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Religion of the Aztecs: the Pantheon The Aztecs were a mixed people group, and as time went on, a number of gods that had their roots in a variety of civilizations began to find their way into the Aztec Pantheon. This meant that the Aztecs practiced pantheism, which means that they believed in a pantheon of gods.
MATOS MOCTEZUMA: The religion practiced by the Aztecs was predominately polytheistic. They worshiped a variety of gods, both male and female. Tonatiuh was the name of the sun deity. There were numerous gods, and they were honored during special celebrations once a month by presenting lavish sacrifices.
Over a thousand different deities were revered by the Aztec people, and each region and profession in Aztec society had its own patron deity. They even had gods to represent each day of the month and each month of the year. Sacrifices of humans were offered up to assuage the wrath of the gods in the belief that this would prevent the gods from exacting their vengeance.
There were numerous gods in the Aztec pantheon, each of whom possessed their own unique set of abilities; hence, various temples were set aside for each deity. Along with the growth of the Aztec Empire and the incorporation of more and more city-states into the empire, the gods and goddesses of neighboring areas began to find their way into the religious framework of the Aztecs.
Tlaloc, the rain deity, Huitzilopochtli, patron of the Mexica tribe, Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent and god of wind and learning, and Tezcatlipoca, the cunning and elusive god of fate and fortune, were among the most significant gods in Aztec religion. Tezcatlipoca was also associated with the use of magic and warfare.
Everything in life was governed by religion. Religion pervaded every part of Aztec society, regardless of one’s level, from the most powerful born monarch to the lowest-ranking slave. This was true even for the Aztec calendar. The Aztecs venerated their many gods with a wide array of rites and ceremonies, some of which included the sacrifice of human beings.
The Aztecs were a Nahuatl-speaking people that governed a huge empire in central and southern Mexico in the 15th and early 16th centuries. The Aztecs practiced a religion known as Aztecism, which was their official religion. The religion of the Aztecs was syncretistic, meaning that it borrowed aspects from a wide variety of other Mesoamerican traditions.
When the gods built creation out of Cipactli’s body, the Thirteen Heavens were produced out of its head. Tlalt’cpac, the earth, was made from its middle, and the nine levels of the underworld (Mictlan) were formed out of its tail. Both of these concepts may be found in Aztec mythology.
Mexico does not recognize any one faith as its state religion. Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, is the religion of the majority and has a significant cultural influence. According to some estimates, more over 80 percent of the population considers themselves to be Catholic.
It was a sad turn of events when Hernan Cortes, who was in charge of leading the invasion of the Aztec empire, and his troops were able to triumph over the Aztec people and destroy them. After gaining control of the Aztec people, the Spanish colonizers started the process of gradually converting them to Christianity.
The Aztecs believed in an infinite number of gods and goddesses, one for each facet of their society and way of life.
No less than 200 gods and goddesses, split into three distinct categories, have been found by academics researching the religion of the Aztecs (also known as the Mexica). Each group is responsible for monitoring a different facet of the cosmos, including the heavens or the sky, the precipitation, fertility, and agriculture, and lastly, conflict and the offering of lives.
Mictlan, which is pronounced in Nahuatl as, is the name given to the underworld in Aztec mythology. Even while alternative outcomes are also possible, the vast majority of those who pass away will go to Mictlan. (for other options, see ″Other destinations″ below). Mictlan is made up of nine different levels in total.
The Aztec empire was composed of a number of city-states that were collectively referred to as altepetl. Each altepetl was governed by a superior judge and administrator, as well as a supreme leader known as a tlatoani (cihuacoatl). The tlatoani of the Aztec empire’s capital city of Tenochtitlan, also known as Huey Tlatoani, held the position of Emperor of the Aztec empire.