the sun” (Cartwright). “Seasonal rituals assume that life is a "series" of leases that must be renewed each year” ("Seasonal Rituals"). They also did these practices like in the lottery to ensure a good harvest. “…the sacrifice was performed to the gods in hopes of rain and a good harvest. To the Maya, blood gave life” (Bresloff). “Seasonal ritual is always directed to securing the well-being of both the community and the individual” ("Seasonal

For example, the Christian Lent-Easter Cycle is a seasonal ritual; it “reflects the renewal of life that is inherent in seasonal rituals” ("Seasonal Rituals"). It follows the basic outline of a ritual, which is broken down into four rites. The first being the Rite of Mortification: “fasting and repentance as a means of preparation for the coming of the new” ("Seasonal Rituals"). In rite is represented in Ash Wednesday, “a time of mortification and repentance in which individually and collectively sin is confessed and one enters into a time of self-examination” (“Seasonal Rituals”). Churches hold services on this day which involves “ancient Biblical traditions of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth and fasting” ("Lent"). Purgation is the next rite, “sacrifices of expiation to rid the individual and community of guilt” (“Seasonal Rituals”). Purgation, of course, being the most common one in agricultural societies; The Lottery most likely follows the Purgation rite, by riding their community of a member, then they would reach a good outcome. In the Lent-Easter cycle, the Purgation is the 40 day period of Lent, in which people fast, and to “rid oneself and the community of sin and guilt” (“Seasonal Rituals”). This rite is then followed by invigoration: “the community attempts to renew the lease of life through rituals that affirm the social order and spiritual well-being.” This event is