What Is The Origin Of The Aztec Religion

Dating back to the origin of Homo-sapeins, religion seemed to be a very significant part of human beings upbringings. They lived in a world where God was the center of their lives, this term is called Theo(s)centrism. God was the essential aspect of their existence. For the Aztecs, they considered the cosmos to be a horizontal territory, bordered by water and the Heavens. Noticeably, no Homo-sapiens were present, only the Gods were allowed entrance into the oceans. Religion was imperative in the Aztec lifestyle. They worshiped many Gods, each of whom ruled one or more aspects of nature. So they were Polytheism . For example, Huitzilopochtli, the Hummingbird God and the Toltec God's. The Aztecs alleged that the authority of theirs gods ought
to be recognized and be given thanks in order to evade all the disasters that could be caused. "The Aztecs believed that four eras preceded their own, and that each ended in a great natural cataclysm-fire, earthquake, flood, drought-linked to the triumph of one god or group of deities over another." (Kandell, La Capital:The Biography of Mexico City, 4) According to the Aztec faith, their earth existed under the fifth sun, because four previous ones were damaged by a variety of upheavals.
A major obligation of the culture was to keep the sun rising, a task accomplished by appeasing Huitzilopoctli. "priests led prayers through the night beseeching the gods to let the sun rise and grant their faithful followers another fifty-two years of life." (Kandell, La Capital:The Biography of Mexico City, 4) They had a religious calendar where every fifty-two years they would get ready for the termination of their territory. Overall, they had a vigilant eye on the heavens, and held an array of religious annotations in admiration of their many gods. Another example that shows Theo(s)centrism is in
China. The Shang di (Heaven) was the Holy land in China. It was a magnificent representation of the powers of the celestial beliefs. The monarch was understood to be the Son of Heaven. The ruler was crucial because he had great powers to interact with the sky, along with the universe who simply wanted to claim heavenly lineage, and receive authority by Heaven. He was intangible and protected, because he was the one who was superior of all his people living in the community. Being able to intermingle with the mystical world was remarkable. Therefore, the established sacred practice was intended to synchronize the distinctions between the Heavens and Earth, as well as shelter, bring peace and serenity to his people. (Krupp, Skywatcher, Shamans, Kings, 8) Next, in the reading "Health in the Andes" the sickness of Tanta Namka, Lord of Anchi Qucha. which is a dominant Lord who inexplicably obtains a venereal disease. It mentions about sickness, curative, and fatality that occurred in Peru. It was a mystery because people didn't think a wise man can be affected by a disease like that, unless it was through some sort of a rituals. As far as in the Quechua people, they say if you have an illness, it doesn't mean it will cause you to die; it can be inverted. Also, that the source of the illness remains unidentified until a healer depicts it. The healer is a regular human being with a purpose or a specific mission in their existence. "Hucha in Quechua is an objective state and therefore independent from both awareness and intention." (Urioste, Sickness and Death in Preconquest Andean Comology: The Huarochiri Oral Tradition, 12) The explanations for illness and death is due to the consequences of hucha.
Even though hucha stands for "sin" in English terms, but for the Andean it has a different significance. Hucha has a great deal of meanings, for example a dark spot on a white llama, that it is someone's mistake, or even an infringe in a custom. The Andeans believe that Hucha is the main reason for the cause of sickness. "It is clear that for Andean man sickness is explainable mainly as the outcome of a moral transgression or an imbalance created by the breach of custom." (Urioste, Sickness and Death in Preconquest Andean Comology: The Huarochiri Oral Tradition, 13) In the Huarochiri customs, the healers are local deities who serve as health contributors in the Andes population. A captivating healer was the one who healed Tanta Namka from his mysterious illness. It was done through a medicinal ritual ceremony. Some of the rituals that were used was sacrificing a llama and/or washing away your impurities in a river. Andeans believed that death was not the end of someone's life, instead it was a commencement of a new phase in their
lives. "Death like sickness is caused by breach of custom and ritual rather than by physiological reasons." (Urioste, Sickness and Death in Preconquest Andean Comology: The Huarochiri Oral Tradition, 15) An essential festival called Awkisna was held every year, which signified the birth of Pariya Qaqa. They had to dance with no disruptions because it could lead to death. Not only can this have an effect on the individual, but every person in that cultural grouping. Which explains why the Yunka were extinct, as they didn't attend the Pariya Qaqa festivals. Overall, death denoted a momentary departure from earth, because on the fifth day of someone's death; families awaited for their loved ones to return from the dead. In conclusion, a person became ill only if they violated rituals. In order to sustain a healthy lifestyle, the diviners had to conclude what was lacking and complete it by performing rituals.