Human Sacrifice

Aztec Sacrifices

A pattern in all the blog entries I have written and that I hope you have noticed is the use of sacrifice, typically human. I have written 3 entries and in all of them, each god had his or her own reason for human sacrifice. Many cultures practiced human sacrifice however the Aztecs took it to a whole new level.

Why Sacrifice?

The reason human sacrifice was such a huge deal in a lot of Mesoamerican cultures is because it was their way of thanking the gods for their own sacrifices that they had made to make the earth, sun, moon and stars. They believed that Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca were torn apart and went through great trials to create the world. Another reason for the acts of sacrifice was to appease the gods and apologize for the way humans came into the world. The tale of Ehecatl-Quetzalcóatl, the god who stole bones from the underworld to create the first humans and because humans were created through such evil ways, they must show their gratitude to the gods for allowing them to survive.

History of Human Sacrifice

                Human sacrifice can be traced back to many different societies and people groups. Many believe that the Israelites, Hawaiians, Egyptians, Chinese and Celts all practiced some sort of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice can be traced back to 5,500 years ago in Sudan, Africa.

                Different cultures are also known for having their own special brands of sacrifice. In Israel for example are most known for the sacrifice of children by burning them alive, while the Ancient Hawaiians would often bash in the skull with a club.

Why Aztec Sacrifice was Unique

                The reason the Aztecs are so different from all these other cultures and why they are viewed as so much more vicious then these other cultures that practiced human sacrifice is because of the scale that these sacrifices were commited. The Aztecs commited the most sacrifice of any culture that practiced human sacrifice. It is believed that an average of around 20,000 people were sacrificed a year. An example of a very large sacrifice was when the temple for Huitzilopchtli was built in 1487 when an estimated 80,400 were sacrificed.

Types of Sacrifices

                The Aztecs had many types of sacrifices from non-fatal sacrifices to painful deaths and ripping out still beating hearts. Certain gods had specific wants and needs. Some gods were appeased by the burning of incense or festival and song, some gods accepted animals such as deer, butterflies and birds while others needed humans to die in sacrifice. Huitzilopochtli for example was only satisfied when being offered the gift of a still beating human heart.

                Because all gods had different needs that meant that nobody was safe from sacrifice, man, women, children and babies have all played their part in appeasing the gods.

Modern Day Human Sacrifice

                Today human sacrifice is no longer practiced and is definitely no longer accepted amongst almost all cultures, although some parts of the world are indifferent like in certain parts of Papua New Guinea, but if there are acts of human sacrifice in some smaller village regions in Papua New Guinea it is typically cannibalism.

                There have been many cases of human sacrifice over the years, especially involving cults and developing countries. In Africa it is believed that hundreds of kids that go missing are sacrificed by witch doctors in order to improve business. There are also cases of cults committing human sacrifices such as in 2006 when in Barha, India it was discovered that an unnamed group had sacrificed around a dozen children over the period of 6 months or in California when Steven Hurd, who lead a small group of devil worshipers, who was convicted of killing 2 people, one man and one women in what is believed to be one of the most notorious cases in Orange County. 

                 

Bibliography

Aztec Sacrifices." About.com Education. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Aztec Sacrifice." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Web. 29 Oct. 2015

BBC News. BBC. Web. 30 Oct. 2015

Burnt Offering of Children - Canaan and Israel." Burnt Offering of Children - Canaan and Israel. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

How Many People Did the Aztecs Sacrifice?" History Extra. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

O.C. Devil-worshipping Killer Died Quietly." The Orange County Register. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

The Oldest Human Sacrifice: 5,500 Years Old!" Softpedia. Web. 30 Oct. 2015

Where Human Sacrifices Are Still Taking Place throughout the World." Mirror. 3 July 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015