Astec's Humanity and Cannibalism

 The Aztec civilization is the most representative country that existed in Mesoamerica where human sacrifice customs were practiced. Montesuma and its predecessors used sacrifices as essential elements as ceremonies to worship numerous gods. Astec has been at constant war with its surrounding tribes. The goal of this continuous war was to capture the living prisoners used in the offering. The flower war between the Astec and the Tlaxcala tribes was caused by the common goal of the need for a living human being to be used for future sacrifices.    Astec worshipped Uichilopotsley, the god of war who said that the sun would float. The Aztecs believed that in order for the sun to rise every day, it was necessary to supply the human heart to God without rest through sacrifices. They thought that the sun and land had been destroyed four times in the past, that they lived in the era of the fifth sun, and that the era of the end would come soon. The act of sacrificing humans to slow down this terrible fate has become an important factor in Astec society and life.

The most common sacrificial rites were performed on the top of a giant pyramid. Human sacrifices are tied with their backs bent back while their limbs are bloomed on a round rock. The priest cuts the ribs with a black urostone knife and removes the heart. This method is used to serve the sun god Uichilopotsley. When serving each god, different sacrifices are made. When serving Sipetotek, the god of abundance, he tied people to pillars and fired arrows. The blood shed by the sacrifice symbolizes the cool spring rain. When serving the god of fire, a married couple was used as sacrifices. The couple were burned down at the altar of God, then pulled out again at the last minute, and pulled out their heart as a second ritual. The ritual of serving Teteoinan, the goddess of the earth, was particularly important. During the harvest season, a ritual is held to remove the leather of a woman's offering and transfer the leather to one of the temples. The priest of the ritual, symbolizing the goddess of the earth, wore a woman's skin.   Human sacrifice rituals have been held in many Latin American cultures, such as Olmeka, Maya, and Moche.

On June 1, 1521, Cortes led the Spanish-Indian coalition to invade Tenochtitlan, the capital of Astec. At the end of June, Emperor Cuautemok realized that Astec's tactics were useless, and fundamentally modified his defense and moved most of Tenochtitlan's surviving population to the northern neighboring island of Tlateloloko.  This was a wise move. The Espanyas did not know that the enemy's defensive tactics had changed, and believed that the Aztecs had fled. Moreover, the Spaniards did not know that Tlaterolco was much more populous, and that it was more suitable for city warfare than the vast streets of Tenochtitlan, which was almost destroyed. The battlefield was expanded to Tlatelolco, and the Tlatelolcoes joined the Astecs to attack the Spaniards in winding and cramped streets and block the way to the mainland. Cortes fell from his horse, and he was seized and almost dragged away. Christobal de Olea and an unknown soldier of Tlaxcala rushed at the furious Astecs, cut off their hands, and managed to save Coudillo. Sixty-two Conquistador prisoners were captured, and Cortes and other survivors were helplessly forced to watch their colleagues sacrifice at one of the great Pyramid temples from afar. Bernal Diaz del Castillo described the sacrifice as follows.

"When the melancholy drumming of Uicilobos was heard again, musical instruments similar to the goth, horn, and trumpet began to be played at the same time. The sound was really terrible, and we saw our captivated colleagues being taken to the high Pyramid Temple to be sacrificed. The Aztecs drew their companions to the vacant lot in front of the altar where the idols were standing, put feathers on their heads, held something like a fan in their hands, and made them dance in front of the Uichilobos. After the dance, the Astec priests tied their colleagues down to the rock where they offered sacrifices, cut their chests, pulled out their throbbing hearts, and dedicated them to their idols.    Then the Aztecs kicked the body and rolled it down the stairs, and the Indian butchers, who were waiting below, cut off the arms and legs of the body, skinned its face, and made it look like gloves with beards, and used it to hold a drunken festival. Then they ate the flesh of the corpse with the sauce made of pepper and tomatoes."