The Aztecs -
Introduction
The Aztecs are a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican group of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mexica. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City, derive their names from the word "Mexica". The capital of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, built on raised island in Lake Texcoco. Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Like most Mesoamerican religions, it possessed elements of human sacrifice in connection with a great number of religious festivals. These festivals were held according to the patterns of the Aztec calendar. The Aztec calendar consisted of a 365 day day cycle called the ‘xiuhpohualli’. The ‘xiuhpohualli’ was considered to be the agricultural calendar as it is based on the sun. The Aztec cosmology divided the world into ‘nether’ and ‘upper’ worlds and each of these was connected with a particular set of deities and astronomical objects. The most important of these to the Aztecs were the moon, sun and the planet Venus. All of these astronomical objects carried different religious and symbolic meanings and they were connected to different geographical deities and places.A substantial portion of the Aztec pantheon were inherited from past Mesoamerican civilisations, such as Tezcatilipoca and Tlaloc, which were honoured by different names in most cultures throughout the history of Mesoamerica.
The most significant deities to the Aztecs were:
- ’Quetzalcoatl’ the culture hero and god of order and civilisation
- ‘Tlaloc’ the god of rain
- ‘Huitzilopochtli’ the patron god of the Mexica tribe
- ‘Tezcatlipoca the god of fortune and destiny (connected with sorcery and war)
TRANSCENDENT or IMMANENT?
Well, in actual fact the religion of The Aztecs is both metaphysically transcendent and immanent. The Aztec religion has the characteristics of both of the transcendent and immanent classifications. Transcendence refers to the aspect of God's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all physical laws. This is contrasted with immanence, where God is fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways. Although transcendence is defined as the opposite of immanence, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Some theologians and metaphysicians of the great religious traditions affirm that God, or Brahman, is both within and beyond the universe. As The Aztec religion characteristics fit into both of these definitions it can not be classified as one or the other, it is both a transcendent and immanent religious belief
Introduction
The Aztecs are a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican group of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. They called themselves Mexica. The Republic of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City, derive their names from the word "Mexica". The capital of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, built on raised island in Lake Texcoco. Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Like most Mesoamerican religions, it possessed elements of human sacrifice in connection with a great number of religious festivals. These festivals were held according to the patterns of the Aztec calendar. The Aztec calendar consisted of a 365 day day cycle called the ‘xiuhpohualli’. The ‘xiuhpohualli’ was considered to be the agricultural calendar as it is based on the sun. The Aztec cosmology divided the world into ‘nether’ and ‘upper’ worlds and each of these was connected with a particular set of deities and astronomical objects. The most important of these to the Aztecs were the moon, sun and the planet Venus. All of these astronomical objects carried different religious and symbolic meanings and they were connected to different geographical deities and places.A substantial portion of the Aztec pantheon were inherited from past Mesoamerican civilisations, such as Tezcatilipoca and Tlaloc, which were honoured by different names in most cultures throughout the history of Mesoamerica.
The most significant deities to the Aztecs were:
- ’Quetzalcoatl’ the culture hero and god of order and civilisation
- ‘Tlaloc’ the god of rain
- ‘Huitzilopochtli’ the patron god of the Mexica tribe
- ‘Tezcatlipoca the god of fortune and destiny (connected with sorcery and war)
TRANSCENDENT or IMMANENT?
Well, in actual fact the religion of The Aztecs is both metaphysically transcendent and immanent. The Aztec religion has the characteristics of both of the transcendent and immanent classifications. Transcendence refers to the aspect of God's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all physical laws. This is contrasted with immanence, where God is fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways. Although transcendence is defined as the opposite of immanence, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Some theologians and metaphysicians of the great religious traditions affirm that God, or Brahman, is both within and beyond the universe. As The Aztec religion characteristics fit into both of these definitions it can not be classified as one or the other, it is both a transcendent and immanent religious belief