Secondary Source 4: The Aztec Human Sacrifice

117 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aztec human sacrifice primary source

Source 4 is a secondary source about the Aztec human sacrifice. The author is unknown and was published on (date). The language used in the source is a picture. Per the picture, you can see that the Aztecs ripped the heart out by their bare hands while the victim was still alive. According to researches 20 000 people were sacrificed every year. The authors purpose was to inform us about the Aztec human sacrifice. This source is an opinion as it is a secondary source and the author is painting his thoughts on the paper. To please the gods the Aztecs would kidnap people from other tribes to be used as sacrifice or sometimes somebody would volunteer.

Show More
Related

  • Broken Spears by Miguel Leon-Portilla

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    The religion and culture of the Aztecs played a role in the way the way they thought and fought. They worshiped the war-god Huitzilopochtli. He was identified with the sun and was called "the Giver of life" and "the Preserver of Life" (xxxix). The religion carried some ridiculous rituals such as human sacrifice along with using magicians and wizards to cast spells. In war conditions, human sacrifice played a big role because the Aztecs would not fight to kill,...

    Read More

  • The Aztecs: Should Historians Emphasize Agriculture or Human Sacrifice?

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    If someone gets a dog, they can get them for multiple reasons judging by the criteria they look for. If that someone is athletic, they would probably want an athletic and sporty dog, but at the same time they want to their dog to be attractive. But which one do they emphasize more? The same question can be asked about the Aztecs, but instead of a dog owner,historians. The Aztecs reined from 1350 to 1519, in what is present-day Mexico City. At the time, the Aztecs settled in a basin surrounded by towering, high mountain peaks. Their basin was about the size of Rhode Island. The weather was very unpredictable and the Aztec's basin collected water causing shallow lakes to form that they later used for agriculture. Their form of agriculture was called chinampas, also called "floating gardens". Chinampas were rows of crops that had been suspended on soil in the shallow lakes but, also connected to the ground by strong willow tree roots. The Aztecs would use canals to wade through the water and get to other chinampas. This genius idea helped raise their population to around 10 million and the Aztec's military power also helped increase the population, the capital (Tenochitlan) also had 300,000 citizens. But, in Texcoco in the beginning, it had a population of 10,000. At around 1434, the Aztecs demanded tribute and military service. At the same time, they had to keep their 128 deities happy, which they would do by performing ritual sacrifices and everyone felt that the ceremonies were beautiful. The Aztecs would also feast and dance. But, which should we stress more, agriculture or human sacrifice? Aztec agriculture should be emphasized more than human sacrifice because of three reasons: size, organization, and natural resources.

    Read More

  • A Conquistador Arrives in Mexico, 1519-1520

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...d non historians use these specific accounts in order to understand history better. I would use Diaz’s and Columbus's accounts to tell the specifications of this particular piece of history. I believe that these texts should be used to conclude that the rumored statements about the natives were false, and I would use them as a way to tell someone the truth about the Aztecs. These accounts provide clear and similar insights about these specific natives. Being that they are similar and accurate, historians can ultimately use this information in their studies. Although the Aztecs were believed to be unorganized, unfriendly, and in need of conversion this was not the case. These accounts proved that this early American society was well established, organized, and prosperous. Historians can use these documents to uncover the true insights of this early American society.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus Primary Sources

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aztecs were tribe. In Chronicler’s Account talked about Spaniards with Aztecs from 1519 to 1521.When the Spaniards arrived in Tenochtitlan, and they bought horses, guns and also smallpox that killed a lot of people there. A Text from the Chronicler’s Account saids “ at about the time that the Spaniards had fled from Mexico….there came a great sickness, a pestilence, the smallpox. It …. spread over the people with great destruction of men.” The Aztec chronicler was trying to be objective in what happened at that time. Aztec Chronicler wrote about struggled in

    Read More

  • Dbq On The Aztecs

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    August 13th, 1521 marked the end of a diabolical, yet genius group of leaders. They were referred to as the Aztecs. They were an extremely advanced ancient civilization. The Aztec’s were overthrown by the Spanish, yet we still haven’t forgotten the Aztecs. But since their culture was so complex it’s hard to know what is the most necessary thing to study when it comes to them, especially when their were so many things that defined their culture. The Aztecs were highly religious and believed in human sacrifice. They also had a complex method of farming called chinampas. This grew an extremely large amount of food per year by using canals. This was extremely successful because of how complex it was. When asked if historians should emphasize agriculture

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On The Aztecs

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is the 1450s. Foreigners have invaded your land, and they’re capturing the citizens living there for their lethal rituals. (Doc. A) You are unlucky enough to find yourself kidnapped, along with your family. Your mother is taken away quickly, but your father is forced to become a human sacrifice for the Aztec gods. What does this mean, exactly? According to The History of the Indies of New Spain by Friar Diego Duran, your father’s chest is severed, and his heart is taken out of his body. This is all while he is still awake, and before the time of pain medication. He slowly bleeds to death on the temple stairways - and you’re watching it all. This sounds terrible, does it not?

