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A harsh world -

It should be said that not every Mesoamerican myth or legend speaks to a form of brutality. But the civilizations that thrived in Mexico and Central and South America before the Spanish conquests of the 16th century frequently faced perilous challenges that shaped their beliefs and way of life.

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Ancient Americas -

Life in ancient Mesoamerica was full of danger. Deadly wildlife posed a constant danger, and merely tending to a harvest could prove fatal. Even storms and droughts could wreak havoc and wipe out entire crops.

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Ever-present threats -

Nature wasn’t the only threat in Mesoamerica. Just as predators stalked their prey, rival tribes lurked, ready to strike. Conflict was inevitable, as expanding civilizations clashed over territory, resources, and power, each vying for dominance in an unforgiving landscape.

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Cosmic balance -

It’s clear that survival in Mesoamerica was uncertain, and so mythology deeply reflected this brutal reality. Human sacrifice was seen as necessary to appease gods and maintain balance in the greater universe.

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The Olmec legacy -

The Olmec civilization, which is famous for the Colossal Heads, laid the foundation for many later Mesoamerican religious practices. The civilization existed from about 1200 BCE to 400 BCE, and is considered the earliest known culture to live in present-day Mexico.

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The tools of ritual -

Though much of the mythos of the Olmec civilization is lost, evidence suggests that they had early forms of brutal rituals, including bloodletting (intentional harm to release blood) with obsidian blades.

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Public sacrifice -

Ritualized bloodletting was primarily carried out by elites, rulers, and religious leaders. These ceremonies often took place in highly visible public settings. By shedding blood, these figures demonstrated their sacred connection to the divine, which helped them maintain their social or political power within the community.

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Smoke and sacrifice -

Bloodletting involved piercing a soft body part (most commonly the tongue) and either scattering the blood or collecting it on amate paper (such as the type pictured here). This paper was then burned, with the rising smoke symbolizing the offering's ascension to the gods.

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Early gods -

A few of the known deities that were worshipped by the Olmecs also share similarities with other gods found in the mythologies of later civilizations. This includes the feathered serpent god known as Kukulcan to the Maya and Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs.

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The rise of the Maya -

Centuries after the Olmec civilization faded, the Maya came into prominence in what is now Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Southern Mexico. The Maya lasted from 250 CE to 950 CE, and their descendants can still be found in Central America today.

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Life through maize -

The Maya believed humans were created from maize, their staple crop. Their mythos also includes the famous creation story known as Popol Vuh, which spoke of countless dangers in the world (including disease, jaguars, and gods of death).

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The Hero Twins -

The Maya pantheon of gods boasted over 250 deities, many of whom were bloodthirsty. Among the most famous figures were the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who battled the forces of darkness and ultimately resurrected their father from the underworld.

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The realm of the dead -

The Maya afterlife, Xibalba, was a terrifying place ruled by deities like Camazotz (a bat god who drank blood) and Cizin (who wore a necklace of human eyes, pictured). These gods punished evildoers in the afterlife.

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The war god’s demand -

The formidable god of war known as Buluc-Chabtan was the primary deity honored through the sacrifice of prisoners and civilians. Though their fate was grim, those offered in his name were often portrayed as receiving divine blessings in the afterlife.

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The power of blood -

Even in ancient Mesoamerica, people knew how important blood was to the human body. Maya rituals often involved self-inflicted wounds using obsidian blades or stingray spines to offer blood to the gods. Indeed, some gods specifically demanded such sacrifices.

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Late bloomers -

Some findings suggest that large-scale human sacrifices among the Maya only became prevalent in the later stages of their civilization. These rituals were performed to secure divine favor, whether to summon much-needed rain, ensure a bountiful harvest, or achieve victory in battle.

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Shocking discovery -

For years, archaeologists believed that the Maya primarily sacrificed women. But recent DNA analysis of a sacrificial site in Central America revealed that only young boys, aged three to six, had been offered in rituals.

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Blood of beasts -

The value of blood in sacrifices wasn’t only reserved for people. The Maya also frequently sacrificed animals, including quail, turkeys, deer, and jaguars. Animals were often seen as the “alter ego” to religious leaders.

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The land of the Aztecs -

Long after the Maya civilization had ceased to exist, central Mexico saw the rise of the Aztecs between 1345 CE and 1521 CE. Their people were eventually conquered by European colonialists, who saw indigenous religious practices as barbarism.

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The sun’s protector -

The Aztecs believed their war god, known as Huitzilopochtli, protected the sun from darkness. To keep the sun moving, they offered him human hearts, since they believed that without blood the world would end.

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The moon’s origin -

In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli beheaded his sister Coyolxauhqui after she attempted to kill their mother. Her severed head was thrown into the sky and it became the moon. This violent myth was used as justification by Aztecs to allow ritualistic sacrifices.

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Honor in sacrifice -

Much like the Mesoamerican civilizations that came before, the Aztecs believed the practice of sacrifice was considered an honor. Occasionally, Aztec people would even consume the flesh of sacrificial victims, viewing it as an act of reverence to the underworld god Mictlantecuhtli.

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Getting closer to the gods -

Human sacrifices in the Aztec civilization were led to the summit of towering temple pyramids, where, elevated closer to the heavens, they were ceremonially slain as offerings to the gods. This ensured cosmic balance and divine favor.

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The Aztec reputation -

Aside from religious purposes, the Aztecs’ sacrificial practices helped them maintain a reputation for brutality that deterred enemies. Neighboring tribes feared being captured and sacrificed, which discouraged invasions.

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Inviting conquest -

Some scholars believe the fierce and brutal image of the Aztecs contributed to their eventual downfall, as news of the civilization’s customs spread across the globe and made them a prime target for European colonization.

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The arrival of the Spanish -

When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century, they were horrified by Mesoamerican blood sacrifices. Driven by religious zeal and a desire for control, they sought to eradicate these rituals and replace indigenous spiritual practices with Christianity.

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Suppression of sacrifice -

To dismantle Mesoamerican religious traditions, Spanish colonizers destroyed temples, burned sacred texts, and forcibly converted indigenous people to Catholicism. Priests and rulers who once conducted bloodletting and sacrifices were executed or coerced into adopting European religious practices.

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The lasting impact - Over time, blood sacrifices disappeared, but echoes of Mesoamerican beliefs survived through the centuries. Many indigenous rituals blended with Catholic practices, which allowed some traditions to persist in disguised forms. This includes the celebration of the Day of the Dead, which is rooted in Aztec culture.

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Sacred sacrifices -

According to modern standards, the brutality of Mesoamerican mythology may appear extreme, but it was deeply ingrained in how these civilizations interpreted their world. Rituals and sacrifices reflected the immense value they placed on human life (especially blood) as a sacred force in an era where survival was anything but guaranteed.

Sources: (TheCollector) (National Autonomous University of Mexico) (MexicoHistorico.com) (National Geographic)

See also: Why the Maya civilization is so fascinating

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