Magdalena Solis, mostly known as “High Priestess of Blood”, was born in Monterrey, Mexico. She was born into a family so poor that her and her brother joined a cult with Santos and Cayetano Hernandez. Magdalena’s position was of a prostitute, while her brother was her hustler. Magdalena kept her sexual job for a very long time; it wasn’t till 1962 when her job would intensify. During late 1962 and mid-1963, Magdalena and the cult would advertise themselves as gods spreading rumors that they would bring good luck to the people who participated in the sex rituals. In these rituals, people would give money in hopes of receiving luck, but after several rituals people grew anxiously. Later, two people were tired of not receiving anything, and decided to leave. Those two people were given a punishment by Magdalena, which were lynched by the followers. After these two murders, Magdalena craved gruesome human sacrifices that would intensify with each kill. While the victims that passed during these rituals are unknown, it is knowledgeable that the first two people were lynched by their neighbors because they were afraid of upsetting their goddess. They were killed in Yerba Buena, Mexico, which is where the rituals would take place. In the following weeks, four more people died in the form of sacrifice. They were beaten, slashed, and injured by everyone in the ritual. At the end, they would let the human sacrifices bleed to death, while their blood was drank by the “gods” (Magdalena) and “high priests” (Santos and Cayetano) The Hernandez brothers, who started the cult, were murdered while the Solis siblings and their followers were sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. While this case is very unique compared to many serial killers, Magdalena shows to be mentally ill and messed up from her difficult
The religious beliefs of the Aztec’s was bloody they believed they had to make many sacrifices to appease the gods. The sacrifices were an important aspect of the Aztec religion. At the root of these interesting rituals, were the beliefs that the gods needed to be nourished by human beings. This was accomplished through human blood. They did this by a practice called bloodletting. Bloodletting is intentionally harming and drawing blood from the body. Those who were higher in status within the Aztec religion were expected to give the most blood during these Aztec rituals.
It is the 1450s. Foreigners have invaded your land, and they’re capturing the citizens living there for their lethal rituals. (Doc. A) You are unlucky enough to find yourself kidnapped, along with your family. Your mother is taken away quickly, but your father is forced to become a human sacrifice for the Aztec gods. What does this mean, exactly? According to The History of the Indies of New Spain by Friar Diego Duran, your father’s chest is severed, and his heart is taken out of his body. This is all while he is still awake, and before the time of pain medication. He slowly bleeds to death on the temple stairways - and you’re watching it all. This sounds terrible, does it not?
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
Bowden’s idea of why this happened focused mainly on the old misunderstood traditions of the tribes living in Mexico. He shows how the friars, churches and icons took the blunt of the revolts force. Bowden points out the religious differences and similarities be...
In an essay by Carrasco titled “The Exaggeration of Human Sacrifice," the purpose of nextlaoalli seemed logical, as it was believed that the gods had died in order to create the lives of plants, animals and humans, and that a ritual sacrifice of plants, animals, and humans offered a way to transmit the energy of these beings back to the gods. These types of sacrifices arguably played a minute role in the actual rituals performed to appease the gods, but rather it was in combination with the regalia and practices of the priests which contributed to the overall “barbaric” atmosphere Díaz experienced in these sacrificial rituals. Although viewed by the Spaniards as cannibalistic and obscure in nature, these rituals formed a pivotal function in the religious culture of both Tenochtitlan and the Aztec empire. The true purpose of nextlaoalli was misconstrued because of the numerous biases present among the collective Spanish mindset, and therefore these rituals became a target for the Spaniards to denounce the established religion under pretenses that it was paganistic, and therefore
Sara Salkahazi was born on the 11th of May 1899 in Kassa (an area now part of Slovakia) in Austria. Sara was a Hungarian Modernist Religious sister; she became a member of the Sisters of Social Service in 1929. She helped save thousands of Jewish lives during the final months of World War 2. She did this by opening the Working Girls Homes to provide a safe place for Jews. Sara died on the 27th of December in 1944. This is the anniversary of her martyrdom.
Isabel of Spain was a strong and determined woman. She was born on April 22, 1451 in the town of Madrigal de las Altas Torres in Old Castile. She was the daughter of John II, king of Castile and his second wife, Isabella of Portugal. Her family were very strong Catholics and was born and raised a Catholic. She was married to Ferdinand who was King of Aragon. She took control and protected her country while taking on the responsibility of being a wife and a mother of five. Isabel and Ferdinand together ruled both of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. The most important ideas of Isabel of Spain was the starting of the Spanish Inquisition, ruling as a female, gaining power, and expanding an empire that would be known throughout.
