Religion Essay - Aztec and Society

Explain the relationship between the religion and its society

Religion was part of all aspects of the Aztec society and was a great controlling force in Aztec daily life. Religion set out the guidelines for how the civilisation was established and how it would function up until the time of its fall. The Aztecs were extremely religious people with many beliefs and a variety of gods that they worshipped. Pleasing the gods was of high importance and often dominated daily routine. It was imperative that appropriate and complete sacrifices were made in order for society to remain functioning and have a fertile crop season. People were aware of the afterlife process and worked hard to make sure that they were classified as noble people and would go to heaven. Many feared the wrath of the gods and were conscious that they were living in the lat world therefore daily life and rituals focused on creating a structured society and performing tasks that would please the gods. The Aztecs held many religious ceremonies, the most important observed planting, harvesting, and other events in the agricultural year. The purpose of many ceremonies was to motivate people to work together to ensure good crops by winning the favor of the gods. Aztecs were dedicated to the practice of war and this was because they needed to capture prisoners for ritual sacrifice. The most important Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, brought success in battle however he needed human blood to remain strong and the most prominent part of the Aztec religious life was the ritual of human sacrifice. The Aztecs sacrificed thousands of victims every year, cutting out their hearts and offering them to the gods. The need for collecting captives led Aztec warriors to seek prisoners instead of killing their enemies in battle. For warriors, the ultimate honour was to be slain in battle or to volunteer to be sacrificed in major ritual. The Aztecs believed that their purpose in life was to delay the destruction