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Aztec Religion

What did the Aztecs believe in?

Aztec religion can be hard to comprehend for some, as they were a monotheist people. The believed in gods and goddesses, and had very special ceremonies and rituals for each god and goddess. They believed that there was a god for everything in nature, as well as human emotion, like love. To start to understand their religion, you must first realize that they believe that it took 5 (some say seven) gods to create the world that we know today. Their religion was largely based on fear â€" of the world ending and of nature, and its gods, itself. They celebrated the rains and the sunshine, and they kept their gods by spilling the blood of humans. To be a human sacrifice was one of the highest honors that an Aztec could possess. With their bloodshed, they believed that the empire would go on in harmony. They wanted nothing more than to please their gods.

The ancient Aztec religion was also largely based on the sun. They believed that the sun (who was also a god) was weak, and so it was always fighting with the darkness. They believed that one day it was going to lose the battle to the darkness. Aztec religion also believed that the world survived in 52 year periods. So every 52 years, the Aztecs would go into a state of mourning until a certain constellation appeared in the sky. When it did, they knew that they would be alright for another 52 years.