The Aztecs were a violent civilization that ruled southern Mexico and Central America from the 14th to 16th centuries. Their mythology centered around human sacrifice, reincarnation, destiny, and duality, with the gods requiring sacrifices to be fed and the belief in predestination. Duality was represented in their gods and goddesses, with Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl being the best examples.
The Aztecs ruled the southern parts of Mexico and most of Central America from the 14th to 16th centuries. The Aztec name comes from the name of their supposed homeland, Aztlán. They were known to be a bloody and violent bunch of people. The reason for this is deeply rooted in their mythology, centered around human sacrifice, reincarnation, destiny, and duality.
The main element found in much of Aztec mythology is that of human sacrifice. Aztec legend notes that the gods created the sun, the earth and people. To thank the gods for their life, they had to feed the gods. It was a common belief that there was a special substance within human blood that the gods coveted, thus requiring a ritual sacrifice. Otherwise, the gods would have reacted with anger towards the people.
Human sacrifice was never a source of fear to the Aztec people, however, because reincarnation was another major element in their mythology. They believed that the sun and the Earth died and were renewed four times before the Aztecs lived on Earth. Reincarnation was such a big part of their mythology that even gods sometimes reincarnated, the stories say, for the betterment of the Earth and the people on it.
Aztec mythology often focused on fate. The Aztecs believed that everything was predestined and controlled by the gods. In fact, they created a kind of ball game that is believed to have represented humanity’s inability to control its own destiny. Historians believe that this game was part of religious rituals, after which players were sacrificed.
Another important element in Aztec mythology is that of duality, which is the balance of two opposing forces. It is represented in their gods and goddesses, who normally had two different things that they controlled. Gods and goddesses also typically came in pairs, usually in opposition but sometimes complementing each other, all for the greater good of the world.
The best examples of the elements of Aztec mythology are Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. They were brothers who represented chaos and harmony respectively. The two gods fought for power over the world; sometimes they worked together to help the world. One or both were always involved in the many reincarnations of the world, the sun and the death of people in each world. While stories may differ across Aztec mythology, that basis has remained the same.
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