The Daily Insight

Your source for unbiased news and insightful analysis

environment

Why did the aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god huitzilopochtli

Written by Nathan Sanders — 0 Views

Why did the Aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god Huitzilopochtli? A. to keep volcanoes from erupting B. to keep neighboring people from invading C. to keep slaves from revolting D. to keep the god from growing weak

There are other answers below:

Why did the Aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god Huitzilopochtli? A. to keep volcanoes from erupting B. to keep neighboring people from invading C. to keep slaves from revolting D. to keep the god from growing weak

The rationale for Aztec human sacrifice was, first and foremost, a matter of survival. According to Aztec cosmology, the sun god Huitzilopochtli was waging a constant war against darkness, and if…

Correct answer – Why did the aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god huitzilopochtli? a. to keep volcanoes from erupting b. to keep neighboring peo

The reason behind why did the Aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god Huitzilopochtli The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli had to be kept strong enough in order to do this and that the only thing good for this purpose was human blood, which the Aztecs saw as an important and powerful substance: this is the basis justifying the practice of human sacrifices.

Why did the Aztecs sacrifice prisoners of war to the god Huitzilopochtli? A. to keep volcanoes from erupting

Instead of killing their enemies in battle, they would capture them and take them back to the capital to act as a sacrifice to the gods. The Aztecs had a army especially organised to keep the priests supplied with victims to sacrifice and sometimes, they would stir up trouble among the conquered tribes as an excuse to go and take prisoners to become sacrifice victims.

This was not a specific war but various battles which were fought with the specific purpose of capturing the prisoners. These wars were initiated by the Emperor Tlacaelel at the height of the power of Aztec Empire. He emphasised on human sacrifice for gods and this meant more and more war captives were needed to be sacrificed.

The rationale for Aztec human sacrifice was, first and foremost, a matter of survival. According to Aztec cosmology, the sun god Huitzilopochtli was waging a constant war against darkness, and if the darkness won, the world would end.

Related Questions

How did the Aztecs sacrifice people?

The Templo Mayor consisted of twin pyramids, one for Huitzilopochtli and one for the rain god Tlaloc (discussed below). When the Aztecs sacrificed people to Huitzilopochtli (the god with warlike aspects) the victim would be placed on a sacrificial stone. The priest would then cut through the abdomen with an obsidian or flint blade.

Why did the Aztecs fight the war of the prisoners?

This was not a specific war but various battles which were fought with the specific purpose of capturing the prisoners. These wars were initiated by the Emperor Tlacaelel at the height of the power of Aztec Empire. He emphasised on human sacrifice for gods and this meant more and more war captives were needed to be sacrificed.

What is the role of Huitzilopochtli?

However, Huitzilopochtli was known as the primary god of war in ancient Mexico. Since he was the patron god of the Mexica, he was credited with both the victories and defeats that the Mexica people had on the battlefield. The people had to make sacrifices to him to protect the Aztec from infinite night.

Who was sacrificed in the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan?

When the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan was first dedicated in 1487, more than 20,000 people were sacrificed. Who was sacrificed? The Aztecs didn’t only sacrifice humans, they also sacrificed animals. Some of the victims sacrificed were members of the Aztec community but most were prisoners of war.