The Aztecs believed they owed the gods everything for creating them and the world around them, therefore the gods needed to be fed or nourished daily. To honor their gods and show their gratitude they performed human sacrifices by offering hearts and blood. In doing so, they believed human sacrifices would ensure their existence to the world, and in turn help them in their after life. Aztecs also saw these rituals as a way to send a political message to control their own citizens and instill fear in their foreign neighbors. These sacrifices were performed by a specialized priest at the great temple, the Huey Teocalli, at the very top of the pyramid for all to witness. The heart was cut out while the victim was still alive. The still beating heart would then be burned in offering to the chosen god. Afterward, the body was thrown down the stairs of the pyramid where the head was then cut off and placed on a skull rack, known as a Tzompantli, displayed for all to see. (Ancient History
They provided this ritual for the son god. The most gruesome ritual was, when four priests would take the offering and hold both ankles, and all angles. While they held the person another priest would slice into the mans torso, break apart his ribs, and hold his still beating up like a trophy for all the crowd to see it. It was a way to show the god they were loyal. They then took both hands, and feet from the cold dead body, and sent it down the steps for the community to consume. During that part of the practice the remaining parts were throw into a vat of slit tongue snakes to feast on. On an average 50 thousand main arteries (hearts) were given to the sun god. The priests also purchased babies for the same ritual.
.... Even though human sacrifices were a common occurrence at the time, the Aztecs ritual and persistence to please the god made the civilization to be known as Central America’s bloodiest civilization in the fourteenth century.
...e Aztecs weren’t the first people to have partaken in sacrifice rituals. Although, the fact of the incredible number of people they sacrificed brought attention and hatred from surrounding people, pointing yet again to the possibility of an invading war. (Pohl, John, Dr. 2006) The horror of human sacrifice was a motivating reason for the Spaniards to overthrow the “evil culture”, or maybe just a reason to justify their means of war with the empire.
To begin with, the Aztec's cruel tribute system allowed Cortes to act as a liberator. The process of human sacrifice was extremely common and was feared by the majority of the common people. The Aztecs as a nourishment for the Sun and all other gods needed human sacrifice. The Aztecs sacrificed between 10,000 and 50,000 victims per year. As the majority of those who were sacrificed were war captives who opposed the Aztecs, they obviously greatly feared the brutal tribute system. However not only war captives were sacrifices, common adults and children were also sacrificed at times. Cortes himself was disgusted at the thought of human sacrifice, this allowed him to gain Indian allies as well as gain respect among Mexican tribes that feared and opposed the Aztecs. The majority of the population feared the process therefore making Cortes, whom despised the process, an appealing alternative. Many followed Cortes as they shared the same views on the 'human sacrifice' topic.
The leader of the cult recruited women by his charm. He stalks his chosen females and figures out a way to meet them. For example, "Aldrete was driving through Matamoros on July 30, 1987, when a shiny new Mercedes cut her off in traffic, narrowly avoiding a collision. The driver was apologetic, suave and handsome. He introduced himself as Adolfo Constanzo, a Cuban-American living in Mexico City. There was an instant chemistry between them, but Constanzo made no sexual overtures. He noted with pleasure that Aldrete's birthday was the same as his mother's. In fact, the meeting was no accident. Constanzo had been watching Gilberto Sosa, weighing his connections. The meeting with Sara Aldrete was carefully stage-managed, as was their burgeoning friendship and her gradual introduction into the occult” (Newton). He had done this many times and it was easy every single one of them. He made people feel safe when they were with him and he made them believe that the cult was protection from things all around them that posed any danger. Also, after Adolfo pledged himself to the devil, he thought he was obtaining supernatural powers. He claimed he could tell the future and help people with his new gift and in return allegiance to his cult. One example is, “Adolfo started offering his fortune telling and ritual cleansing services to
The breakthrough came when a young woman confessed to the crime. Susan Atkins was arrested for car theft and admitted to being a part of the group also known as “The Family”. She explained their theory that the murders were to be the first step in a global race war, which the group called HelterSkelter. It would cause the end of the world, with the Manson family emerging as leaders to the survivors. Atkins implicated several others, including, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Tex Watson. They were all white, middle class youths living like hippies in a desert near LA. They came from average American homes, and had no prior history of violence, which made the police conclude that someone else had to be in charge. Atkins told them about their leader, who they followed with unwavering devotion, and that he was the only one who knew the truth, Charles Manson who has now come to represent true evil in most people eyes.
First, Columbians are known to be the most devoted to Catholicism of all of the Latin American Nations, which informs the reader about the importance of religion in their culture. The Catholic religion is all about the honor and has a belief that women’s virginity should be kept preserved until marriage. Unfortunately, Angela wasn’t faithful in following her religion and in turn brought shame on the entire Vicario family. Since the whole town was very religious, the Vicario brothers were pressured by society to take up the responsibility to kill the man who had dishonored their sister and the family. It was stated by the Vicario brothers, “‘We killed him openly,’ Pedro Vicario said, ‘but we’re innocent.’ ‘Perhaps before God,’ said Father Amador. ‘Before God and before men,’ Pablo said. ‘It was a matter of honor’’’ (Marquez 49). This quote connects to their religious beliefs, because they’ve “killed” someone in the public, yet they are still claiming that they are “innocent”, which tells the reader that the Vicario brothers were very religious, as stated that it was a “matter of honor”, they were confident that they’ve done the right move both “before God and before men”. Furthermore, the Vicario brothers were later put jail, and even during that time they felt no shame in killing someone in public as stated “At