Why Do Aztecs Sacrifice People?

Why Do Aztecs Sacrifice People?

This is one controversial topic where in there are lots of theories and answers from various scholars during the Mesoamerica time. Spaniards were the ones who discovered the Aztecs and they did have different explanations as to why Aztecs sacrifice their own.

The common answer to that is the fact that Aztecs have always practiced killing their own as a traditional ritual. When they stumbled upon these people, it was already a common thing for them, human sacrifice. There were also some writings about cannibalism as well. After the sacrificial killing, they would eat the flesh of their fellow native. With this way of living, Spaniards has termed them as noble savages and primitive barbarians. They said that eating flesh is the Aztecs way of getting protein ‘š which is gross and morbid to say the least.

In truth, the sacrificial practice is the Aztecs way of pleasing the Gods. There has to be blood shed in order for the Gods to reward them and not punish them. For example, if you have watched the movie: 10,000 BC ‘š wherein there was a human posing as a God and that human sacrifice is necessary to make the living God happy ‘š that’s their way of thinking.

If the lands were barren and crops do not grow, there is no food ‘š a human must be sacrificed. Other than that, they had 18 months in one cycle. Every cycle required for them to kill at least 20,000 people. Like in the movie, the person to be sacrificed is painted. They will have to lie down on a slab facing the sun and his heart will be removed. After that, the body is thrown down on the stairs and disposed as whatever they see befitting; being fed to animals.

To the Aztecs, this was a religious practice. While other tribes are threatened by this, Aztecs do not fear it. The killing had to be done. It was for a purpose.