    Read More

  • Aztec Human Sacrifice Analysis

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Aztecs people of Central Mexico have been a controversial culture studied by many archeologist and anthropologist alike. The Aztec had an empire in central Mexico when the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Aztecs had a very controversial practice not seen in many cultures around the world and that is a human sacrifice.

    Read More

  • Hernan Cortes - Reasons for Success

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin with, the Aztec's cruel tribute system allowed Cortes to act as a liberator. The process of human sacrifice was extremely common and was feared by the majority of the common people. The Aztecs as a nourishment for the Sun and all other gods needed human sacrifice. The Aztecs sacrificed between 10,000 and 50,000 victims per year. As the majority of those who were sacrificed were war captives who opposed the Aztecs, they obviously greatly feared the brutal tribute system. However not only war captives were sacrifices, common adults and children were also sacrificed at times. Cortes himself was disgusted at the thought of human sacrifice, this allowed him to gain Indian allies as well as gain respect among Mexican tribes that feared and opposed the Aztecs. The majority of the population feared the process therefore making Cortes, whom despised the process, an appealing alternative. Many followed Cortes as they shared the same views on the 'human sacrifice' topic.

    Read More

  • The Conquest Of New Spain: A Historical Analysis

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    Looking back into the history of certain events affords the modern researcher the ability to examine a variety of documents and artifacts. It is important, however, to take into account biases, inaccuracies, errors in translation, and overall misinformation when examining primary sources, particularly historical documents. Examining the history of the conquest of the Aztec empire is no different, and in a scenario as tense as it was it is extremely important to consider the authorship of the text. Bernal Diaz’ The Conquest of New Spain and Miguel Leon-Portilla’s The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico offer two distinct looks into the same event in history. Both documents offer differing takes of the same events, so when

    Read More

  • Comparison of The Aztecs and The Incas

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Aztec gods and goddesses, not only wanted blood, they wanted living human hearts. The living hearts were considered to nourish the gods and goddesses. All hearts were good, but the bravest captives were to be best nourishing to the gods as a result, widespread warring took place. The Aztec people sought to bring captives back to the Aztec temples for sacrifice. They would sacrifice people in name of the gods.

    Read More

  • Role Of Sacrifice In Aztec Society

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    In an essay by Carrasco titled “The Exaggeration of Human Sacrifice," the purpose of nextlaoalli seemed logical, as it was believed that the gods had died in order to create the lives of plants, animals and humans, and that a ritual sacrifice of plants, animals, and humans offered a way to transmit the energy of these beings back to the gods. These types of sacrifices arguably played a minute role in the actual rituals performed to appease the gods, but rather it was in combination with the regalia and practices of the priests which contributed to the overall “barbaric” atmosphere Díaz experienced in these sacrificial rituals. Although viewed by the Spaniards as cannibalistic and obscure in nature, these rituals formed a pivotal function in the religious culture of both Tenochtitlan and the Aztec empire. The true purpose of nextlaoalli was misconstrued because of the numerous biases present among the collective Spanish mindset, and therefore these rituals became a target for the Spaniards to denounce the established religion under pretenses that it was paganistic, and therefore

    Read More

  • The History and Culture of the Aztec Empire

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Aztec Empire was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time. They dominated the valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Aztecs were an advanced and successful civilization that built beautiful, sophisticated cities, temples, and pyramids. They also created a culture full of creativity with mythological and religious traditions. Aztecs lead a structured and evocative life that let their society to become a very superior civilization. The Aztec’s communication skills were very well developed for their time; through religious beliefs, government involvement, and family life they lived a full and productive life. Until in 1519 when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, and defeated the Aztecs.

    Read More

  • Aztec Religion

    392 Words  | 1 Pages

    The special priests who did this wore hooded black robes that laid on there feet. The robes had skulls and bones used as belts and decorative statements, along with burnt powdered spiders and scorpions. There hair had the blood of past victims in it . When killing they would use a dagger. Other times they had a special stone called techeatle.

    Read More

  • The Aztec Human Sacrifices

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... Even though human sacrifices were a common occurrence at the time, the Aztecs ritual and persistence to please the god made the civilization known as Central America’s bloodiest civilization in the fourteenth century. Works Cited The “Aztec Human Sacrifices”. Myths of Latin America. 24 Mar. 2014 http://users.poliser.wisc.

    Read More

  • The Rise And Development Of The Aztec Empire

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1325, the Aztecs settled on an island that became known as Tenochtitlan. Under rule of Itzcoatl in 1428, a triple alliance was formed with Texcoco and Tlacopan. It was the start of a new empire once the Aztecs turned against and defeated the Azcapotzalco. With the Aztecs being the most powerful, an empire began to form and grow quickly. The Aztec Empire became the most complex, extensive, and powerful empire of the region, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

    Read More

More about Secondary Source 4: The Aztec Human Sacrifice

Open Document