Songhai And Aztec Religion

In this paper I will explain how religion went hand in hand with the political hierarchy of the Songhai and Aztec Empires. The Songhai and Aztecs were empires that both ruled from the 15th to 16th century. The Songhai Empire was known for being one of the richest centers of trade in West Africa, while the Aztecs were a dominant ruling force in Southern Mexico. Their success can be attributed to dominant military power, advanced technology, but most importantly a unifying religion. Whether it be Islam or a polytheistic faith, religion found its way into the governments of these powerful empires. Religion was not only present in the political hierarchy of these empires, but also a key force in unifying them.

The central religion of the Aztecs

revolved around many deities, with one of the most prominent being Tonatiuh, the sun god. This central religion resonated through many corners of the Aztec empire. Once born into the empire, boys’ main purpose would be to shed blood for the sun god. This motivational force leaked into battle, as Aztec soldiers would ache to die or capture enemies in order to please their god. From a political perspective, soldiers having such passion aided Aztec conquest throughout Mexico. Aztec religion did manage to surpass the bounds of the battlefield. Religion was also an integral part of leadership. The emperor, otherwise known as the Huei Tlatoani, was considered semi-divine by the Aztec people. They worshipped him to such an extreme extent, that they would not let his feet touch the ground. Since the Aztecs were a group of people that highly valued religion, and were ruled by someone they considered to be divine; citizens generally regarded their emperor highly. A group of people in unified support of their leadership can support conquest and political action. The Songhai Empire similarly rallied around religion.
The Songhai were able to become a powerful and well-structured force in Africa through Islam. Religion was openly embraced by the Songhai political hierarchy. The government openly enacted Islamic law in order to control the population. With the government’s open acceptance of Islam, they also attempted to spread their religion. The word of Islam was spread through word of mouth or even war. Griots travelled village to village communicating news of Islam. On the front of warfare, the Songhai continued their spread of Islam through forced conversion. The Songhai would often force those conquered to convert to Islam. As the conversion to Islam grew, so did the power of the Songhai. With each conquered territory trade expanded. With such excess, the Songhai were able to demonstrate their power as Muslims made their trip to Mecca. The Songhai would distribute gold coins in order to prove their power. Islam was the perfect catalyst for the Songhai’s internal and external success.
In conclusion, religion played a vital role in ensuring political dominance for the Aztecs and The Songhai. Through conquest and religious influence both of these societies found success by having a universal religion. It is easy to say that neither of these empires ever separated church and state.