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Alatea
ANSWERS: 3
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Yes, such practices were well documented by the Spaniards when they arrived in Mesoamerica.
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Both the Aztec and, to a lesser extent, the earlier Mayan cultures performed human sacrifice and cannibalism as part of their religious rites. The number and frequency of the sacrifices may have been exaggerated by the Spanish to portray the Aztecs in as poor a light as possible. However, records exist that indicate the number of sacrifices sharply increased after the arrival of the Spanish. As the Aztec civilization collapsed, under attack from both the Spanish military and European diseases, increasing numbers of human sacrifices were made in attempts to appease their gods and to seek favour from them in their plight.
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Yes, There were a number of sacrifices. Fire was sacred as was the sun in ancient religions. The origins of these beliefs had much to do with their sacrifices. To the Aztecs and the Mayans an angry god would not destroy the earth by flood; but by fire from the heavens and famine. Blood has always been sacred in religious ceremonies. Even today, in the practice of communion, people drink the transubstantiated blood of Christ.
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