The Aztecs: Origins Of The Universe
Content Booklet
Origins of the Universe
Origins of the Universe
The Aztecs believed that it took the Gods five tries to create the world as it is today. Each of these worlds coincided with a sun and a sun God. It took this many attempts as the Gods always ended up fighting. This is how each world is destroyed and then born again. The fifth sun and its world is the one we live in and with today.
This First Sun creation was the Jaguar Sun Ocelotl. Its world was ruled by Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror). In the world lived giants. This world was destroyed because Tezcatlipoca’s brother, Quetzalcoatl (Plumed Serpent) had the Giants eaten by Jaguars.
The Second Sun was the Sun of Air-Ehecatl. Its world was ruled by Quetzalcoatl and was destroyed …show more content…
The heavens were divided into 13 ascending layers, and the underworlds(hells) 9 descending layers. The temple in Tenochtitlán was also the place where the forces of heaven and earth intersected. The Aztecs believed that hell was a place of darkness, fear and misfortune. Heaven was an ‘exclusive’ place and only a few people were bound for the happy realms. The key factor that determined where one was bound in their afterlife was not how they lived, but how they died. People who died a natural death were sent to one of the hells. Warriors killed in battle, women who died during childbirth and those who took their own lives were sent to a heaven, along with those who were …show more content…
Aztec society was divided by roles and by class. The Aztec religion required human sacrifice to keep the gods happy and they had many achievements in science, art, and language.The legacy of Aztec mythology remains strong within Mexico. Aztec images and themes have influenced the arts and public life. Also, the theme of fate was also reflected in the Aztecs' use of the calendar. Both the Aztecs and the Maya developed elaborate systems of recording dates with two calendars such as a 365-day solar calendar based on the position of the sun, and a 260-day ritual calendar used for divination. Each day of the ritual calendar was influenced by a unique combination of gods and goddesses. Divination involved interpreting the positive or negative meanings of these influences, which determined an individual's fate. Priests also used the ritual calendar to choose the most favourable days for such activities as erecting buildings, planting crops, and waging
Origins of the Universe
Origins of the Universe
The Aztecs believed that it took the Gods five tries to create the world as it is today. Each of these worlds coincided with a sun and a sun God. It took this many attempts as the Gods always ended up fighting. This is how each world is destroyed and then born again. The fifth sun and its world is the one we live in and with today.
This First Sun creation was the Jaguar Sun Ocelotl. Its world was ruled by Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror). In the world lived giants. This world was destroyed because Tezcatlipoca’s brother, Quetzalcoatl (Plumed Serpent) had the Giants eaten by Jaguars.
The Second Sun was the Sun of Air-Ehecatl. Its world was ruled by Quetzalcoatl and was destroyed …show more content…
The heavens were divided into 13 ascending layers, and the underworlds(hells) 9 descending layers. The temple in Tenochtitlán was also the place where the forces of heaven and earth intersected. The Aztecs believed that hell was a place of darkness, fear and misfortune. Heaven was an ‘exclusive’ place and only a few people were bound for the happy realms. The key factor that determined where one was bound in their afterlife was not how they lived, but how they died. People who died a natural death were sent to one of the hells. Warriors killed in battle, women who died during childbirth and those who took their own lives were sent to a heaven, along with those who were …show more content…
Aztec society was divided by roles and by class. The Aztec religion required human sacrifice to keep the gods happy and they had many achievements in science, art, and language.The legacy of Aztec mythology remains strong within Mexico. Aztec images and themes have influenced the arts and public life. Also, the theme of fate was also reflected in the Aztecs' use of the calendar. Both the Aztecs and the Maya developed elaborate systems of recording dates with two calendars such as a 365-day solar calendar based on the position of the sun, and a 260-day ritual calendar used for divination. Each day of the ritual calendar was influenced by a unique combination of gods and goddesses. Divination involved interpreting the positive or negative meanings of these influences, which determined an individual's fate. Priests also used the ritual calendar to choose the most favourable days for such activities as erecting buildings, planting crops, and waging