By Eddie Montezuma
Aztec Religion
Religion played excellent significance in the life of the Aztecs. The Aztec Religion was a type of Mesoamerican religion comprising numerous components of animism, shamanism and - polytheism included in the framework of calendrics and astronomy. The religion of Aztecs had human sacrifice elements that coincided with the numerous religious festivals of the Aztec calendar. The Aztec pantheon was really huge and ever growing. The Aztec incorporated the religious deities of other people and geographic regions. Quite a few gods and goddesses were worshipped by the Aztecs. Each of the Aztec gods and goddesses ruled one or more than one aspects of nature and human activities.
Basis of Aztec Gods
The world was divided into two parts as per the Aztec cosmology- upper world and nether world. Each of this was related to a specific group of astronomical objects and deities. The celestial objects like the sun, moon and Venus planet were really significant in the Aztec religion and had different religious and symbolic meanings and were connected with geographical locations and deities. As Aztec culture relied mainly on farming, most the Aztec gods are agricultural or agro-based. Some Aztec gods had been ancestor heroes and some had natural elements like solar power or rain and some gods symbolized the elements of destiny, fortune, order, civilization, sorcery and war. The Aztecs thought that some gods had been good-hearted and some had been of horrifying nature.
The belief of Aztecs was grounded in the divine recreation, will and wrath of gods, ceremonial rituals for appeasing the gods and human sacrifice for the purpose of religious rites.
Aztec Pantheon
The Aztec Gods can be classified into various groups as per diverse themes. The distinct groups of Aztec gods are cultural gods, nature gods, gods of creation, gods of Pulque and excess, gods of maize and fertility, gods of death and underworld and tradegods. Several of the Aztec gods like Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca had their origin in earlier Mesoamerican civilizations and they were known by lots of names and worshipped by quite a few earlier cultures.
The Aztecs adopted gods from other cultures and worshipped them as a part of the Aztec pantheon. Xipec Totec, the fertility god was originally a god of the Tlapanec people, and was integrated by the Aztec into their pantheon. Some Aztec gods were associated with specific trades and many gods represented various aspects with many names, with every name featuring a certain trait or function of that certain god. Several Aztec gods were related to elements of games, fun, excess, pulque and drunkenness.
List Of Aztec Gods
The Aztec cultural gods are: - Tezcatlipoca- shaman god, - Quetzalcoatl- god of wind, life and Morningstar, - Tlaloc-god of water, rain, storm and thunder, - Mixcoatl-tribal god of Nahua and - Huitzilopochtli- tribal god of Mexica.
The Aztec nature gods are: - Tonatiuh- sun, - Metztli-moon, - Tlaltecuhtli- earth goddess, - Chalchiuhtlicue-spring goddess, - Centzon Huitznahua- star gods and - Ehecatl- wind god.
The Aztec gods of creation are: - Ometeotl, - Huehueteotl and - Coatlicue.
The Aztec gods of excess and pulque include: - Tlazolteotl, - Tepoztecatl, - Xochiquetzal, - Mayahuel, - Auiateteo, - Ometocthli and - Centzon Totochtin.
The Aztec fertility and maize gods are: - Xipe Totec, - Cinteotl, - Xilonen and - Xochipilli.
The underworld and death gods are: - Mictlantecutli, - Xolotl and - Mictlancihuatl.
The Aztec tradegods are: - Yacatecutli and - Patecatl.
About the Author:
The writer is interested in Aztec history and has a total website featuring the Aztecs. There you are able to find facts about Aztecs which includes aztec gods and religion (http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_gods_and_religion) . For more of Aztec history, see this article (http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_gods) .
Aztec Religion
Religion played excellent significance in the life of the Aztecs. The Aztec Religion was a type of Mesoamerican religion comprising numerous components of animism, shamanism and - polytheism included in the framework of calendrics and astronomy. The religion of Aztecs had human sacrifice elements that coincided with the numerous religious festivals of the Aztec calendar. The Aztec pantheon was really huge and ever growing. The Aztec incorporated the religious deities of other people and geographic regions. Quite a few gods and goddesses were worshipped by the Aztecs. Each of the Aztec gods and goddesses ruled one or more than one aspects of nature and human activities.
Basis of Aztec Gods
The world was divided into two parts as per the Aztec cosmology- upper world and nether world. Each of this was related to a specific group of astronomical objects and deities. The celestial objects like the sun, moon and Venus planet were really significant in the Aztec religion and had different religious and symbolic meanings and were connected with geographical locations and deities. As Aztec culture relied mainly on farming, most the Aztec gods are agricultural or agro-based. Some Aztec gods had been ancestor heroes and some had natural elements like solar power or rain and some gods symbolized the elements of destiny, fortune, order, civilization, sorcery and war. The Aztecs thought that some gods had been good-hearted and some had been of horrifying nature.
The belief of Aztecs was grounded in the divine recreation, will and wrath of gods, ceremonial rituals for appeasing the gods and human sacrifice for the purpose of religious rites.
Aztec Pantheon
The Aztec Gods can be classified into various groups as per diverse themes. The distinct groups of Aztec gods are cultural gods, nature gods, gods of creation, gods of Pulque and excess, gods of maize and fertility, gods of death and underworld and tradegods. Several of the Aztec gods like Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca had their origin in earlier Mesoamerican civilizations and they were known by lots of names and worshipped by quite a few earlier cultures.
The Aztecs adopted gods from other cultures and worshipped them as a part of the Aztec pantheon. Xipec Totec, the fertility god was originally a god of the Tlapanec people, and was integrated by the Aztec into their pantheon. Some Aztec gods were associated with specific trades and many gods represented various aspects with many names, with every name featuring a certain trait or function of that certain god. Several Aztec gods were related to elements of games, fun, excess, pulque and drunkenness.
List Of Aztec Gods
The Aztec cultural gods are: - Tezcatlipoca- shaman god, - Quetzalcoatl- god of wind, life and Morningstar, - Tlaloc-god of water, rain, storm and thunder, - Mixcoatl-tribal god of Nahua and - Huitzilopochtli- tribal god of Mexica.
The Aztec nature gods are: - Tonatiuh- sun, - Metztli-moon, - Tlaltecuhtli- earth goddess, - Chalchiuhtlicue-spring goddess, - Centzon Huitznahua- star gods and - Ehecatl- wind god.
The Aztec gods of creation are: - Ometeotl, - Huehueteotl and - Coatlicue.
The Aztec gods of excess and pulque include: - Tlazolteotl, - Tepoztecatl, - Xochiquetzal, - Mayahuel, - Auiateteo, - Ometocthli and - Centzon Totochtin.
The Aztec fertility and maize gods are: - Xipe Totec, - Cinteotl, - Xilonen and - Xochipilli.
The underworld and death gods are: - Mictlantecutli, - Xolotl and - Mictlancihuatl.
The Aztec tradegods are: - Yacatecutli and - Patecatl.
About the Author:
The writer is interested in Aztec history and has a total website featuring the Aztecs. There you are able to find facts about Aztecs which includes aztec gods and religion (http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_gods_and_religion) . For more of Aztec history, see this article (http://www.aztec-history.net/aztec_gods) .