Aztec Religion and Gods - Video Infographic
10 Video Views·Mar 15, 2025
The Aztecs ruled over a powerful empire throughout much of central Mexico in the centuries before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors during the European Age of Exploration. An important aspect of the Aztec Empire and history was their religious beliefs and practices. In general, the Aztecs shared many of their main religious beliefs and practices with other societies in the region. These included festivals, celebrations and human sacrifice.
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The Aztec Empire was located in central Mexico and reached its prominence from 1428 to 1521 CE.
It formally ended in 1521 when Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes overthrew
the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. Aztec religion was similar to earlier Mesoamerican
societies, such as the Almec civilization. Historians believe that the Almec existed
from approximately 1500 to 400 BCE. They were one of the earliest Mesoamerican societies and
located in the southern Mexico region. Today, they are renowned for their carved colossal head figures.
Religion was central to Aztec culture and daily life.
It included the practice of ritual human sacrifice.
Human sacrifice was common in ancient Mesoamerica.
The practice took many different forms that were meant to honor the Aztec gods.
The ritual often occurred at the top of temples and most, but not all, were sacrificed willingly.
Cosmetology was central to their understanding of the world.
For example, the sun, moon, and stars were all important to Aztec mythology.
Priests were held in high esteem in Aztec society. They held positions of power and
were responsible for leading rituals, festivals, and sacrifices.
The Aztec were polytheistic, which means they had many gods. For instance,
historians estimate that the Aztec had as many as 200 different gods.
Gods each represented different aspects of Aztec life.
For example, the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli represented the sun and war,
while Tlaloc represented rain, fertility, and water.
The Aztec built a shrine for both at the top of the Templo Mayor Pyramid in the
Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Another important god was Quetzalcoatl,
who represented wind and wisdom. He was a common god throughout Mesoamerican societies.
The Aztec believed that he could take multiple forms, including a feathered serpent.
Aztec gods were celebrated in festivals that were based on two calendars.
The first was a 365-day calendar, while the other was 260 days.
For example, the Toxcatl festival was held every May in honor of the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca.
It involved the sacrifice of a young man and included offerings of food and flowers.