The Religions Book

T

he sacrifice of animals

and humans has been a

feature of many religious

traditions around the world, but

the idea of ritual sacrifice was

particularly important to societies

in the ancient civilizations of

Mesoamerica, notably the Mayans

and the Aztecs.

The Mesoamerican peoples

inhabited the area from present-

day central Mexico through to

Nicaragua. The Mayan civilization

(which peaked c.250 CE–900 CE)

preceded and then coincided

with the Aztec civilization,

which reached its height around

1300 –1400 CE. Aztec culture

drew on the Mayan tradition, and

the two peoples had several deities

in common; they went by different

names but shared characteristics.

A reciprocal gift of blood

The Mesoamerican cultures

believed that blood sacrifice to

their gods was essential to ensure

the survival of their worlds, in

a tradition of ritual bloodletting

that dated back to the first

major civilization in Mexico—that

of the Olmecs, which flourished

between 1500 and 400 BCE. In

legends, the gods themselves

had made tremendous sacrifices in

forming the world, which included

shedding their own blood to

create humankind; therefore they

desired similar sacrifices of

blood from humanity in return.

Sacrifice and creation

The power of blood and the

necessity of sacrifice are central

to the Aztec creation myth. The

Aztecs believed that the gods

had created and destroyed four

earlier eras, or suns, and that

after the destruction of the fourth

sun by flood, the god of the wind,

Quetzalcoatl, and his trickster

brother, Tezcatlipoca, tore the

goddess (or god in some versions)

Tlaltecuhtli in half to make a new

heaven and earth. From her body

grew everything necessary for the

life of humankind—trees, flowers,

grass, fountains, wells, valleys,

and mountains. All this caused

the goddess terrible agony, and

she howled through the night

demanding the sacrifice of

human hearts to sustain her.

Further cosmic acts of creation

followed, all requiring sacrifice or

blood offerings. One relief shows

SACRIFICE AND BLOOD OFFERINGS

IN CONTEXT

KEY BELIEVERS

Aztec, Mayan, and other

Mesoamerican peoples

WHEN AND WHERE

3rd–15th century CE,

Mexico

BEFORE

From 1000 BCE The Mayan

civilization begins its slow rise,

reaching its peak—the Classic

Mayan period—between the

3rd and 10th century CE.

From 12th century CE The

Aztec empire is established.

AFTER

1519 CE The Aztecs, whose

population numbers 20–25

million, are overthrown by

Spanish forces under the

conquistador Hernán Cortés.

1600 CE Forced conversion to

Catholicism and exposure

to European diseases destroy

the Aztec civilization and

reduce the population to

around one million.

42

To create us, the gods

shed their blood.

Without blood and

sun there can be no life.

To create the sun,

the gods sacrificed

their hearts.

We owe the gods

a debt of blood.

The gods call out for blood.

If we give it to them, they

will not allow this world

to be destroyed.