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Aztec Practice of
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Transcript
Aztec Practice of Human Sacrifice: tlamictīliztli
Sacrificial Ritual: New Fire Ceremony
Where does Sacrifice come from?
Important Definitions
EQ: How did empire-building in this era compare to previous eras?
Human Sacrifice: Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings, usually as an offering to a deity, as part of a religious ritual.
Nahuatl - Aztec Language
tlamictīliztli - Human Sacrifice in Nahuatl
Tenochitlan - Aztec Capital
***Aztecs are of Nahua ethnicity. Speaking of the Nahua means speaking of the Aztecs.***
- It is unknown if the Aztecs engaged in human sacrifice before they reached the Anahuac valley and started absorbing other cultural influences.
- The first human sacrifice reported was the sacrifice and skinning of the daughter of the king Cóxcox of Culhuacán; This is part of the myth behind Tenochitlan.
- The Aztecs felt a sense of Indebtness due to the "legend of the five suns".
- Repaid this debt through Nextlahualli (debt-payiing human sacrifice).
In other eras in World History, Empires have used different Ideologies to bring people together, hence, build empires. Whether it be, confucianism in
Ancient China or the "Legend of the Five Suns" in the Ancient Aztec Empire, which brought forth the "Nextlahualli" (human sacrifice), ideologies have served a prominent role in building empires. The role of Ideologies are what hold people/states together. Even to this day.
New Fire Ceremony:
Occured every 52 years as an effect of the 52 year cycle.
All fires were extinguished and at midnight a human sacrifice was made. The Aztecs then waited for the dawn. If the Sun appeared it meant that the sacrifices for this cycle had been enough. Later, the body of the victim was set on fire, and this fire was spread to every home and town.
Everyone would rejoice! A new cycle of 52 years was beginning and the apocalypse had been postponed for another 52 years.
Human Sacrifice and the Cosmos
Different types of Human Sacrifices
Sacrificial Rituals: 52 year cycle and New Fire Ceremony
Every type of human sacrifice is different. It is done for different purposes and in respect to different Gods. The victims, however, are determined by the time of year and the Gods being honored.
The 52 year cycle: The great fear that the universe would collapse after each cycle if the Gods were not strong enough.
- Sacrifitial Rites and the Cosmos go "hand in hand".
- The most common form of human sacrifice was heart-extraction.
- The Nahua people still consider the Sun to be a heart-soul "round, hot, pulsating" being.
- In the Aztec view, humanity's "divine sun fragments" were considered "entrapped" by the body and its desires
Heart: Tona
Sun's Heat: Istli
Heart-soul: Tona-Tiuh
Examples of Human Sacrifices around
this time of Year
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Presentations from around the world
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