Religion Determined Everything In Aztec Culture And Society

Religion determined everything in Aztec culture and society. Dan Hofstadter explains that Aztec religion was polytheistic. The Mexica worshipped thousands of gods but these gods were seen more as forces or spirits, not as individual beings. These gods represented things like the sun, moon, or stars, not people. Smith states that Aztec religion was based on the belief that “the gods sacrificed themselves at the beginning of the world to create and benefit humankind… To repay that debt, these gods had to be constantly served through ritual offerings of human blood and life” (Hofstadter 76-77). The Legends and Chronicles website also adds additional information about religion. The website states that Aztec religion was a mix of astronomy and cosmology. All religious events and celebrations revolved around the
When speaking about the class system, he gave the basic information provided by most of the material I have read. He explains the social hierarchy in Aztec society in a clear, brief manner. He does explain each class and it’s criteria very well. When speaking about religion he was very brief. He did not explain much, failing to mention the main deities and basis for Aztec religion. He simply did not explain religion as thoroughly as he should have. Although, his article was published in the Smithsonian, which is a reliable source, and his information agrees with what I have read.
I think that the Legends and Chronicles website was a very good source. The website explained religion and education. The website mentioned the main deities and basis of religion, unlike Hofstadter, and Aztec beliefs about mankind and the universe. When speaking about education, it was also very thorough and detailed. It spoke of all levels of education for each gender. It matched with the material I have read and was unbiased. It just gave vast amounts of information that was very clear and