AZTEC

Role in the Universe
Aztecs knew they were a small part of the universe, their myths provided them with a sense that they had an important role to play in that the universe and a thorough framework for understanding it. Their purpose in life was to maintain balance in the cosmos by fighting and dying for their gods.

Life after Death
Aztecs were not afraid of death at all, but they regarded the offering of human sacrifices to their deities as an essential part of maintaining balance.

The Transcendent
Aztecs had a longing for contact with transcendent. In mythology this provided them to do so. Through icons and through various religious rituals, such as the offering of food and sacrifices. Aztecs feared gods, but believed they sustained the world and answered human prayers.

Evil and Suffering
Mythology provided a framework for understanding suffering and evil. Aztecs connected this to sin, caused by their own actions, they recognised that they were responsible for inflicting evil and suffering. This belief could result, in what is the adaption of severe penitential practices

- Many Creation Myths were adapted and included by the
Aztecs which were in their earlier years.
- The story on how the world came to be has changed over time and the development of new creation myths exist today.
-There are foundational similarities in which common aspects of myths occur.
- Death and eradication is a common aspect in myths and puts the stability of the universe into threat.

Dual Deity
The Aztecs believe the universe had to have started somehow, mythology proves this. The Dual deity came into existence itself (Lord Ometecuhtli and Lady Omecihuatl), both good and bad, disorder and order, male and female, this God was one with many traits. The Dual Deity had four children Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca and Xipe Totec. These sons represented the four directions, north, south, east and west. They were also comanded by the Duals to continue to create more life.

Moon and Stars
The Mexicayotl Chronicle consists of the explanation on how the moon and stars were created. In the myth, it was said that Huitzilopochtli's siblings wanted to demolish of their mother as she was pregnant with him by a ball of feathers. Once he was born, he came out fully grown and armed, immediately killing his siblings. Their mother began to grieve and Huitzilopochtli decided to comfort her by making his sister's head the moon and his brothers became the stars.

Universe
Cipactli, a sea monster, was floating along the waters. The gods were creating life, as they do their creations fell into the water, Cipactli had the opportunity to eat them. This created a battle between the gods and the sea monster, as the four gods destroy her, the universe was then created by this monstrous creature.

The Five suns
Aztecs have a strong belief that the present day/world was the fifth sun of creations. Four worlds had existed before the universe became the way it is today, but each of these worlds had been destroyed by majorly disastrous events. The Five suns include of Jaguar Sun, Wind Sun, Rain Sun, Water Sun and Earthquake Sun.

- The Aztec pantheon was put into categories by a large number of deities (gods) in which represented different ways and took on different roles and responsibilities.
- Many were adapted from other regions and cultures.
- All gods were somehow involved in every aspect of life and death.
- There were gods that represented all things that were necessary in life
-Huitzilopochtli the patron god of the Mexican tribe, Tezcatlipoca, the god of destiny and fortune, Quetzalcoatl, the creator god, and Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility, were the most important deities. (These were the four most prominent gods of the Aztec religion)

Polytheism
The Aztec religion was obviously a polytheistic religion due to the many deities that regulated every aspect of life and death. The main gods were Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl and Tlaloc, they were the most prominent as they were associated with the creation of the Universe.

Human Sacrifice
Aztecs thought of life as; there would be no life without death. The continuous sacrifice of humans were significant and needed as it sustained the universe. Most gods needed human blood to keep the earth in order and in good will. The gods also performed auto sacrifice, which is the act of spilling their blood onto fine paste of ground-up human bones in order to bring humans back to life.

Cosmology
Aztecs believed that the world contained of three major parts; the part, the underworld, the heavens . There were four horizontal points; the eastern point was know as the house of the sun, the western point was known as the house of the maize, the southern point was the house of Tlaloc and lastly the underworld consisted of nine levels for steps.
The Aztecs believed they were living in the fifth and final ear of which would one day be destroyed by a series of earthquakes.

Death and Afterlife
This was significant to the Aztecs as they thought of afterlife in medieval terms as a place they would go to after death. In mythology, there were four places and one's deeds and the manner of the death determined which place their soul would go.

Morality and Sin
Aztecs believed that the universe was unstable and that death and eradication continuously put the stability of earth into threat. Morality was believed to to have discover balance, which stablished and made the universe whole. This was connected with living a balanced life and with any action that threatened the balance was regarded to as sin. Even the smallest sin brought punishment from supernatural forces.

Predestination
Myths and creation legends influenced the Aztec belief about predestination. Humans only played a small role in the cosmos, and their duty was to fight and die for the gods so as to preserve world order. A humans destiny was determined by the 260 day on the Aztec ritual calendar which ran parallel to the solar calendar. One could be predestinated to die on the sacrificial stone.

Ritual Sacrifice
The most significant practice of the Aztec religion. This linked their understandings of the creation of the universe, sacrifice represented the means by which the deities could be satisfied and would allow the world to continue on.
Taking on many forms, depending on what was being requested from the god.

Fasting
Some deities commanded many different types of sacrifices, during the month dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, people would fast or eat a small amount of food.

Worship of Icons
Worshippers made statues out of amaranth dough to represent the gods of the Tlaloque. Teeth made from pumpkin seeds, eyes from beans. These icons were adorned, offered fine scents and prayed to.

Human Sacrifice
Evidence shows the indication that Aztecs believe the only way of communication with their gods was to offer the sacrifice of humans. Many of these rituals were performed in particular ways for different ceremonies.

Impersonation of Deities
This was an important concept for the ritual sacrifice. In general terms, a particular person would be specially selected to dress up and look like the god being worshipped within the ritual, the person would be sacrificed by extraction of the heart.

Ritual Calendar
The Aztec ritual calendar was based around festivals. Each of the 18 months of a ritual year had its own individual festival dedicated to one or more gods/deities.

Theocracy
Aztec society had no separation between religion and state, this resulted in a society that was theocratic. The people were mainly governed by religion. While the head of state was the head of religion in name only, religion was the controlling law in the society. Priests did not actively participate in government, but they influenced.
- The ritual calendar determined a person's future and was used to select who would willingly be a ritual sacrifice to the deities.
- Aztec mythology was in the minds of people that they appeared to readily accept their predetermined destinies.

Social and Political Stability
Monthly festivals and religious rituals have important means of social and political stability. Many feasts were used to justify slavery through the ritual sacrifice of slaves purchased for that specific purpose. Many rituals were based around day to day lifestyle.

Law and Order
Mythology of Aztec placed a great emphasis on good moral behaviour, contributing to the maintenance of law and order. People's lives were ruled by fear of committing sin, because they believed that such acts would result in imbalance in the cosmic order, which refers to supernatural forces.
Priests were expected to be role models of upright moral and acetic behaviour.

Justification for War
Aztecs were war loving people and theocracy used in their myths to justify war by claiming that the gods needed an ever increasing amount of blood.