Worship
The Aztecs worshiped many Gods. Their main God was Huitzilopochtli. He was the god of war and of the sun. The Aztecs' had many different Gods some more powerful then others. The Aztecs also had household Gods to protect their homes. Most Gods were harsh. The people believed that they had to keep their good Gods away from their bad Gods.
One of the Gods was Xipe Totec, the God of spring and of new vegetation. He was also God of goldsmiths. As a symbol of new vegetation he would wear a skin of a human victim to represent the "new skin" that covered the earth in the spring. His statues and stone masks would show him wearing a freshly flayed skin (his name means our lord the flayed one). The Aztecs adopted Xipe as a God during the reign of Emperor Axaycatl (1469-1481). During the second ritual month of the Aztec year, Tlacaxipehualiztli (Flaying Men), the priests, killed human victims by removing their hearts. They flayed the bodies and put on the humans skin. The skin was dyed yellow. Other victms were tyed to a platform and arrows were shot at them. The Aztecs would sing a hymn to the God and then the Xipe would make it rain during the night.
There were many more Gods but the most important was Huitzilopochtli. He was the God of war, and sun. Pictures of him normally show him as a humming bird because his name means Blue Humming Bird, but when he was on earth he would disguise him self as a eagle. Huitzilopochtli was the God who told the Aztecs where to build their city.
Another God was Tezcatlipoca. He was the God of the great bear constellation. His animal disguise waas a jaguar. The jaguar's spotted skin represented the night's starry sky. He saw all the deeds and thoughts of the men of Tenochtitlan by looking through a mirror. He was also protector of slaves and punished any owners that treated them harshly.
The rain God was Tlaloc. Tlaloc was the eighth ruler of the days and ninth ruler of the nights. Tlaloc lived with a Goddess called Chalchiuhtlicue in a place the Aztecs called Tlalocan. Tlaloc was painted in the Aztecs temple. Tlaloc was greatly feared by the Aztecs because he could send out rain or provoke drought and hunger amung the Aztecs. He would create lightning and hurricanes to frighten the Aztecs. The Aztecs would say that he could send down different types of rain that would either help crops grow or destroy them.
Quetzalcoatl was a major Aztec God. He was the God of the morning and of the evening star. He symbolized the death and resurrection. He contolled the winds. The Aztecs created their temple for him in a half circle shape (the roof) because Qustzalcoatl liked that the roof did not stop the wind from blowing freely through out the temple.
The Aztecs worshiped many Gods. Their main God was Huitzilopochtli. He was the god of war and of the sun. The Aztecs' had many different Gods some more powerful then others. The Aztecs also had household Gods to protect their homes. Most Gods were harsh. The people believed that they had to keep their good Gods away from their bad Gods.
One of the Gods was Xipe Totec, the God of spring and of new vegetation. He was also God of goldsmiths. As a symbol of new vegetation he would wear a skin of a human victim to represent the "new skin" that covered the earth in the spring. His statues and stone masks would show him wearing a freshly flayed skin (his name means our lord the flayed one). The Aztecs adopted Xipe as a God during the reign of Emperor Axaycatl (1469-1481). During the second ritual month of the Aztec year, Tlacaxipehualiztli (Flaying Men), the priests, killed human victims by removing their hearts. They flayed the bodies and put on the humans skin. The skin was dyed yellow. Other victms were tyed to a platform and arrows were shot at them. The Aztecs would sing a hymn to the God and then the Xipe would make it rain during the night.
There were many more Gods but the most important was Huitzilopochtli. He was the God of war, and sun. Pictures of him normally show him as a humming bird because his name means Blue Humming Bird, but when he was on earth he would disguise him self as a eagle. Huitzilopochtli was the God who told the Aztecs where to build their city.
Another God was Tezcatlipoca. He was the God of the great bear constellation. His animal disguise waas a jaguar. The jaguar's spotted skin represented the night's starry sky. He saw all the deeds and thoughts of the men of Tenochtitlan by looking through a mirror. He was also protector of slaves and punished any owners that treated them harshly.
The rain God was Tlaloc. Tlaloc was the eighth ruler of the days and ninth ruler of the nights. Tlaloc lived with a Goddess called Chalchiuhtlicue in a place the Aztecs called Tlalocan. Tlaloc was painted in the Aztecs temple. Tlaloc was greatly feared by the Aztecs because he could send out rain or provoke drought and hunger amung the Aztecs. He would create lightning and hurricanes to frighten the Aztecs. The Aztecs would say that he could send down different types of rain that would either help crops grow or destroy them.
Quetzalcoatl was a major Aztec God. He was the God of the morning and of the evening star. He symbolized the death and resurrection. He contolled the winds. The Aztecs created their temple for him in a half circle shape (the roof) because Qustzalcoatl liked that the roof did not stop the wind from blowing freely through out the temple.